Neobythites longiventralis Nielsen, 1997

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 : 195-196

Neobythites longiventralis Nielsen, 1997

Figure 5 , Tables 1 , 4

Neobythites longiventralis Nielsen, 1997: 66 , fig. 13 ( New Caledonia, 18°59.3′S, 163°25′E, 320 m; holotype: MNHN 1994- 0739 ).

Neobythites longiventralis: Nielsen 2002: 42 , fig. 33, in part.

Diagnosis. Hind margin of preopercle with two spines; dorsal-fin rays 90–94; anal-fin rays 73–76; pectoral-fin rays 25–27; precaudal vertebrae 13; total vertebrae 53–55; pseudobranchial filaments 4–6; long rakers on anterior gill arch 10–12; head length 22–24% SL; pelvic-fin length 32–34% SL, fins reaching well beyond anus; orbit length 4.7–5.1% SL and 20–24% HL; longest gill filament 1.3–1.9% SL and 5.3–8.3% HL; dorsal fin with two ocelli, one small ocellus with incomplete contrasting ring (ring missing anteriorly) placed at fin origin, spot distance 26–27% SL and spot covers 2–4 dorsal-fin rays, and large central ocellus placed well behind vertical line through anus, spot distance 46–50% SL and spot covers 7–9 dorsal-fin rays; both ocellus spots not extending ventrally onto body; no vertical bars on body; otolith length 5.4–5.7% SL, sulcus length 4.3–4.6% SL, and ostium height 15–19% sulcus length and 25–28% ostium length.

Distribution and size. W Pacific, off Philippines to Caledonia and Fiji, at 219–427 m depth. Known up to 148 mm SL.

Figures

FIGURE 5. Species of the longiventralis group. (A) Neobythites jonathan n. sp., HT MNHN 2002-3883, 119 mm SL, Solomon Sea (M. Krag); (B) N. jonathan n. sp., photographed shortly after being caught by beam-trawl, Solomon Sea (Salomonboa cruise participants; see also Richer de Forges 2007); (C) N. zora n. sp., HT, ZMUC P771324, Fiji (side-reversed; H. Carl); (D) N. longiventralis, MNHN HT 1994-0739, off New Caledonia (M. Krag); (E) N. longipes, ZMUC P77740, 98 mm SL, off Lombok (M. Krag); with 10 mm scale bars.