Neobythites zora, Uiblein & Nielsen, 2023

Uiblein, Franz & Nielsen, Jørgen G., 2023, Five new ocellus-bearing species of the cusk-eel genus Neobythites (Ophidiidae, Ophidiiformes) from the West Pacific, with establishment of three new species groups, Zootaxa 5336 (2), pp. 179-205 : 195

Neobythites zora n. sp.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:43D5D3D3-BEAD-4FDD-846E-36800AD37DB6

Figures 3 , 5 , Tables 1 , 4

Neobythites longiventralis Nielsen, 1997 : Nielsen 2002

Holotype. ZMUC P 771324, 132 mm SL, female, W Pacifc, off Lakeba, Fiji Is., 18°12′S, 178°36′W, Bordau 1 cruise, R / V Alis, st. CP 1467, beam trawl, 417–427 m depth, 6 Mar. 1999.

Diagnosis. Hind margin of preopercle with two small spines; dorsal-fin rays 91; anal-fin rays 75; pectoral-fin rays 27; precaudal vertebrae 13; total vertebrae 53; pseudobranchial filaments 5; long rakers on anterior gill arch 10; head length 23% SL; pelvic-fin length 34% SL, fins extending well beyond anus; orbit length 5.5% SL and 24% HL; longest gill filament 1.3% SL and 5.7% HL; dorsal fin with two ocelli, larger central ocellus placed just behind vertical line through anus, ocellus spot black, its distance 46% SL and spot covers 12 dorsal-fin rays, and smaller posterior ocellus placed just behind midpoint of dorsal fin, spot distance 69% SL and spot covers 7 dorsal-fin rays; both ocellus spots not extending ventrally onto body; no vertical bars on body; otolith length 5.9% SL, sulcus length 4.8% SL, and ostium height 16% sulcus length and 23% ostium length.

Description. The principal meristic and morphometric characters are shown in Table 4 . Fish elongate with indistinct lateral line; body and head with deciduous cycloid scales; origin of dorsal fin above anterior third of pectoral fin; origin of anal fin slightly in front of midpoint of fish; snout rather blunt, equal in length to diameter of eye window; two small spines on hind margin of preopercle; opercular spine pointed; anterior gill arch (left side) with 5 short and 2 long rakers on upper branch, one long raker at angle, and 7 long and 5 short rakers on the lower branch; longest filaments on anterior gill arch 5.7% HL; longest gill raker on anterior gill arch 12% HL.

Sagittal otolith ( Fig. 3D ). Otolith oval, egg-shaped, with blunt angle ventrally, its depth 1.7 times in its length; sulcus large, 1.2 times in otolith length; ostium 1.4 times in sulcus length; ostium depth 6.1 times in sulcus length and 4.4 times in ostium length.

Dentition. Premaxillaries, palatines, and dentaries with many pointed, close-set teeth in irregular rows; vomer subtriangular with many small teeth; two median basibranchial tooth patches, anterior one long and narrow and posterior one small and rounded.

Axial skeleton. Precaudal vertebrae 13, all with pointed tips; anterior neural spine half length of second spine; spines on vertebrae 2–8 depressed; parapophyses on vertebrae 8–13, pleural ribs on vertebra 3–12, and no epipleural ribs observed; basis of vertebrae 4–13 enlarged.

Colour. Preserved fish ( Fig. 5C ). Body and head of preserved HT rather uniformly pale brown, dorsal third of head and body with some weakly indicated brownish patches of stripes, one incompletely follows lateral line in anterior half of body; abdomen similar pale brown colour as entire body; two distinct ocelli, central ocellus placed at midpoint of fish just behind anus and posterior ocellus placed just behind midpoint of dorsal fin; central-ocellus spot about twice orbit length, covering 12 dorsal-fin rays, not extending onto body below, posterior ocellus spot about orbit length, covering 7 dorsal-fin rays, not extending onto body below fin; contrasting pale rings surrounding both ocellus spots distinct, becoming particularly well visible when erecting dorsal fin; latter with pale brown pigmentation in between ocelli and behind posterior ocellus; pelvic, pectoral, and anal fins hyaline, caudal fin weakly pigmented.

Etymology. The new species name “ zora ” is used as a noun in apposition and acknowledges Mrs. Zouhaira “Zora” Harakati Gabsi, MNHN fish collection manager, for her invaluable assistance in our fish taxonomy research.

Distribution and size. Only known from HT (132 mm SL), W Pacific, off Fiji, at 417–427 m depth.

Figures

FIGURE 3. Neobythites otoliths. (A) N.superocellatus n. sp., HT, MNHN 2021-0457, Solomon Sea (M. Krag). (B) N. japonicus n. sp., HT, KAUM -I. 37071, off Okinawa (from left side of head, shown side-reversed; M. Krag); (C) N. jonathan n. sp., HT, MNHN 2002-3883, Solomon Sea (C. Høegh-Guldberg); (D) N. zora n. sp., HT, ZMUC P771324, Fiji (C. Høegh-Guldberg); (E) N. pako n. sp., HT, MNHN 2006-0337, otolith number MNHN-ICOT-001969, Solomon Sea (M. Krag); (F) N. malayanus, ZMUC P77742, Lombok (C. Høegh-Guldberg); all otoliths from right side of head except for (B); with 1 mm scale bars.

FIGURE 5. Species of the longiventralis group. (A) Neobythites jonathan n. sp., HT MNHN 2002-3883, 119 mm SL, Solomon Sea (M. Krag); (B) N. jonathan n. sp., photographed shortly after being caught by beam-trawl, Solomon Sea (Salomonboa cruise participants; see also Richer de Forges 2007); (C) N. zora n. sp., HT, ZMUC P771324, Fiji (side-reversed; H. Carl); (D) N. longiventralis, MNHN HT 1994-0739, off New Caledonia (M. Krag); (E) N. longipes, ZMUC P77740, 98 mm SL, off Lombok (M. Krag); with 10 mm scale bars.