Halicmetus reticulatus Smith & Radcliffe, 1912

Vernacular name: Reticulated Shortnose Seabst

Figures 2E, 7, 8; Tables 1–2

Halicmetus reticulatus Smith & Radcliffe in Radcliffe, 1912:208, pls. 20, fig. 2, 21 fig. (type locality: off Sombrero Island, southern Luzon Island, Philippines, 291 m). Bradbury, 1967:415. Bradbury, 2003:5. Ho et al., 2008:772.

Material examined. CSIRO H 4070-48 (1, 74.7), 18°12’S, 118°14’E, NW of Port Hedland, 266–269 m, 8 Sep. 1995 .

Diagnosis. A species of Halicmetus distinguished by the following combination of characters: disk moderately broad, width ~68% SL; eye small, orbit diameter 7.5–8.3% SL; interorbit broad, 6.0–8.1% SL; illicial trough opening high; mid-dorsal disk covered with very short, simple and multicuspid spinules and dense coverage of minute, spiny tubercles (barely visible without magnification); belly covered with very short, widely spaced, simple and multifid spinules and very short multicuspid tubercles; dorsal-fin rays usually present; pectoral-fin rays 12–14 (modally 12); dorsal surface pale yellowish pink, overlain with dense greenish grey reticulations, pattern persistent when preserved; peritoneal membrane pale with sparse melanophores; distal parts of pectoral, pelvic and anal fins pale.

Remarks. Australian material and the diagnosis given above is consistent with the description of this species provided by Ho et al. (2008). The CSIRO specimen is the only individual known from the Australian region. When fresh it had a white reticulate colour pattern, small eye and pale peritoneal membrane with scattered pepper dots, typical of populations of Halicmetus reticulatus from other parts of the Pacific. However, it is notable that this specimen has many more bifurcated tubercles on the dorsal surface and these are slightly different in shape to those of western North Pacific populations, which have only simple tubercles.

Paxton et al. (2006) recorded this species from off southern Queensland to southern New South Wales. These records are most likely misidentifications of H. marmoratus based on the distribution range provided.