Cypselurus poecilopterus arabicus, Shakhovskoy & Parin, 2022

Shakhovskoy, Ilia B. & Parin, Nikolay V., 2022, A review of the flying fish genus Cypselurus (Beloniformes: Exocoetidae). Part 2. Revision of the subgenus Poecilocypselurus Bruun, 1935 with descriptions of three new species and five new subspecies and reinstatement of Exocoetus apus Valenciennes and E. neglectus Bleeker, Zootaxa 5117 (1), pp. 1-109 : 6-7

Cypselurus poecilopterus arabicus subsp. nov.

Synonymy and bibliography.

Cypselurus poecilopterus . Shakhovskoy & Parin 2010: 581–602 [559–579], figs. 1–2, 3a (description, morphometry, distribution; in part: north-western Indian Ocean). Shakhovskoy 2018: 56–59, 64–67, 78, figs. 14–15, 18, S4 (distribution according to oceanographic factors; in part: north-western Indian Ocean).

Holotype ( Fig. 1a–b ). ZMMU P-24449, R / V Vityaz, Cruise 31, Sta. 4722, Sample 670, 16°10’N 60°45’E, 13 April 1960, captured with dip-net and night-light. Length 191 mm SL (immature female (stage VI-III)). D 12 , A 8 , P I 15, Spred 27, Str 9½, Sp.br 22 (6 + 16), Vert 42 (26 + 16). Measurements (in % SL): aA 78.5, aD 69.6, aV 58.1, cV 34.8, pV 40.0, c 23.0, po 10.9, o 6.5, ao 4.7, io 8.8, Hc 18.3, H 18.5?, h 7.2, Dc 27.6, lP 68.0, lP 1 38.2, lV 29.8, lD 18.8, lA 9.8, HD -, HA 6.8 ?, p 14.4. Lower jaw shorter than upper jaw ( Fig. 1a ). Jaw teeth small, numerous, tricuspid; arranged in three rows. Palatine teeth present. Body darker dorsally, paler ventrally. No dark specks on gill covers and under eyes. Pectoral fins pale brown with paler tip and large dark oval spots arranged in oblique rows. Tip of pectoral fin protruding slightly beyond end of dorsal-fin base. Pelvic fins pale proximally, brown distally (except 6 th ray) with numerous dark oval spots ( Fig. 1b ). Tip of pelvic fin reaching penultimate ray of anal fin. Dorsal fin pale brownish with black upper margin; tip of last dorsal-fin ray protruding beyond middle of caudal peduncle but not reaching origin of caudal-fin upper lobe. Anal fin pale with dark lower edge, its first ray beneath 6 th –7 th dorsal-fin ray. Caudal fin pale brown.

Paratypes. IORAS 04062 , 180 mm SL, 13°25’N 50°39’E, 29 May 1977 . IORAS 04063 , 151 mm SL, 5°54’N 66°02’E, 20–21 November 1960 .

Differential diagnosis. Cypselurus poecilopterus arabicus differs from other subspecies of C. poecilopterus in pelvic-fin pigmentation ( Fig. 1b ): the whole of the fin or only its posterior part retaining dark background pigmentation, usually with darker spots on this background, while majority of fishes from other subspecies> 145–150 mm SL have pelvic fins with a pale background. Also, C. p. arabicus has more predorsal scales (27–32 vs. 23–32, usually 24–28) and vertebrae (41–44, usually 42–43 vs. 40–43, usually 41–42). Further, according to the second author’s observations, in life the pectoral fins of C. p. arabicus have red background coloration vs. yellow in other subspecies.

Cypselurus p. arabicus differs also in ecology, occurring in saltier waters of the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea, while representatives of other subspecies avoid waters of such a high salinity (see Shakhovskoy 2018: fig. S4).

Etymology. The subspecies name reflects its distribution mainly in the waters of Arabia and in the Arabian Sea.

Common names. The name “Yellow-wing flyingfish” is most frequently used for C. poecilopterus . “Spotwing flyingfish” and others are also in use (see Froese & Pauly 2021). Considering variation in pectoral-fin background coloration (red in C. p. arabicus vs. yellow in all others), the name “Arabian spotwing flying fish” (Russian: “аравийский ПЯтнокрылый стрижехвост”) is proposed here for C. p. arabicus.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Holotypes of Cypselurus poecilopterus subspecies: (A)—holotype of C. p. arabicus subsp. nov. (ZMMU P-24449, 191 mm SL, 16°10’N 60°45’E); (B)—the same fish, pelvic fin; (С)—holotype of C. p. crassus subsp. nov. (ZMMU P-24450, 80 mm SL, 37°28’N 146°36’E).