taxonID	type	description	language	source
6257AAB8D48B5B8AB4239D850727B2EA.taxon	description	Fig. 1 A – C, Tables 1, 2, 3 Common name: Brown Slender Barracudina	en	Ho, Hsuan-Ching, Yang, Tsung-Yu (2025): A new barracudina (Aulopiformes, Paralepididae, Stemonosudis) from Somalia, with additional records of S. siliquiventer from the Caribbean Sea. ZooKeys 1241: 93-104, DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1241.138677
6257AAB8D48B5B8AB4239D850727B2EA.taxon	diagnosis	Diagnosis. A species of Stemonosudis with the following combination of characters: body brown with dorsum slightly darker, without black patches; nostrils slightly before vertical through posterior end of maxilla; anus above tip of appressed pelvic fin; lateral-line scales: PVLL 39, PDLL 48, PALL 59, TLL 81; vertebrae: PVV 38, PHV 42, PDV 46, PAV 59, CV 53, and TV 95; and total gill rakers 68.	en	Ho, Hsuan-Ching, Yang, Tsung-Yu (2025): A new barracudina (Aulopiformes, Paralepididae, Stemonosudis) from Somalia, with additional records of S. siliquiventer from the Caribbean Sea. ZooKeys 1241: 93-104, DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1241.138677
6257AAB8D48B5B8AB4239D850727B2EA.taxon	description	Description. Body slender and compressed, relatively short compared to most congeners. Caudal peduncle short, its length ca. 1.2 times eye diameter. Ventral adipose fin barely developed along abdominal ridge before pelvic fin, but well-developed along ventral margin between anus and AFO. Anus located above tip of appressed pelvic fin, well ahead of DFO by about base length of dorsal fin. Head relatively long, its length 4.2 in SL; snout moderately long and pointed, its length 2.0 in HL or 8.2 in SL. Mouth terminal, moderately large, its gape extends to about one eye diameter before eye when mouth opened; tip of lower jaw slightly upturned, with small fleshy tissue at tip. Eye moderately large, its diameter 6.4 in HL. Interorbital space moderately broad, its width 13.6 in HL; some straight ridges on top of head and snout. Posterior end of maxilla extending to about 2 / 3 eye diameter in front of the eye, upper-jaw length 2.4 in HL. A skin fold originating from about middle of snout and ending near a vertical through anterior margin of eye. Two nostrils located slightly before a vertical through posterior end of maxilla, situated at about 2 / 3 eye diameter in front of eye, pre-nostril length 2.5 in HL. Numerous sensory canals on snout, cheek, operculum, and upper jaw; irregular rows of small pores on lower surface of lower jaw. Gill filaments present on all four gill arches. Fourth arch mostly connected to inner surface of gill chamber by membranes. Pseudobranchs present, anterior half inside a deep pocket. Dorsal fin small with short base, base length 6.9 in HL. DFO well behind pelvic fin and middle of the fish, well before middle of V – A, predorsal length 1.5 in SL. Pectoral-fin base slightly behind a vertical through posterior margin of gill cover, its upper base about same level of lower margin of eye, pectoral-fin length 2.9 in HL. A small pocket behind pectoral-fin base. Pelvic fin slightly behind middle of body, prepelvic length 1.8 in SL; a small, slender axial scale behind pelvic-fin base. Anal fin with a long base, originating on posterior fourth of body, base length 1.4 in HL. Adipose fin small, its base slightly smaller than eye diameter, situated above rear portion of anal-fin base. Two small fangs at tip of upper jaw, followed by single row of numerous small retrorse teeth along upper jaw, gradually smaller posteriorly. Vomerine teeth absent. Two fangs at front of lower jaw, followed by 2 rows of fangs on lower jaw, forming about 7 tooth pairs, those in inner row distinctly long, depressible, with a knife-like tip; those in outer row much shorter, retrorse and fixed. Two rows of fangs on each palatine, anterior teeth forming 5 (right) or 7 (left) widely-spaced tooth pairs, those in inner row depressible and distinctly longer than those on outer row, small and fixed; posterior portion with single row of small fixed teeth. Two long rows of small retrorse teeth on tongue. Gill rakers present on all gill arches; small, shield-shaped, usually with 3 – 5 small teeth and a narrow base, teeth not especially emergent over margin of gill arch. Teeth on pharyngeal arch slender, forming an oval patch with about 4 (4 – 5) rows at middle. Single row of small teeth on fifth ceratobranchials, forming a V-shaped pattern. Body scaleless, except for a single row of lateral-line scales originating above pectoral girdle and extending to a vertical through about 2 / 3 of length of anal-fin base. Lateral-line scales relatively long, longer than height, gradually smaller and becoming narrower posteriorly; single row of 3 large pores on upper and lower margin of each scale, middle pore smaller. Luminescent duct absent. Coloration. When preserved, body brown with dorsum darker. Dense melanophores covering dorsal half of body above lateral line; loosely arranged melanophores surrounding the lateral-line scales, leaving a row of indistinct pale dots along lateral line, and extending to lower half of abdomen in front of pelvic fin, leaving a pale space below; a broad, dense band of melanophores along ventral margin of abdomen; loosely arranged melanophores on lower half of body behind VFO, gradually denser in arrangement posteriorly. Head, snout and isthmus unevenly covered with melanophores, leaving a pale space on gill cover. Pectoral fin pale with upper rays covered with scattered melanophores. Pelvic-fin rays lightly covered with melanophores. Dorsal, anal and caudal fins densely covered with melanophores. Mouth cavity and gill chamber pale, without melanophores. Abdominal cavity with black peritoneal membrane, except for lower 1 / 3 of the cavity, which is uniformly pale and lacking melanophores. Fresh coloration unknown but assumed similar to that of preserved condition. Size. The holotype, 186 mm SL, is a female with small ovaries and small eggs. It may be near mature size, which would indicate this may be a small species compared with congeners.	en	Ho, Hsuan-Ching, Yang, Tsung-Yu (2025): A new barracudina (Aulopiformes, Paralepididae, Stemonosudis) from Somalia, with additional records of S. siliquiventer from the Caribbean Sea. ZooKeys 1241: 93-104, DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1241.138677
6257AAB8D48B5B8AB4239D850727B2EA.taxon	etymology	Etymology. Named for the type locality, Gulf of Aden in the Western Indian Ocean.	en	Ho, Hsuan-Ching, Yang, Tsung-Yu (2025): A new barracudina (Aulopiformes, Paralepididae, Stemonosudis) from Somalia, with additional records of S. siliquiventer from the Caribbean Sea. ZooKeys 1241: 93-104, DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1241.138677
4E4FD736AB6C5970AC6F344BA31EE08B.taxon	description	Figs 2, 3, Tables 1, 2, 3	en	Ho, Hsuan-Ching, Yang, Tsung-Yu (2025): A new barracudina (Aulopiformes, Paralepididae, Stemonosudis) from Somalia, with additional records of S. siliquiventer from the Caribbean Sea. ZooKeys 1241: 93-104, DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1241.138677
4E4FD736AB6C5970AC6F344BA31EE08B.taxon	description	Original description. Post (1970) described this species based on the holotype (159.5 mm SL), 5 paratypes (25.6 – 105.5 mm SL), and 7 non-types (58 + – 93.5 mm SL). These specimens were collected from a broad area around the central western Atlantic Ocean (Fig. 3). Except for two specimens (Table 1), all other specimens are juveniles smaller than 100 mm SL. The following diagnosis is translated directly from the original description in German (Post 1970), however, based on our observation, most of the characters are general for all species of Stemonosudis: “ Body elongate, slender, higher than wide; ventral muscular carina present between pectoral and pelvic fins; head short, more than 5 times in SL; snout ca. 1 / 2 of head length; anterior edge of nostril at one eye diameter in front of eye; nostrils above posterior edge of premaxilla; eye moderately large, ca. 1 / 2 of head depth; lower jaw hinged under center of the eye, with a non-ossified process at the tip; fins not especially elongate; pelvic and dorsal fins behind middle of body, dorsal fin behind pelvic fin; dorsal-fin base over the middle of space between V – A; post-dorsal length ca. 1 / 3 of SL; anus at middle between V – D; adipose fin above last anal rays; ventral adipose fin behind anus and ended well in front of anal fin; maximum height of ventral adipose fin ca. 1 / 6 of that of body; body color light, transparent when fresh; band of small melanophores on dorsum (100 – 200 µ in diameter); 23 – 24 clearly separated, black, peritoneal sections; lateral line extends over half of anal-fin base; lateral-line scales with two large pores; ratio of height to length of lateral-line scales 7: 9 ”.	en	Ho, Hsuan-Ching, Yang, Tsung-Yu (2025): A new barracudina (Aulopiformes, Paralepididae, Stemonosudis) from Somalia, with additional records of S. siliquiventer from the Caribbean Sea. ZooKeys 1241: 93-104, DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1241.138677
4E4FD736AB6C5970AC6F344BA31EE08B.taxon	diagnosis	Diagnosis. A species of Stemonosudis distinguished by the combination of characters: a rather slender body, body depth 19 – 25 times in SL; DFO behind tip of pelvic fin and around middle of V – A, V – D 40.0 – 52.0 % V – A; anus above tip of appressed pelvic fin; lateral-line scales: PVLL 41 – 43, PDLL 51 – 55, PALL 81 – 84, TLL 85 – 97; vertebrae: PVV 41 – 42, PHV 45 – 46, PDV 52 – 53, PAV 65 – 66, CV 58 – 60, TV 103 – 105; and body dark dorsally and pale ventrally without blotches.	en	Ho, Hsuan-Ching, Yang, Tsung-Yu (2025): A new barracudina (Aulopiformes, Paralepididae, Stemonosudis) from Somalia, with additional records of S. siliquiventer from the Caribbean Sea. ZooKeys 1241: 93-104, DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1241.138677
4E4FD736AB6C5970AC6F344BA31EE08B.taxon	description	Description (based on 5 specimens examined herein). Body relatively slender as in most Stemonosudis species; strongly compressed. Caudal peduncle moderately long, its length about 1.1 – 1.5 times eye diameter. Ventral adipose fin weakly developed, with a narrow transparent membrane along ventral abdominal ridge in front of pelvic fin and well-developed along ventral margin between anus and anal fin. Anus located approximately above tip of the appressed pelvic fin, about midpoint of V – D. Head relatively long, its length 4.7 – 5.0 in SL; snout long and pointed, 1.8 – 1.9 in HL and 8.4 – 8.9 in SL. Mouth terminal, moderately large, its gape extending to slightly more than one eye diameter before eye with mouth opened; tip of lower jaw slightly upturned, with a small fleshy knob. Eye moderately small. Interorbital space rather narrow, 12.4 – 13.7 in HL; some straight symmetric ridges on top of head and snout. Posterior end of maxilla extending to about 1 / 2 eye diameter before the eye. A skin fold originating from about middle of snout and ending near a vertical through anterior margin of eye pupil. Two nostrils at or slightly before a vertical through posterior end of maxilla, situated about 3 / 5 eye diameter in front of eye. Numerous sensory canals on snout, cheek, operculum, and jaws; numerous sensory pores on dorsal surface of snout; irregular rows of small pores on under surface of lower jaw. Filaments present on all four gill arches. Fourth arch connected almost entirely to the gill cavity wall by membranes. Pseudobranchs present, anterior half inside a deep pocket. Dorsal fin small with a short base. DFO well behind pelvic fin and middle of the fish, at about middle of V – A or slightly before, V – D 40.0 – 52.0 % V – A. Pectoral fin slender, upper rays distinctly longer than lower rays; its base slightly behind a vertical through posterior margin of gill cover, upper base tangent to a horizontal though lower margin of eye. A small fleshy pocket behind pectoral-fin base. Pelvic fin slightly behind middle of the fish; a small, slender axial scale behind pelvic fin base. Anal fin with a short base, originating about four-fifths along the fish. Adipose fin relatively large, its base about same as eye diameter, situated above rear portion of anal-fin base. Two or 3 small fangs at tip of upper jaw, followed by single row of numerous (> 80) small retrorse teeth along upper jaw, becoming gradually smaller posteriorly. Vomerine teeth absent. Two or 3 depressible or fixed fangs at front of lower jaw, followed by two rows of fangs on lower jaw forming about 7 or 8 tooth pairs, those in inner row distinctly longer and depressible, with knife-like tips; those in outer row much shorter, fixed and retrorse. Two rows of fangs on each palatine, anterior teeth forming 5 – 9 widely-spaced tooth pairs, those in inner row depressible and distinctly longer than those of outer row, which are small and fixed; posterior portion with single row of 6 – 8 small fixed teeth. Two long rows of small retrorse teeth on tongue. Gill rakers present on all gill arches, assumed not fully developed in specimens examined; small, shield-shaped, mostly with 1 – 3 small teeth and a narrow base, teeth not especially emergent over margin of gill arch. Teeth on pharyngeal arch slender, forming an oval patch with approximately 4 rows at middle. Single row of small teeth on each fifth ceratobranchial, both forming a V-shaped pattern. Body scaleless, except for a single row of lateral-line scales originating above pectoral girdle and extending to about 2 / 3 of anal-fin base. Lateral-line scales relatively long, longer than high, becoming gradually smaller and narrower posteriorly; row of 2 (few with 3) pores on upper and lower margin of each scale, anterior pore larger; and pore on broader of each scale smaller. Luminescent duct absent. Coloration. Body light gray, with unevenly distributed melanophores; large unpigmented areas on gill cover, abdominal region and body axis; dense melanophores on most surfaces of snout, both jaws and dorsal surface of head; dorsum densely covered with melanophores, these extending downward to lateral line; abdominal ridge with loosely arranged melanophores; lower half of body with scattered melanophores behind anus, these becoming gradually more dense posteriorly, forming a darker caudal peduncle; pectoral fin covered with few melanophores; other fins densely covered by melanophores. Gill chamber, gill arches and filaments unpigmented. Peritoneal sections 23 – 26.	en	Ho, Hsuan-Ching, Yang, Tsung-Yu (2025): A new barracudina (Aulopiformes, Paralepididae, Stemonosudis) from Somalia, with additional records of S. siliquiventer from the Caribbean Sea. ZooKeys 1241: 93-104, DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1241.138677
