STERNOPTYCHIDAE

Villarins, Bárbara T., Dario, Fabio Di, Eduardo, Leandro N., Lucena-Frédou, Flávia, Bertrand, Arnaud, Prokofiev, Artem M. & Mincarone, Michael M., 2022, Deep-sea dragonfishes (Teleostei: Stomiiformes) collected from off northeastern Brazil, with a review of the species reported from the Brazilian Exclusive Economic Zone, Neotropical Ichthyology (e 220004) 20 (2), pp. 1-78 : 16-17

STERNOPTYCHIDAE

The Sternoptychidae comprises meso- and bathypelagic fishes distributed in the Atlantic, Indian, Pacific, and Southern oceans (Schultz, 1964; Gon, 1990b; Lima et al., 2011; Duhamel et al., 2014; Harold et al., 2015). The family includes 78 valid species in 10 genera and two subfamilies: Maurolicinae, with the genera Araiophos Grey, 1961 , Argyripnus Gilbert & Cramer, 1897 , Danaphos Bruun, 1931 , Maurolicus Cocco, 1838 , Sonoda Grey, 1959 , Thorophos Bruun 1931 , and Valenciennellus Jordan & Evermann, 1896; and Sternoptychinae, with the genera Argyropelecus Cocco, 1829 , Polyipnus Günther, 1887 , and Sternoptyx Hermann, 1781 (Lima et al., 2011; Nelson et al., 2016; Fricke et al., 2022). Species of the Sternoptychidae are typically small and characterized in the Stomiiformes by the pseudobranch present, ventral photophores series united in groups of two or more photophores, and chin barbel absent (Harold, 2003; Harold et al., 2015).

Fifteen species of the Sternoptychidae were reported in Brazilian waters, in the genera Argyripnus , Argyropelecus , Maurolicus , Polyipnus , Sternoptyx , and Valenciennellus (Baird, 1971; Borodulina, 1978; Séret, Andreata, 1992; Figueiredo et al., 2002; Menezes et al., 2003; Bernardes et al., 2005; Braga et al., 2007; Haimovici et al., 2008; Costa, Mincarone, 2010; Lima et al., 2011; Bonecker et al., 2014; Lins Oliveira et al., 2015; Mincarone et al., 2017; Eduardo et al., 2018a; Judkins, Haedrich, 2018; Melo et al., 2020; Pinheiro et al., 2020; Tab. 2). An undescribed species of Polyipnus was also reported off the central coast of Brazil (Lima et al., 2011). Maurolicus javanicus Parin & Kobyliansky, 1993 and M. muelleri (Gmelin, 1789) were also reported from off the north and northeastern coasts of Brazil (Judkins, Haedrich, 2018; Melo et al., 2020), but according to Rees et al. (2020) the distribution of these species is likely restricted to the eastern Indian Ocean and the Arctic Circle, respectively. Therefore, the occurrence of those species in Brazilian waters needs confirmation. All sternoptychids collected during the ABRACOS expeditions, listed below, were previously reported in Brazilian waters.