Halosauropsis macrochir (Günther, 1878), Gunther, 1878

Bañón, Rafael, Arronte, Juan Carlos, Armesto, Ángeles, Barros-García, David & Carlos, Alejandro De, 2016, Halosaur fishes (Notacanthiformes: Halosauridae) from Atlantic Spanish waters according to integrative taxonomy, Zootaxa 4184 (3), pp. 471-490 : 475-477

Halosauropsis macrochir (Günther, 1878)

Fig. 2.

Halosaurus macrochir (Günther, 1878) : (251) 23. Off Strait of Gilbraltar, Challenger station 5, depth 1,090 fathoms. Lectotype: BMNH 1887.12.7.237. McDowell 1973: 74–87 (description, key); Sulak 1977: 11–12 (key); Paulin & Moreland 1979: 268–270 (description); Sulak 1986a: 593–598 (description, key); Machida et al. 1988 (description); Gon 1990 (description); Smith 2003 (key); Bergstad et al. 2012 (age, growth).

Material examined. MHNUSC 25009- 1, 536 mm TL, 7th August 2011, Galicia Bank , 42º41.771'N— 11º33.647'W, 1,477m depth; MHNUSC 25009- 2, 528 mm TL, 8th August 2011, Galicia Bank ; 42º43.536'N— 11º28.128, 1,751 m depth; MHNUSC 25009- 3, 604 mm TL, 8th August 2011, Galicia Bank ; 42º43.536'N— 11º28.128; 1,751 m depth; MHNUSC 25009- 4, 585 mm TL, 8th August, Galicia Bank ; 42º43.536'N— 11º28.128, 1,751 m depth; MHNUSC 25009- 5, 566 mm TL, 29th July 2011, Galicia Bank ; 42º56.172'N— 11º 55.816’W, 1,545 m depth; MHNUSC 25009- 6, 626 mm TL, 29th July 2011, Galicia Bank , 42º56.172'N — 11º 55.816’W, 1,545 m depth; MHNUSC 25009- 7, 579 mm TL, 29th July 2011, Galicia Bank , 42º56.172'N—11º 55.816’W; 1,545 m depth.

Description. Body shape eel-like, moderately compressed, elongated and attenuated to the caudal peduncle; top of snout and head scaleless, opercle scaled; head depressed anteriorly, the interorbital length is contained 4.8– 6.2 times in the head length; dorsal origin slightly posterior to pelvic origin; first dorsal ray segmented and as long as 2nd dorsal ray; pectoral fin long and narrow, almost reaching to the base of the dorsal fin and contained 1.2–1.3 times in the head length; a deeply pigmented sheath of the lateral line composed by enlarged scales; pyloric caeca long, creamy white in colour, arranged in a single row at the base. The main morphometric and meristic characteristics are presented in Table 3 .

FIGURE. 2 Halosauropsis macrochir from the northeastern Atlantic Ocean, MHNUSC 25009- 5, 566 mm total length.

Habitat and distribution. Benthopelagic on the lower slope, rise and seamounts, between 1,100 and 3,300 m depth. Cosmopolitan: eastern Atlantic from Ireland to Mauritania and South Africa ; central Atlantic, along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge; western Atlantic, including Canada to 25°N, and off southern Brazil ; western Pacific, including Australia, New Zealand and Japan; and western Indian Ocean ( Sulak 1986a; Bergstad et al. 2012).

Tables

TABLE 3. Comparison of morphometric, meristic data and respective body proportions for specimens of Halosauropsis macrochir.

Halosauropsis macrochir Total Length (mm)	MHNUSC 25009 (1–7) 528–626	McDowell (1973) Paulin and N=8 Moreland (1979) N=4 — —	Filatova. (1985) N=84 340–800
Preanal length (mm) Gnathoproctal length (mm)	214–258 193–234	— — 186–271 189–268	— —
As % GPL Head length Eye diameter Preorbital length	34.6–37.8 3.7–4.6 14.1–16.1	— — 4.2–5.4 — 14.3–17.7 —	— — —
Postorbital length Interorbital length	15.2–17.6 6.0–7.9	— — — 7.2–8.4	— —
Preoral snout length Predorsal length Dorsal base length Pectoral length	4.1–4.5 70.4–75.6 12.0–14.1 26.4–31.1	3.5–5.4 — — — — — — —	— — — —
Prepelvic length Pelvic length	68.3–71.2 13.6–15.2	— — — —	— —
Body depth Meristic features Dorsal fin rays Ventral fin rays	14.4–19.8 12–14 I+8–9	— — 11–13 11–12 I+9 —	— 10–13 8–10
Pectoral fin rays SLL to anus	10–13 30–32	12–13 12 26–32 —	10–14 —
SLL to pelvic origin Scales above lateral line Branchiostegal rays Gill rakers	13–14 13–14 10–11 3+1+9–10	12–16 14 14–16 12–14 11–13 11–12 15–16 12–13	12–16 10–13 10–13 12–16
Pyloric caeca	8–12	10–12 11–12	7–13