Bathophilus nigerrimus Giglioli, 1882

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 : 46

Bathophilus nigerrimus Giglioli, 1882

( Fig. 13A )

Diagnosis. Bathophilus nigerrimus differs from congeners by the pelvic-fin origin below the body midline; 16–26 free pelvic-fin rays; a single group of 31–57 pectoral-fin rays; 13–15 dorsal- and anal-fin rays; about 22–24 photophores in lateral series (OV 12–13, VAL 9–12); about 33-35 photophores in ventral series (IP 4–5, PV 12–13, VAV 11–13, AC 3–6) (Morrow, Gibbs, 1964; Barnett, Gibbs Jr., 1968; Gibbs, 1986c; McEachran, Fechhelm, 1998; Sutton et al., 2020).

Geographical distribution. Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea (Gibbs, Barnett, 1990; Santos et al., 1997; Harold, 2003; Judkins, Haedrich, 2018; Sutton et al., 2020; Tsagarakis et al., 2021), western Pacific (Aizawa, 2002) and Indian oceans (Hutchins, 2001; Fricke et al., 2018). In the western Atlantic , the species is reported from off United States to Uruguay, including the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea (Morrow, Gibbs, 1964; Parin et al., 1974; McEachran, Fechhelm, 1998; Harold, 2003; Nión et al., 2016). Batophilus nigerrimus is reported here for the first time in the Brazilian EEZ based on two specimens collected off Rocas Atoll, between depths of 90 and 610 m ( Fig. 14A ). The likely occurrence of the species in Brazilian waters was previously mentioned by Bonecker, Castro (2006: 90) based on its wide distribution in the western Atlantic .

Specimens examined. 2 (84–95 mm SL): NPM 4593, 1 (84 mm), AB2#53A; NPM 4628, 1

(95 mm), AB2#49B.

Figures

FIGURE 13 | A. Bathophilus nigerrimus, NPM 4593, 84 mm SL; B. Bathophilus pawneei, NPM 4572, 124 mm SL. Scale bars = 10 mm.

FIGURE 14 | Records of species of the Melanostomiinae (A–F) collected during the ABRACOS expeditions off northeastern Brazil. Oceanic islands: RA, Rocas Atoll; FN, Fernando de Noronha Archipelago.