Neobythites jonathan, Uiblein & Nielsen, 2023

Uiblein, Franz & Nielsen, Jørgen G., 2023, Five new ocellus-bearing species of the cusk-eel genus Neobythites (Ophidiidae, Ophidiiformes) from the West Pacific, with establishment of three new species groups, Zootaxa 5336 (2), pp. 179-205 : 191-193

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.5336.2.2
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:7BD6357E-BB67-44E9-B028-4CA7A2769660
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8272451
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/039287FE-FC29-FF8D-76BA-E91FFAB1914C
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Neobythites jonathan
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Neobythites jonathan n. sp.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:4A563E6F-DBA2-473A-8A2C-09D002561396

Figures 3 View FIGURE 3 , 5 View FIGURE 5 , Tables 1 View TABLE 1 , 4 View TABLE 4

Holotype. MNHN 2002-3883, 119 mm SL, Solomon Sea, 9°31′S, 160°35′E, Salomon 1 cruise, R / V Alis, st. CP1802, 245– 269 m, 2 Oct. 2001. GoogleMaps

Paratype. MNHN 2023-0262 About MNHN , 122 mm, same collecting data as HT .

Fresh colour photo ( Fig. 5B View FIGURE 5 ). One adult specimen (sample not retained, size not known) photographed shortly after being caught, Solomon Sea, 9°47′S, 160°53′E, Salomonboa cruise, st. CP 2854, beam trawl, 261–278 m depth, 25 Sep 2007 (see also Richer de Forges 2007).

Diagnosis. Hind margin of preopercle with two small but distinct spines; dorsal-fin rays 91–92; anal-fin rays 72–76; pectoral-fin rays 28–29; precaudal vertebrae 13; total vertebrae 53; pseudobranchial filaments 5; long rakers on anterior gill arch 10; head length 24% SL; pelvic-fin length 29–32% SL, fins extending beyond anus; orbit length 5.1–5.2% SL and 21–22% HL; longest gill filament 1.7–1.8% SL and 7.1–7.8% HL; dorsal fin with central ocellus, spot distance 45–46% SL and spot covers 11–12 dorsal-fin rays, placed just behind line through anus; ocellus spot black in fresh and preserved status, not extending ventrally onto body; when fresh, four pale brown vertical bars from dorsal fin down to body or anal fin; no bars in preserved specimens; otolith length 5.4% SL, sulcus length 4.6–4.8% SL, and ostium height 15–17% sulcus length and 22–26% ostium length.

Description. The principal meristic and morphometric characters are shown in Table 4 View TABLE 4 . Morphological and preserved colour description based on HT, if not indicated otherwise. Fish elongate with indistinct lateral line; body and head covered by deciduous cycloid scales; origin of dorsal-fin above anterior third of pectoral fin; origin of anal fin slightly in front of midpoint of fish; snout slightly blunt, equal in length to diameter of eye window; two small but distinct spines on hind margin of preopercle; opercular spine pointed; anterior gill arch on both sides with 5 short and 2 long rakers on upper branch, one long raker at angle, and 7 long and 5 short rakers on lower branch; longest filaments on anterior gill arch 7.8% HL; longest gill raker on anterior gill arch 12% HL.

Sagittal otolith ( Fig. 3C View FIGURE 3 ). Otolith oval, tapering in posterior half, its depth 1.8 times in its length; sulcus 1.2 times in otolith length; ostium 1.4 times in sulcus length; ostium depth 6.5 times in sulcus length and 4.6 times in ostium length.

Dentition. Premaxillaries, palatines, and dentaries with many pointed, close-set teeth in irregular rows; vomer boomerang-shaped with many small teeth; two median basibranchial tooth patches, anterior one long and narrow and posterior one small and rounded.

Axial skeleton. Characters from both HT and PT; precaudal vertebrae 13, all with pointed tips; anterior neural spine half the length of second spine; spines on vertebrae 2–8 depressed; parapophyses on vertebrae 8–13, pleural ribs on vertebrae 2–3 to 13, and epipleural ribs not observed; bases of vertebrae 3–4 to 11–12 enlarged.

Colour. Fresh fish ( Fig. 5B View FIGURE 5 ). Head and body with pale-beige background colour, belly pale silvery-gray; dorsal half of head and body brown marbled, four irregularly shaped, vertical brown bars reaching from below dorsal fin to lower body half, posterior two bars ending at anal fin; a black central ocellus, spot not extending onto body below dorsal fin; ocellus ring only faintly visible along ventral side of ocellus spot due to tightly folded dorsal fin, dorsal fin behind ocellus partly dark-brown pigmented, connecting in part to posterior two vertical bars; anal fin hyaline apart from brown pigmentation areas connected to two posterior bars and along posterior margin of fin; pelvic fins hyaline.

Preserved fish ( Fig. 5A View FIGURE 5 ). Body and head mostly pale brown, dorsal third of head and body with brownish lines or stripes of various length, one incomplete stripe along lateral line; abdomen anteriorly whitish, mingled with dark-gray patches which widen posteriorly; distinct central ocellus placed just behind vertical line through anus, dark-brown ocellus spot more than twice orbit length, covering 11 dorsal-fin rays and contrasting pale-whitish ring surrounding ocellus spot entirely, spot not extending onto body below dorsal fin; dorsal fin anterior and posterior of spot with weak pale gray pigmentation, becoming lighter posteriorly; anal, pelvic and caudal fin hyaline.

Etymology. The new species name “ jonathan ” is used as a noun in apposition and acknowledges Mr. Jonathan Pfliger, MNHN fish collection manager, for his invaluable assistance in our fish taxonomy research.

Distribution and size. W Pacific, Solomon Sea, at 245–269 m depth. At least up to 122 mm SL.