Skip to main content Skip to main navigation menu Skip to site footer
Type: Articles
Published: 2011-05-05
Page range: 59–66
Abstract views: 35
PDF downloaded: 2

Revision of the bathyal fish genus Pseudonus (Teleostei, Bythitidae); P. squamiceps a senior synonym of P. platycephalus, new to Australian waters

Fish Bythitidae Pseudonus revision P. platycephalus synonymized

Abstract

The viviparous, bathyal fish genus Pseudonus (Teleostei, Bythitidae, Bythitinae) is known from the Indo-Pacific Ocean. Three species have been described, all based on 1–2 specimens: P. acutus Garman, 1899 from the tropical East Pacific, P. platycephalus (Smith & Radcliffe, 1913) from the Indo-Australian area and P. squamiceps (Lloyd, 1907) from the Gulf of Aden. An additional 18 specimens have become available to justify this revision. The result has established the conspecificity of P. squamiceps and P. platycephalus with P. squamiceps the senior synomym of the two. The major differences between P. acutus and P. squamiceps are that the former has more dorsal (101–119 vs 95–102) and anal (74–85 vs 64–71) fin rays, more vertebrae (61–63 vs 55–58) and lacking pelvic fin rays (vs one of 15 specimens lacks pelvic fin rays). This is the first record of P. squamiceps from Australian waters.

References

  1. de Beaufort, L.F. & Chapman, W.M. (1951) The fishes of the Indo-Australian Archipelago, IX Percomorphi (concluded), Blennioidea, 1–484, Leiden.

    Garman, S. (1899) The fishes. Memoirs of the Museum of Comparative Zoology, 24, 1–431.

    Lloyd, R.E. (1907) Contributions to the fauna of the Arabian Sea, with descriptions of new fishes and crustacea. Records of the Indian Museum, 1, 1–12.

    Lloyd, R.E. (1908) Illustrations of the zoology of the Royal Indian marine surveying steamer Investigator, part 9, pls. 39–43.

    Lloyd, R.E. (1909) A description of the deep-sea fishes caught by the “Investigator” since the year 1900, with supposed evidence of mutation in Malthopsis. Memoirs of the Indian Museum, 2, 139–180.

    Menon, A.G.K. & Yazdani, G.M. (1968) Catalogue of Type-specimens in the Zoological Survey of India, Part 2. - Fishes. Records of the Zoological Survey of India, 61, 91–190.

    Nielsen, J.G., Cohen, D.M., Markle, D.F. & Robins, C.R. (1999) FAO species catalogue. Vol. 18. Ophidiiform fishes of the world (Order Ophidiiformes). An annotated and illustrated catalogue of pearlfishes, cusk-eels, brotulas and other ophidiiform fishes known to date. – FAO Fisheries Synopsis. No. 125, vol. 18. Rome, FAO. 1999. 178 pp.

    Nielsen, J.G. & Nishioka, T. (2009) Order Ophidiiformes in Nakaya (ed.): Deep-sea fishes of Peru. Japan Deep Sea Trawlers Assocoation, 1–355 pp.

    Sabaj Pérez, M.H. (2010) Standard symbolic codes for institutional resource collections in herpetology and ichthyology: an Online Reference. Version 1.5 (4 Oct 2010). American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, Washington, DC.

    Smith and Radcliffe 1913 in Radcliffe, L. (1913) Descriptions of seven new genera and thirty-one new species of fishes of the families Brotulidae and Carapidae from the Philippine Islands and the Dutch East Indies. Proceedings of United States National Museum, 44, 135–176.