Revision of the eastern Pacific species of Gobulus (Perciformes: Gobiidae), with description of a new species

Gobulus birdsongi is described as a new species from the Pacific coast of Panama. The two other known species of Gobulus from the eastern Pacific, Gobulus crescentalis and G. hancocki are redescribed. Gobulus birdsongi differs from other species in the genus in having more numerous second dorsal and anal rays. Gobulus hancocki differs from G. crescentalis in having a much smaller eye. The genus is distinctive in having reversed countershading, with the ventral surface of the body darker than the dorsal surface.     

Gordiichthys combibus, a new species of eastern Pacific sand-eel (Anguilliformes: Ophichthidae)

A new species of bascanichthyin ophichthid, Gordiichthys combibus, is described from shallow water along the Pacific coast of Colombia. It is the first known eastern Pacific species of Gordiichthys and is very similar to G. randalli from Puerto Rico. It differs from its other western Atlantic congeners in vertebral number and other characters. A key to the genus is provided.     

Munnogonium affinissp. n.: A New Species of Isopod (Asellota: Paramunnidae) from the Coast of Korea,Sea of Japan

The new species Munnogonium affinisfrom the coast of Korea (the Sea of Japan) is described. This is the first record of the genus Munnogoniumfrom the western Pacific. The new species differs considerably from the four eastern Pacific American species of this genus and is most similar to M. maltiniifrom the Mediterranean Sea.     

A new cottid species,Porocottus coronatus,from the Pacific coast of Hokkaido,Japan

A new cottid species,Porocottus coronatus, is described on the basis of nine specimens from the Pacific coast of eastern Hokkaido, Japan. It differs from other species of this genus by having a group of finger-like cirri on the dorsal midline of the head, long uppermost preopercular spine, 15–16 anal fin rays and well developed cephalic sensory system with many small pores.     

A new species of the genus Acyrtus on the eastern Pacific: A cornerstone for the evolution and biogeography of the genus

The genus Acyrtus Schultz, 1944 currently includes four species distributed in the western Atlantic (WA), three occurring from the Bahamas to the southern Caribbean, and one endemic to the Fernando de Noronha Archipelago in north-east Brazil. We describe a new species of Acyrtus based on morphology and genetics from several individuals caught at artificial hard substrates deployed between 10 and 16 m deep at Malpelo Island, Colombian Pacific. The Malpelo clingfish, Acyrtus arturo new species, differs from all its WA congeners by a combination of morphology, meristics and genetics. This species is unique within Acyrtus in having the greatest number of caudal rays (12–13). It can also be distinguished by the greater body height (19.8–27.8% standard length), its longer disc (34.0–39.1% standard length) and the greater distance between anus and disc (13.9–18.1% standard length). A. arturo sp. nov. is the first Acyrtus so far recorded from the eastern Pacific and adds to the already high number of fishes endemic to Colombia's remote oceanic territory of Malpelo.     

Two new species of Duplicibothrium Williams & Campbell, 1978 (Tetraphyllidea: Serendipidae) from the Pacific cownose ray Rhinoptera steindachneri

Two new tetraphyllidean species, Duplicibothrium cairae n. sp. and D. paulum n. sp., are described from Pacific cownose rays Rhinoptera steindachneri collected from the Gulf of California. D. cairae n. sp. differs from the only other known species in this genus, D. minutum, in its possession of two posteriorly bifurcating longitudinal septa on each bothridium and having a greater number of loculi per bothridium, wider bothridia and a greater number of segments per worm. D. paulum n. sp. differs from the above two species in being shorter, having two continuous longitudinal septa on each bothridium, rather than posteriorly bifurcating or absent longitudinal septa, having a greater number of loculi per bothridium and having fewer segments per worm. The generic diagnosis of Duplicibothrium is amended to reflect the inclusion of the two new species. Species of Duplicibothriumappear to be restricted to host species of the genus Rhinoptera. Systematic information gained from the study of these two new species supports the monophyly of the tetraphyllidean family Serendipidae and suggests that Duplicibothrium shares a phylogenetic heritage with species in the genera Glyphobothrium and Serendip, taxa that are also parasitic in cownose rays. Evidence for a phylogenetic relationship between serendipid species and species of Dioecotaenia is discussed, as are potential molluscan hosts for cestode species in Duplicibothrium and Dioecotaenia.     

A new, dwarf species of Grammonus (Teleostei: Bythitidae) found off Vietnam

A new species of the viviparous fish genus Grammonus (Ophidiiformes: Bythitidae) is described, based on two ripe males, 32–55 mm SL. They were caught over a muddy bottom in a shrimp trawl at 70–119 m off Central Vietnam. A comparison with the nine hitherto described Grammonus species shows them to be clearly distinct from other species. Except for G. ater, G. minutus differs from all other species by having either more or fewer dorsal (75–76) and anal (54–55) fin rays. It differs from G. ater i.a. by having more pectoral fin rays (22–23 vs. 18–19).     

Nematops nanosquama, a new species of righteye flounder (Pleuronectiformes: Poecilopsettidae) from off the Marquesas Islands

A new poecilopsettid flounder, Nematops nanosquama, is described from 10 specimens (4 males, 6 females) collected from deep waters (96–650 m) off Hiva Oa, Marquesas Islands. This species is easily separated from the three recognized species of the genus Nematops by having large numbers of dorsal fin rays, anal fin rays, lateral line scales, and vertebrae, five dark transverse broad bands on the body, and a black blotch on the distal area of the pectoral fin. N.nanosquama shows the easternmost record of this genus from the Pacific Ocean.     

A new species of anglerfish (Lophiidae: <Emphasis Type="Italic">Lophiodes</Emphasis>) from the western Pacific

Lophiodes endoi sp. nov. is described from the western Pacific Ocean. Within the genus Lophiodes, the new species belongs in the L. mutilus group mainly defined by the absence of the fourth dorsal fin spine and differs from other species in the L. mutilus group in having a rounded esca with a paler tip, a third dorsal spine bearing a pair of black tendrils at two-thirds its length, 20–21 pectoral fin rays, a relatively short head, a relatively short illicium, a relatively short third dorsal spine, and a relatively long fifth dorsal spine, reaching the third soft dorsal fin ray when folded back. Comments on a similar species, L. bruchius, newly collected from the Kyushu–Palau Ridge, and notes on the distribution of congeneric species in the northwestern Pacific are provided.     

A new species of Trinectes (Pleuronectiformes: Achiridae), with comments on the other eastern Pacific species of the genus

A new eastern Pacific achirid, Trinectes xanthurus, has a distinctive yellow or light caudal fin, without pattern, to contrast with its relatively dark body. This species also has black, posterior margins of the dorsal and anal fins and 21-22 caudal vertebrae, versus 19-20 for its Pacific coast congeners. It usually is found in shallow, continental shelf waters on sand or mud bottoms and ranges from Colombia to El Salvador. The genus Trinectes is represented in the eastern Pacific by four species. A fifth species usually occurs in Pacific slope drainages (freshwater) in Panama. Of these species, only Trinectes fonsecensis is found throughout the tropical eastern Pacific, while the other three coastal species are confined to tropical waters south of the Golfo de Tehauntepec.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Argyripnus boreopacificus</Emphasis> sp. nova,a new species of hatchetfishes (Sternoptychidae) from the subtropical Northwestern Pacific

A new species of the genus Argyripnus is described from the underwater elevations of the Northwestern Pacific. The species is most similar to A. hulleyi from the western Indian Ocean, but it differs in a larger number of rays of the dorsal and pectoral fins, a slightly larger number of photophores in the ventral row, and several other characters. The type series of the species is the most northern record of the representatives of the genus in the Pacific Ocean.     

No longer a circumtropical species: revision of the lizardfishes in the Trachinocephalus myops species complex,with description of a new species from the Marquesas Islands

Trachinocephalus, a formerly monotypic and nearly circumtropical genus of lizardfishes, is split into three valid species. Trachinocephalus gauguini n. sp. is described from the Marquesas Islands and is distinguished from the two other species in the genus by having a shorter snout, a narrower interorbital space, larger eye and modally fewer anal‐fin and pectoral‐fin rays. The distribution of Trachinocephalus myops (type species) is restricted to the Atlantic Ocean and the name Trachinocephalus trachinus is resurrected for populations from the Indo‐West Pacific Ocean. Principal component analyses and bivariate plots based on the morphometric data differentiated T. gauguini from the other two species, but a substantial overlap between T. myops and T. trachinus exists. Phylogenetic evidence based on mtDNA COI sequences unambiguously supports the recognition of at least three species in Trachinocephalus, revealing deep divergences between the Atlantic Ocean, Indo‐West Pacific Ocean and Marquesas entities. Additional analyses of species delimitations using the generalized mixed Yule coalescent model and the Poisson tree processes model provide a more liberal assessment of species in Trachinocephalus, indicating that many more cryptic species may exist. Finally, a taxonomic key to identify the three species recognized here is provided.     

New genus and species of the family stichaeidae from Hokkaido,Japan

Specimens of a new genus and species of the stichaeid fish,Leptostichaeus pumilus, were collected from the Okhotsk Sea off Hokkaido in Japan. The present new genus and species clearly differs from all the other genera and species of the stichaeid fishes in the following characters: 3 or 4 pectoral fin rays; 10 or fewer caudal principal rays; 79–82 dorsal spines; no pelvic fin; last interneural spine supporting a single dorsal spine; infraorbital, occipital and lateral line canals absent; moderate size of dorsal spine shorter than eye diameter; membranes of dorsal and anal fins widely connected with caudal fin; a large black spot divided by a yellow band present just above gill cover.     

A new species of Nezumia (Gadiformes: Macrouridae) from Fieberling Guyot, eastern North Pacific Ocean

A new species of the macrourine genus Nezumia is described from specimens collected from the crest of Fieberling Guyot in the eastern North Pacific Ocean. The new species is distinguishable from all other Nezumia species chiefly on the basis of a high number of pelvic fin rays, a relatively high number of first dorsal fin soft rays, a steep blunt snout lacking scales ventrally, a relatively weak suborbital ridge, and a moderately long, thin barbel. Although possibly endemic to the Baja California Seamount Province, the new species appears to lack close relatives among the other Nezumia species of the eastern North Pacific Ocean. It might have arrived there either from a disjunct Tethyan distribution, thus retaining close relatives among the Atlantic Ocean species of Nezumia, or by way of stepping-stone dispersal from the Indo-west Pacific Ocean.     

Revision of the genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Melamphaes</Emphasis> (Melamphaidae): Part 3. Multirakered species: <Emphasis Type="Italic">M. suborbitalis,M. parini</Emphasis>, and <Emphasis Type="Italic">M. acanthomus</Emphasis>

In the third part of the revision of the genus Melamphaes Melamphaidae (Melamphaidae), we examine multirakered species (20 and more rakers at the first gill arch) with seven soft rays in the ventral fin that have a posttemporal (temporal) spine directed anteriorly-upwards, with 14–15 rays in the pectoral fin, and 11 (rarely 12) trunk vertebrae. M. suborbitalis inhabits the Atlantic Ocean (in the north up to 57°N, in the south, up to 40°S), the Indian Ocean (is known in its southwestern part), and the western part of the Pacific Ocean. There is no significant evidence on catches of this species in the eastern part of the Pacific Ocean. Apparently, M. suborbitalis is absent in the tropical waters of the oceans. Until recently, M. parini was known from the holotype caught in the Sea of Okhotsk. Two specimens of this rare species: from the central (the area of the Hawaiian Islands) and the northeastern part of the Pacific Ocean are reported. M. acanthomus is an endemic of the eastern part of the Pacific Ocean where it is known along the coasts of America from California to the northern coast of Chile (approximately between 33°N and 21°S).     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Samaretta perexilis</Emphasis>, a new genus and new species of samarid flatfish (Pleuronectiformes: Samaridae) from the South Pacific

A new genus of righteye flounder, Samaretta gen. nov., is described from two specimens (one female and one juvenile) collected in deep waters (470–512 m) from submarine mountains of the southern eastern Pacific. The type species of the new genus, Samaretta perexilis, is characterized by unremarkable (i.e., not elongated) anterior dorsal fin rays, four pectoral fin rays, six parapophyses, reduced lateral line canals, a very slender body, large head and eyes, and minute scales. An updated key to the samarid genera is presented.     

Systematics of the Platyrrhinus helleri species complex (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae), with descriptions of two new species

Platyrrhinus is a diverse genus of small to large phyllostomid bats characterized by a comparatively narrow uropatagium thickly fringed with hair, a white dorsal stripe, comparatively large inner upper incisors that are convergent at the tips, and three upper and three lower molars. Eighteen species are currently recognized, the majority occurring in the Andes. Molecular, morphological, and morphometric analyses of specimens formerly identified as Platyrrhinus helleri support recognition of Platyrrhinus incarum as a separate species and reveal the presence of two species from western and northern South America that we describe herein as new ( Platyrrhinus angustirostris sp. nov. from eastern Colombia and Ecuador, north‐eastern Peru, and Venezuela and Platyrrhinus fusciventris sp. nov. from Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Trinidad and Tobago, northern Brazil, eastern Ecuador, and southern Venezuela). These two new species are sister taxa and, in turn, sister to Platyrrhinus incarum. © 2010 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2010, 159 , 785–812.     

Two new species of Acanthobothrium Beneden, 1849 (Tetraphyllidea: Onchobothriidae) from horn sharks in the Gulf of California,Mexico

Between 1993 and 1996, 26 individuals of two species of horn sharks were collected from the upper Gulf of California and their spiral intestines examined for onchobothriid tapeworms. Heterodontus francisci was found to host Acanthobothrium puertecitense n. sp. Based on the criteria of Ghoshroy & Caira (2001), this is a Category 4 species (with >15mm total length, >50 proglottids, >80 testes and a symmetrical ovary). It differs from the four Category 4 species previously reported from either the western Atlantic or eastern Pacific Oceans, including A. bajaense (emend.) which was described from H. francisci, in hook-shape, total length, number of proglottids, number of testes and number of columns of vitelline follicles. H. mexicanus was found to host Acanthobothrium santarosaliense n. sp., which, based on the criteria of Ghoshroy & Caira (2001) is a Category 3 species (with >15mm total length, >50 proglottids, >80 testes and an asymmetrical ovary). A. santarosaliense differs from the five Category 3 species previously reported from either the western Atlantic or eastern Pacific Oceans in its size, euapolytic nature, lack of dark matrix from the bases of the hooks, hook-shape, and distribution and number of testes. In addition to the difference in ovarian symmetry, A. puertecitense possesses fewer testes, fewer proglottids, is a shorter worm, possesses a more anterior genital pore and vitelline follicles which extend further forward anteriorly than in A. santarosaliense. This represents the first report of onchobothriids from H. mexicanus and the first report of onchobothriids from H. francisci in the Gulf of California. The apparent host-specificity of both new species should be viewed with caution until a greater sample of host individuals of both species can be examined. The fact that both new tapeworm species are known only from the Gulf is also considered to be a preliminary result, given the small sample of host individuals examined from these regions to date. This brings the total number of species of Heterodontus known to host Acanthobothrium to four and the total number of Acanthobothrium species described from heterodontiform sharks to five.