Neobythites longipes Smith & Radcliffe, 1913

Uiblein, Franz & Nielsen, Jørgen G., 2018, Review of the steatiticus - species group of the cuskeel genus Neobythites (Ophidiidae) from the Indo-Pacific, with description of two new species, Zootaxa 4387 (1), pp. 157-173 : 162-163

Neobythites longipes Smith & Radcliffe, 1913

( Figures 1–2 , Tables 1, 3)

Neobythites longipes: Nielsen 2002: 38 , fig. 9.

Holotype. USNM 74126 (female, 276 mm SL), off Jolo Island , Philippines, Western Pacific, 06°02'00" N, 120°44'40" E, RV Albatross, st. 5550, bottom trawl, 472 m depth, 17 Sep. 1909.

Paratypes (n = 4, 90– 207 mm SL). USNM 99070 (2 females, 165–242 mm SL), Philippines, 05°50' N, 120°31' E, RV Albatross , st. 5564, dredge, 432 m depth, 21 Sep. 1909 ; USNM 99073 (female, 90 mm SL), off Borneo , 04°52'45" N, 119°06'45" E, RV Albatros s, st. 5580, trawl, 296 m depth, 25 Sep. 1909 ; USNM 99091 (male, 207 mm SL), off Jolo , Philippines, 06°01'15" N, 120°44'20" E, RV Albatross st. 5549, trawl, 481 m depth, 17 Sep. 1909 .

Non-types (n = 18, 98– 301 mm SL). AMS I.22808-019 (female, 204 mm SL), 220 km N of Port Hedland, Western Australia, 17°59' S 118°17' E, RV Soela, st. SO 2/82/17–18, Engel trawl, 404–420 m depth, 3 Apr. 1982; AMS 1.22821-027 (female and male, 165–180 mm SL), 190 km northwest of Port Hedland , 18°16' S 118°12' E, RV Soela , st. SO 2/82/36–38, Engel trawl, 298–320 m depth, 10 Apr. 1982; AMS 1.23425-007 (2 males, 240–242 mm SL), northwest shelf, Western Australia, 18°46' S 117°00" E, RV Soela , st. SO 4/82/leg l, bottom trawl, 400 m depth, 1 Aug. 1982; CSIRO CA3916–19 (2 females and 2 males, 212–301 mm SL), off Port Hedland , Western Australia, 17°45.1' S 118°30.4' E, RV Soela, st . SO 183170, 442– 460 m depth, 5 Feb. 1983; NTM S.12588-020 (female, 194 mm SL), off Rowley Shoals, Western Australia, 17°22' S 118°38' E, RV Comac Endeavour, st. WH 85-15, 430 m depth, 2 Nov. 1985; NTM S.12631-005 (female and 2 males, SL 226–264 mm SL), off Rowley Shoals , Western Australia, 17°37' S 118°40' E, RV Comac Endeavour , st. YW 85-21, 400 m depth, 4 Nov. 1985; NTM S.14378-001 (male, 245 mm SL), off Cartier Reef, Timor Sea, 13°7.89' S 123°12.65' E, RV Lady Basten , st. RW 96-30, 420 m, 19 June 1996; WAM P.28081-001 (female, 230 mm SL), 45 km northeast of Rowley Shoals , Western Australia, 17°44' S 120°5' E, 431–433 m depth, 20 Aug. 1983; WAM P.29125-001 (female, 163 mm SL), Rowley Shoals , Western Australia, 17°27' S 119°44' E, RV Umitaka Maru , trawl, 20 Dec. 1969; ZMUC P779 (female, 195 mm SL), off Jolo , Philippines, trawl, 463 m depth, 27 Mar. 1914; ZMUC P77740 (male, 98 mm SL), SE of Lombok , Indonesia , 8°58’ S 116°34’ E, JETINDOFISH TGT 1718, trawl, 150–280 m depth, July 1981.

Diagnosis. No spines on hind margin of preopercle; Dorsal fin-rays 96–103; anal-fin rays 72–76; pectoral finrays 27–30; precaudal vertebrae 13–14 (mostly 14); total vertebrae 57–60; pseudobranchial filaments 5–10; long gill rakers on anterior arch 8–10; head length 22.5–25.5 % SL; pelvic-fin length 28.5–54 % SL, pelvic fins reaching well beyond anus; orbit length 3.9–5.0 % SL, 17.0–21.5 % head length, and 2.4–3.2 times in upper-jaw length; longest gill filament 1.3–2.7 % SL and 5.7–11.0 % head length; ocellus spot placed behind a vertical line through anus, the ocellus-spot distance being 42.0–53 % SL, and the spot covering 9–13 dorsal-fin rays; margins of posterior third of dorsal fin and posterior two thirds of anal fin dark pigmented; no vertical bars on body; otolith length 4.8–6.2 % SL, sulcus length 4.3–4.9 % SL, and ostium height 12.5–15.0 % sulcus length.

Distribution. From NW Australia to Philippines, at 150–481 m depth.

Remarks. The photograph of the fresh specimen ( Figure 1C 2 ) shows that the anterior two thirds of the lateral line and the entire margin of the anal fin to be black pigmented. The pigmentation of the dorsal fin as revealed by examination of the preserved specimen is however not evident in the fresh photograph. The overall bluish colour of the fresh specimen appears to us as artifact.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Indo-Pacific Neobythites steatiticus species group. All photographs at left side and F show preserved fishes; the remaining five photographs at right side show fresh fishes, photographed on board immediately after capture. A) Neobythites gloriae n. sp. USNM 309008, HT, 158 mm SL, inner Gulf of Oman; B) N. lombokensis, ZMUC P 77744, HT, 93 mm SL, SE off Lombok, preserved (B1) and fresh (B2; side reversed); C) N. longipes, ZMUC P77740, 98 mm SL, SE off Lombok, preserved (C1) and fresh (C2); D) N. malayanus, ZMUC P77742, 138 mm SL, SE off Lombok, preserved (D1) and fresh (D2); E) N. malhaensis, ZMUC P77840, PT, 135 mm SL, Saya de Malha bank, preserved; F) N. meteori, ZMH 5621, HT, 102 mm SL, off Sokotra, preserved; G) N. steatiticus, ZMUC P771752, 162 mm SL, off Myanmar, preserved (G1) and fresh (G2); H1) N. stefanovi, ZMUC P77841, PT, 198 mm SL, Gulf of Aden, preserved; H2) N. stefanovi, SMF 26785, 111 mm SL, Red Sea, fresh. Photographers: Oddgeir Alvheim (G2), Thomas Gloerfelt-Tarp (B2, C2, D2), Marcus Krag (A, B1, C1, D1, E, G1, H1), Ralph Thiel (F), Michael Türkay (H2). The blue bars indicate 1 cm length for the respective specimen.

FIGURE 2. Distribution of studied specimens of Neobythites, with numbers indicating multiple sampling events.