Synchiropus orstom Fricke 2000

Andréfouët, Serge, Chen, Wei-Jen, Kinch, Jeff, Mana, Ralph, Russell, Barry C., Tully, Dean & White, William T., 2019, Checklist of the marine and estuarine fishes of New Ireland Province, Papua New Guinea, western Pacific Ocean, with 810 new records, Zootaxa 4588 (1), pp. 1-360 : 266

Synchiropus orstom Fricke 2000 —Orstom dragonet ( Fig. 127 )

Status at New Ireland. New record, based on NTUM 11101 (1 male, 58.0 mm SL, St. CP 4422-20, northeast of New Hanover ).

Distribution and habitat. New Ireland: 1.—General distribution: Papua New Guinea; Norfolk Ridge, New Caledonia. Found on soft bottom, 370–496 m depth. Marine.

Remarks. This species was originally described from seamounts on the Norfolk Ridge, New Caledonia by Fricke (2000: 33); it was recently recorded from Sandaun and West Sepik provinces, Papua New Guinea by Fricke (2015: 5). This is the first record from New Ireland Province, which suggests that the species is more widespread in the region.

Figures

FIGURE 127. Synchiropus orstom Fricke 2000, dorsal view, St. CP4422-20, northeast of New Hanover, 496–609 m depth (NTUM 11101) (photograph by Jhen-Nien Chen, taken immediately after collection).