Histiobranchus cf. australis (Regan 1913)

Melo, Marcelo R. S., Nunan, Gustavo W. A., Braga, Adriana C. & Costa, Paulo A. S., 2009, The deep-sea Anguilliformes and Saccopharyngiformes (Teleostei: Elopomorpha) collected on the Brazilian continental slope, between 11 and 23 S, Zootaxa 2234, pp. 1-20 : 13

publication ID	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.190386
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03A6B07C-8D14-FF29-CCD1-FE0DFD609F89
treatment provided by	Plazi (2016-04-20 00:31:52, last updated 2021-11-09 17:56:37)
scientific name	Histiobranchus cf. australis (Regan 1913)
status

Treatment

( Fig. 3 View FIGURE 3 L)

Material examined. Three specimens, 448.0–559.0 mm TL: USU 0 1303 (1, 559.0 mm, x-rayed), MD, 38 CP 65; UF 231763 View Materials (2, 448.0–542.0 mm, x-rayed), R/V Gllis, off St. Paul Rocks, 0 5 o 03’ N, 20 o 48 ’ W, 2784 m.

Distribution. Histiobranchus australis is being recorded by the first time in the WSA. It was described from the western Indian and eastern South Atlantic Oceans (46 º 46 ’ S, 45 º 31 ’ E, 48 º06’S, 10 º05’ W), and is also known from the East Indian and western South Pacific Oceans.

Remarks. USU 0 1303 was reported by Séret and Andreata (1992) as Haptenchelys texis . The specimen is poorly preserved, lacking skin, dorsal- and anal-fin rays, and infraorbital bones, and the musculature is disintegrating. The bones have also suffered from decalcification, making counts of vertebrae on an x-ray very difficult. The number of vertebrae seems to fit with H. australis : total vertebra ca. 135, precaudal vertebra equal to 60 ( Karmovskaya & Merrett 1998). Additional material collected in Northern Brazil confirms the existence of H. australis in adjacent waters.

References

Karmovskaya, E. S. & Merrett, N. R. (1998) Taxonomy of the deep-sea eel genus, Histiobranchus (Synaphobranchidae, Anguilliformes), with notes on the ecology of H. bathybius in the eastern North Atlantic. Journal of Fish Biology, 53, 1015 - 1037.

Seret, B. & Andreata, J. V. (1992) Deep-sea fishes collected during the oceanographic cruise MD- 55 off Brazil (6 May - 2 June 1987). Cybium, 16, 81 - 100.

Figures

FIGURE 3. (A) Nemichthys scolopaceus (MNRJ 26839, 623.0 mm); (B) Hoplunnis similis (USU 0 1327, 305.0 mm); (C) Nettastoma melanura (MNRJ 26820, 637.0 mm); (D) Venefica cf. procera (MNRJ 26799, 640.0 mm); (E) Venefica sp. 1 (MNRJ 26808, 992.0 mm); (F) Venefica sp. 2 (MNRJ 26809, 494.0 mm); (G) Serrivomer schmidti (MNRJ 26842, 423.0 mm); (H) Stemonidium hypomelas (MNRJ 26838, 267.0 mm); (I) Atractodenchelys phrix (MNRJ 26829, 300.0 mm); (J) Diastobranchus capensis (MNRJ 26783, 642.0 mm); (K) Dysommina rugosa (MNRJ 27126, 242.0 mm); (L) Histiobranchus cf. australis (USU 0 1303, 559.0 mm).