Hime Starks, 1924

Gomon, Martin F., Struthers, Carl D. & Stewart, Andrew L., 2013, A New Genus and Two New Species of the Family Aulopidae (Aulopiformes), Commonly Referred to as Aulopus, Flagfins, Sergeant Bakers or Threadsails, in Australasian Waters, Species Diversity 18, pp. 141-161 : 143-145

Genus Hime Starks, 1924

Hime Starks, 1924: 30 (type species Aulopus japonicus Günther 1877 , by original designation); Parin and Kotlyar 1989: 407; Thompson 1998: 50; Mundy 2005: 192; Hoese Bray and Gates in Hoese et al. 2006: 464; Fricke et al. 2011: 358; Eschmeyer 2012.

Aulopus nec Cloquet, 1816 : Mead 1966: 22; Sulak 1977: 53; Shen 1984: 15; Yamakawa in Masuda et al. 1984: 60; Hoese and Hanley in Paxton et al. 1989: 227; Lee and Chao 1994: 211; Baldwin and Johnson 1996: 358; Okamura and Amaoka 1997: 109; Paxton and Niem 1999: 1919; Nakabo in Nakabo 2000: 349; Prokofiev 2008: 141.

Diagnosis. Dorsal fin with 15–17 rays; pectoral fin with 10–12 (mostly 11) rays; total vertebrae 40–43; lateral line scales 39–43. Head moderately large, length 29.7–33.7% SL; snout short, 7.9–9.9% SL and 25.8–30.3% HL; eye moderately large 7.1–10.8% SL and 22.5–35.5% HL; predorsal of moderate length 34.4–37.1% SL; anal fin to anus 11.7–15.7% SL; pyloric caeca present or absent. Nasal flap arising from septum between anterior and posterior nasal openings lanceolate ( Fig. 2A ). Teeth in jaws short canines, in about two to four rows; about two rows of small canines on palatines and traversing vomer. Dorsal fin originating just in advance of vertical through pelvic fin origin, dorsal fin base of moderate length, 28.6–32.6% SL, height variable with distinct sexual dimorphism in form in most species, second to fifth rays longest, 20.4–51.5% SL, subsequent rays progressively shorter or subequal, posterior lobe reaching between little more than half way to hypural crease in females to almost reaching hypural crease in males; length of dorsal fin base 1.34–1.98 times distance from dorsal fin insertion to origin of adipose fin; distinct sexual dimorphism in form of anal fin in most species with fin usually distinctly larger in males than females, posterior lobe variably reaching much less than half way to hypural crease in females and nearly to hypural crease in some males; caudal fin with deep fork, shortest rays at middle of fin little more than a third length of longest rays to corners; ray on ventral edge of caudal fin without fleshy covering; pectoral fin origin just in advance of vertical through dorsal fin origin; first four rays of pelvic fin slightly thickened and cylindrical with fleshy dermal covering distally in large individuals. Males and females usually with separate colour patterns, males frequently with distinct broad yellow stripe on anal fin in life that is absent in females.

Remarks. Thompson (1998) distinguished Hime from Aulopus by its more anteriorly positioned anus (anus to anal fin origin 11–17% SL vs 5–11% SL) with longest pelvic fin rays reaching to or past the anus (versus not reaching anus), possession of 44 or fewer vertebrae (usually 41 or 42 vs 46 or more, usually 48–52), presence or absence of pyloric caeca (vs lacking pyloric caeca), more anteriorly placed dorsal fin with the pelvic fin origin under or posterior to the dorsal fin origin (vs more posteriorly placed dorsal fin with pelvic fin origin anterior to dorsal fin origin), the eye diameter greater than the snout length (vs eye diameter varying from less to slightly more than snout length) and more posteriorly placed anal fin (snout to anal fin origin 71–77% of SL, vs more anteriorly placed anal fin with snout to anal fin origin 69–73% of SL). Data gathered in the course of this study mostly agree with these observations. Thompson initially regarded the genus as comprising H. curtirostris , H. damasi , H. formosanus , H. japonicus , H. microps , and H. purpurissatus , but subsequently changed his mind (pers. comm.) and, like Shimizu and Yamakawa (1989), referred H. purpurissatus to Latropiscis and considered H. damasi to warrant placement in a separate unnamed genus. The description of H. diactithrix brought the number of valid nominal species of Hime to five. Current studies indicate that species in addition to those treated here await description.

Members of the genus are confined to the central, southeastern and western Pacific, extending into the Indian Ocean along the northwestern coast of Australia (Glorefelt- Tarp and Kailola 1984). One species, H. japonica , has been reported to reach eastward to Hawaii ( Mundy 2005), but it is unlikely that this identity of the Hawaiian species is correct ( Randall 1976; ongoing study), and a second, H. microps , was described from deepwater on the Nazca Ridge in the eastern Pacific (25°43′S, 85°29′W).

Figures

Fig. 2. Nasal flap: A) Hime pyrhistion sp. nov. NMNZ P.054047, holotype; B) Leptaulopus damasi NSMT-P. 115220, neotype; and, C) Leptaulopus erythrozonatus sp. nov. NMNZ P.042518, holotype.