Argyropelecus sladeni Regan, 1908

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 : 21-22

Argyropelecus sladeni Regan, 1908

( Fig. 5F )

Diagnosis. Argyropelecus sladeni differs from congeners by the PAN, AN and SC in separated groups; denticles in SC photophores absent; two post-abdominal spines with similar sizes; a long, outwardly hooked upper preopercular spine; lower jaw teeth uniform in size; dorsal blade low, its height about three or more times its length; 9–10 dorsal-fin rays (Baird, 1971; Borodulina, 1978; Lima et al., 2011; Harold et al., 2015).

Geographical distribution. Circumglobal in tropical and temperate waters, between 60ºN and 41ºS (Baird, 1971; Borodulina, 1978; Pequeño, 1989; Quéro et al., 1990b; Aizawa, 2002; Harold, 2003; Harold et al., 2015; Orlov, Tokranov, 2019; Sutton et al., 2020; Love et al., 2021). In the western Atlantic, reported from off Canada to Uruguay, including the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea (Baird, 1971; Borodulina, 1978; Uyeno, Aizawa, 1983; McEachran, Fechhelm, 1998; Harold, 2003; Moore et al., 2003; Judkins, Haedrich, 2018). In Brazilian waters, the species was previously reported off Pará, Rio Grande do Norte, and Bahia States, in addition to the Fernando de Noronha and Saint Peter and Saint Paul archipelagos (Baird, 1971; Borodulina, 1978; Menezes et al., 2003; Lima et al., 2011; Olivar et al., 2017; Eduardo et al., 2018a; Judkins, Haedrich, 2018). Larvae were recorded off Rio de Janeiro State (Bonecker et al., 2014). The specimens of A. sladeni examined here were collected off Rio Grande do Norte State, including seamounts, and the Fernando de Noronha Archipelago, between depths of 50 and 850 m ( Fig. 3E ).

Specimens examined. 14 (32–65 mm SL): NPM 4091, 1 (41 mm), AB2#48A; NPM 4102, 1 (60 mm), AB2#42A; NPM 4106, 2 (51–64 mm), AB2#39; NPM 4116, 1 (54 mm), AB2#58A; NPM 4141, 2 (39–40 mm), AB2#41A; NPM 4182, 6 (32–61 mm), AB2#45B; NPM 4427, 1 (65 mm), AB2#44A.

Figures

FIGURE 3 | Records of species of Diplophidae (A), Gonostomatidae (B, C) and Sternoptychidae (D, E, F) collected during the ABRACOS expeditions off northeastern Brazil. Oceanic islands: RA, Rocas Atoll; FN, Fernando de Noronha Archipelago.

FIGURE 5 | A. Valenciennellus tripunctulatus, NPM 3301, 29 mm SL; B. Argyropelecus aculeatus, NPM 4133, 82 mm SL; C. Argyropelecus affinis, NPM 4089, 53 mm SL; D. Argyropelecus gigas, NPM 4090, 88 mm SL; E. Argyropelecus hemigymnus, NPM 3203, 26 mm SL; F. Argyropelecus sladeni, NPM 4102, 60 mm SL; G. Sternoptyx diaphana, NPM 4160, 28 mm SL; H. Sternoptyx pseudobscura, NPM 4103, 51 mm SL; I. Sternoptyx pseudodiaphana, NPM 4160, 59 mm SL. Scale bars = 10 mm.