Astronesthes similus Parr, 1927

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 : 34

Astronesthes similus Parr, 1927

( Fig. 8E )

Diagnosis. Astronesthes similus differs from congeners by the anal-fin base longer than the dorsal-fin base; 11–12 dorsal-fin rays; 6 pectoral-fin rays; BR 20–21; OA 39– 41; IC 59–63; AC in a straight line; only two filaments on the terminal bulb of the chin barbel (Gibbs et al., 1984; Parin, Borodulina, 2003).

Geographical distribution. Western Atlantic, between 43ºN and 27ºS, including the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea (Parr, 1927; Gibbs et al., 1984; McEachran, Fechhelm, 1998; Harold, 2003; Menezes et al., 2003; Moore et al., 2003; Ramírez et al., 2019). In Brazil, the species is reported off the northeastern region (Eduardo et al., 2020c), from off Bahia to Rio de Janeiro States (Braga et al., 2007), and in the Vitória-Trindade Chain (Davis Seamount; Pinheiro et al., 2015). Records outside the Brazilian EEZ in the vicinities of the Saint Peter and Saint Paul and Trindade and Martin Vaz archipelagos are also known (Gibbs et al., 1984; Judkins, Haedrich, 2018). Astronesthes similus is reported here based on specimens collected between depths of 90 and 1,113 m off Paraíba and Rio Grande do Norte States ( Fig. 7B ) .

Specimens examined. 10 (36–75 mm SL): NPM 3423, 1 (40 mm), AB1#34; NPM 4811, 2

(53–75 mm), AB2#59A; NPM 4822, 7 (36–48 mm), AB2#59B.

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.

FIGURE 8 | A. Astronesthes atlantica, NPM 4019, 32 mm SL; B. Astronesthes gemmifer, NPM 4799, 146 mm SL; C. Astronesthes gudrunae, NPM 4802, 111 mm SL; D. Astronesthes richardsoni, NPM 3194, 71 mm SL; E. Astronesthes similus, NPM 4811, 75 mm SL. Scale bars = 10 mm.