Malacosteus niger Ayres, 1848

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 : 41-43

Malacosteus niger Ayres, 1848

(Fig. 12C)

Diagnosis. Malacosteus niger can be distinguished from M. australis Kenaley, 2007

FIGURE 12 | A. Aristostomias grimaldii, NPM 4659, 79 mm SL; B. Aristostomias tittmanni, NPM

4662, 76 mm SL; C. Malacosteus niger, NPM 4331, 124 mm SL;

D. Pachystomias microdon, NPM

4592, 150 mm SL; E. Photostomias atrox, NPM 4575, 67 mm SL;

F. Photostomias goodyeari ,

NPM 4590, 64 mm SL.

Scale bars = 10 mm.

by IP 3–5 in 3–5 groups (vs. IP 4–8 in 3–7 groups); PO 5.8–11.9% upper jaw length in males (vs. PO 3.7–6.4% upper jaw length in males); PO 2.8–8.1% upper jaw length in females (vs. PO 2.5–4.4% upper jaw length in females) (Kenaley, 2007; Kenaley, Stewart, 2015g).

Geographical distribution. Circumglobal, between 66ºN and 40ºS (Goodyear, 1990; Harold, 2003; Kenaley, 2007; Kenaley, Stewart, 2015g; Sutton et al., 2020; Love et al., 2021). In the western Atlantic , the species is reported from off Greenland to Brazil, including the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea (Parin et al., 1974; Bekker et al., 1975; Fujii, 1983c; McAllister, 1990; McEachran, Fechhelm, 1998; Kenaley, 2007; Coad, 2018b; Afonso et al., 2018; Judkins, Haedrich, 2018). In Brazil the species was previously reported from off the northeastern region and from Bahia to Rio de Janeiro States , in addition to the Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago (Braga et al., 2007; Costa, Mincarone, 2010; Olivar et al., 2017; Eduardo et al., 2018a; Judkins, Haedrich, 2018). Records outside the Brazilian EEZ are also known off the Fernando de Noronha Archipelago (Kenaley, 2007). Malacosteus niger is reported here based on 43 specimens collected off Rio Grande do Norte State (including the seamounts), the Rocas Atoll , and the Fernando de Noronha Archipelago , between depths of 550 and 1,113 m ( Fig. 7F ) .

Specimens examined. 43 (63–181 mm SL): NPM 4328, 10 (76–181 mm), AB2#44A; NPM 4331, 2 (106–124 mm), AB2#49A; NPM 4332, 1 (102 mm), AB2#42A; NPM 4333, 15 (71–111 mm), AB2#53A; NPM 4336, 2 (128–134 mm), AB2#54B; NPM 4337, 9 (65–181 mm), AB2#39; NPM 4338, 3 (63–125 mm), AB2#59A; NPM 4442, 1 (67 mm), AB2#52A.

Figures

FIGURE 7 | Records of species of Phosichthyidae (A), Astronesthinae (B, C), Chauliodontinae (D), Stomiinae (E), and Malacosteinae (F) collected during the ABRACOS expeditions off northeastern Brazil. Oceanic islands: RA, Rocas Atoll; FN, Fernando de Noronha Archipelago.