Parabathymyrus philippinensis, Ho, Hsuan-Ching, Smith, David G. & Shao, Kwang-Tsao, 2015

Ho, Hsuan-Ching, Smith, David G. & Shao, Kwang-Tsao, 2015, Notes on the congrid eel genus Parabathymyrus from the western Pacific Ocean, with the description of a new species (Pisces: Anguilliformes: Congridae), Zootaxa 4060 (1), pp. 131-139 : 132-134

Parabathymyrus philippinensis sp. nov.

Figs. 1 A–C; Tables 1–2

Holotype. ASIZP 68112 (398), 14.54°N, 121.7°E, off Aurora, Luzon, Philippines, 233–249 m, 29 May 2007. Paratype. ASIZP 68117 (1, 341), 16.51°N, 122.01°E, off Aurora, Luzon, Philippines, 335–356 m, 28 May 2007.

Diagnosis. A species of Parabathymyrus with head 5.6–5.7 in TL; 3 supraorbital pores; 42 preanal vertebrae; 141–142 total vertebrae; 40– 42 preanal lateral-line (LL) pores; 140–141 total LL pores.

Description. Head length 5.7 (5.6 in paratype) times in TL; body depth at head 16.2 (12.7); predorsal 5.7 (5.2); preanal 2.4 (2.5); trunk length 4.2 (4.8); tail length 1.7. Snout 6.6 (5.8) times in HL; eye 5.8 (4.7); interorbital 9.8 (8.2); snout-rictus 3.2 (3.1); gill opening 9.6 (5.8); interbranchial 3.8 (3.4); pectoral fin 2.5 (2.8). Pectoral-fin rays 14.

P. philippinensis sp. nov. P.brachyrhynchus P.macrophthalmus Value of NMMB-P 11170.

Body relatively stout, depth of head slightly larger than that of tail; head and trunk cylindrical, gradually compressed to posterior half of body; trunk long; tail moderately long. Origin of dorsal fin above pectoral fin; original of anal fin slightly anterior to middle of total length; snout short and obtuse.

Eye relatively large, above posterior half of upper jaw, its posterior margin extending beyond a vertical through rictus; interorbital space narrow. Gill opening moderately high, in front of pectoral fin and extending dorsally to middle of pectoral-fin base. Anterior nostril tube-like, at front of snout; posterior nostril large, just above upper jaw, covered by a large flap dorsally.

Mouth moderately large, its opening slightly oblique, rictus extending to posterior one-third of orbit; upper jaw protrudes anterior to lower jaw; upper labial flange well developed, extending from anterior nostril to two-thirds of upper-jaw length; lower jaw with a deep fold from tip to rictus; pectoral fin narrow and pointed.

Vertebrae: Predorsal 8 (8), preanal 42 (42), and total 142 (141). Lateral line complete, pores moderate in size, prepectoral 8 (8), predorsal 10 (8), Preanal 40 (42), and total 140 (141). Head pores: supraorbital 3 (3), only anterior pores present, 4th pore at dorsal-anterior corner of eye absent; infraorbital 5 (5), 1 between nostrils, 3 below eye and 1 behind rictus, none behind eye; preoperculomandibular (POM) 11 (11), 7 anterior to rictus, 4 behind rictus; supratemporal commissure (ST) 0, frontal (F) 0, adnasal (AD) 0.

Teeth small, villiform, 4–5 rows of teeth on intermaxilla forming a rounded patch, exposed when mouth closed; vomerine teeth connected to those of intermaxilla, forming a small triangular patch; 4–5 rows of teeth on both jaws anteriorly, gradually narrowing to biserial posteriorly.

Coloration. When fresh ( Fig. 1 A, C), light brownish dorsally and paler ventrally, anterior portion of head and lower jaw blackish, fins reddish, thin black margins on dorsal and anal fins. When preserved ( Fig. 1 B), body brownish, abdomen yellowish, fins pale, thin black margins on dorsal and anal fins.

Distribution. Known only from the type series, collected off Aurora Province, east coast of Luzon, Philippines, at a depth of 233– 356 m.

Etymology. The specific name is derived from the type locality, the Philippines.

Remarks. Parabathymyrus philippinensis sp. nov. differs from the other four congeners in having 3 supraorbital pores (vs. 4) and 141–142 total vertebrae (vs. 128–137 in P. macrophthalmus , 149–152 in P. oregoni , 162–173 in P. brachyrhynchus , and 173 in P. fijiensis ). Table 3 summarizes the selected characters of all known Parabathymyrus .

Figures

FIGURE 1. Parabathymyrus philippinensis sp. nov. A, B. Holotype, ASIZP 68112, 398 mm TL. C. Paratype, ASIZP 68117, 341 mm TL. Both from Aurora, Luzon, Philippines. A, C photo by Y. - C. Liao.