Lampris lauta Lowe 1860

Underkoffler, Karen E., Luers, Meagan A., Hyde, John R. & Craig, Matthew T., 2018, A taxonomic review of Lampris guttatus (Brünnich 1788) (Lampridiformes; Lampridae) with descriptions of three new species, Zootaxa 4413 (3), pp. 551-565 : 560-561

Lampris lauta Lowe 1860

Fig. 4D

Lampris guttatus (Brünnich 1778)

Lampris guttatus Lineage 2. Hyde et al. 2014.

Common name. East Atlantic Opah

Neotype. MMF 42252, 905 mm SL, purchased at Funchal Fish Market , reported as taken “ North of Madeira Island ”, long line, 0 4 April 2012.

Diagnosis. A species of Lampris distinguished from other members of the genus by the following combination of characters: dorsal rays I,54; anal rays I,42; pectoral rays 25; pelvic rays 25; snout length 7.8 times in standard length; head depth>2.5 times in standard length; body uniformly silver with oblong and irregular white spots over entire body and extending on to anal fin.

Description. Dorsal-fin rays I,54; anal-fin rays 43; pectoral-fin rays 25; pelvic-fin rays 18. Body laterally compressed and rounded, its greatest depth contained 1.5 times in standard length; head length contained 2.8 times in standard length; vertical eye diameter contained 4.8 times in head length; jaws protractible and lacking teeth; upper jaw shorter than lower jaw; lower jaw protrudes slightly forward of upper jaw, the tip narrowing to a blunt point; throat and palate without teeth. Lateral line angled above gill opening, arching above pectoral fins, and extending along mid-height of body through center of caudal peduncle. Scales small, thin, and easily removed over entire body. Dorsal comparatively short, the length of its base contained 2.2 times in standard length, its height contained 4.9 in standard length. Origin of pelvic fin below or anterior to middle of elongated portion of dorsal fin, its length contained 3.8 times in SL.

Coloration. In dead specimens (unpreserved), body uniformly silver-grey with oblong and irregular white spots over entire body and distinctly extending on to anal fin. Fins reddish orange, with occasional white margins or tips on caudal fin. In preserved specimens, body dark grey with spots and median fins appearing yellowish tan.

Distribution. Lampris lauta is known from the Canary Islands, the Azores, and the Mediterranean Sea.

Etymology. The specific epithet lauta was taken from the Latin lautus meaning “elegant”.

Remarks. In his description of L. lauta, Lowe (1860) pointed out several differences between his specimens from Madeira Island and those of what he called “European” Lampris . Lowe considered L. lauta to be a deeperbodied fish than L. guttatus , an observation borne out by our data. Lowe’s (1860) observations are so convincing that the synonymy of L. lauta with L. guttatus seems to have been ill-advised, even in the previous absence of supporting genetic data. In addition to the morphological differences between the two species Lowe observed that:

“[t]he affinity between the European and Madeiran fish assuredly is very close. It is, however, a strong argument in favour of their specific difference, independent of all others, that Lampris guttata [sic] appears to be properly a northern fish. It seems to be in the Mediterranean a mere straggler; whilst facts are wanting to enable us to trace it further south in the Atlantic, than the Gulf of Gascony. The Madeiran fish, if not abundant, is at least a perfectly well-known and regular frequenter of the coast [of Madeira Island], caught always yearly in its proper season, and sold habitually in the market.”

No type material is known for L. lauta (Lowe 1860) ( Eschmeyer, et al., 2018) and Lowe did not mention that any specimens he examined were deposited in a museum collection. As with L. guttatus (Brünnich 1788) , and in order to stabilize the taxonomy and affix a specimen to L. lauta (Lowe 1860) , it seems prudent to also designate a neotype for this species.

Lowe pointed out that “…the Madeiran Lampris is a deeper fish, with the head longer and the eye smaller than the European [ L. guttatus (Brünnich) ].” Hyde et al. (2014) examined sequence data from a specimen collected from Funchal fish market and collected north of Madeira Island. The specimen was deposited at the Estação de Biologia Marinha do Funchal (MMF 42252). In addition to being from the type locality, MMF 42252 has a deeper body and a longer eye than L. guttatus (Brünnich 1788) . We therefore conclude that this is an appropriate specimen to serve as a neotype for L. lauta (Lowe 1860) .

Figures

FIGURE4. Species of the genus Lampris. A) Lampris immaculatus*, B)Lampris guttatus, uncatalogued, 118 cm TL †, C) AM I.24492-001, holotype, Lampris australensis n. sp. 67.3 cm SL, D) MMF 42253, Lampris lauta, 90.5 cm SL, E) USNM 402733, holotype, Lamprismegalopsisn. sp., 85.3 cm SL, F) USNM 402731, holotype, Lampris incognitusn. sp., 82.8 cm SL. (*Photograph by Dianne J. Bray, Lampris immaculatus in Fishes of Australia, accessed 17 Feb 2018, http:// fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/1503)(† Photograph courtesy of Patrice Francour).