Careproctus ampliceps Andriashev & Stein 1998

Stein, David L., 2012, Snailfishes (Family Liparidae) of the Ross Sea, Antarctica, and Closely Adjacent Waters 3285, Zootaxa 3285, pp. 1-120 : 11-13

Careproctus ampliceps Andriashev & Stein 1998

Figs. 2, 3

Careproctus ampliceps Andriashev & Stein 1998:9 , Fig. 5; Andriashev 2003:76, Figs. 34, 35.

Holotype. LACM 11418–2 , female, 102 mm TL, 91 mm SL, 67°33' S, 179°34' W, USNS Eltanin, Stn. 1948, 3 Feb 1967, 3495– 3514 m.

Material examined. Holotype. LACM 11350–1 , male, 91 mm TL, 83 mm SL, 68°05' S, 173°44' W, USNS Eltanin, Stn. 1866, 12 Jan 1967, 2608– 3176 m.

Expanded diagnosis. Counts. V 47 (12+35), D 40, A 34, C 9 (4/5), P 25 (14–15+3–4+7), radials 2 (1+0+0+1), gr 10, pc 10, pores 2–6–7–1. Ratios. HL 34.1, HW 17.6, sn ~10, E 5.3, orbit 10.1, uj 14.7, go 12.4, md 19.2, disk 7.7, da 4.6, bd 28.6, preD 36.8, preA 41.8, ma 31.3, aAf 15.1, UPL 23.1, LPL 26.3, pcl <5% SL. In % HL: sn 29.5, E 18.4, orbit 30.7, go 36.5, disk 20.3, da 13.5, aAf 15.1, md 58.3, UPL 68.

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FIGURE, ZIN girdle

Head large, deep, compressed laterally. Nostril small, less than half diameter of upper nasal pore. Mouth terminal, large, slightly oblique. Upper jaw reaching to below posterior half of eye. Teeth small, simple, conical, forming narrow bands in both jaws; symphyseal gaps narrow. Cephalic pores large, oval, symphyseal pore pair slightly smaller than others in the series, well separated from each other by a distance about equal to one pore diameter. Gill opening nearly vertical, long, extending down in front of 8–9 pectoral fin rays and supported ventrally by 3–4 branchiostegal rays entering its margin. Pectoral fin upper lobe reaching well behind anal fin origin; fin deeply notched, rudimentary rays absent, lower lobe longer than upper, but not reaching to below tip of upper lobe. Radials 2 (1+0+0+1), round, unnotched. Scapular helve short, strong; coracoid long, supported by triangular lamellar plates, basal notch absent. Disk cupped, small, about 1/5 HL. Pleural ribs absent; hypural plate single, unslit. Tiny prickles present on skin as single needles, visible at 25x magnification. Peritoneum brown-black; body, orobranchial cavity, stomach, and pyloric caeca pale.

Distribution. Northern Ross Sea at 2608–3514 m.

Comparisons. Most similar to C. improvisus Andriashev & Stein 1998 from South Georgia, but differs in the longer gill opening (in front of 8–9 rays vs completely above pectoral), longer head (34 vs 27% SL), larger mouth (maxilla reaching to below posterior margin of eye vs not reaching to below eye) and smaller disk (8 vs 11% SL). Also similar to C. acifer Andriashev & Stein 1998 from the abyssal Scotia Sea, differing in gill opening length (2 vs 7% SL) extending in front of 8–9 rays (vs above pectoral), longer head (34 vs 26% SL) and longer predorsal length (37 vs 29% SL).