Owstonia sp. 1

(Figure 88)

Material examined. CSIRO H 6368‒ 10, 38 mm SL and CSIRO H 6368‒ 11, 34 mm SL, Western Australia, SW of Shark Bay, 27°08'S, 112°45'E, beam trawl in 405‒414 m, FRV Southern Surveyor, sta. 221005 /105 , 5 Dec. 2005.

Description. Lateral line originates at posttemporal sensory canal near anterodorsal margin of gill opening, curves upward and backward then continues posteriorly just below dorsal-fin base. Dorsal fin III, 19; anal fin II, 11. Vertebrae 11 + 17; anal-fin pterygiophores anterior to 1st haemal spine 2. Dorsal, anal, pelvic and pectoral fins reddish orange.

Comparisons. All other species of Owstonia known from western Australia ( O. kamoharai, O. psilos, O. scottensis and O. tosaensis) have more dorsal- and anal-fin soft rays than this species 21‒24 and 13‒16 (vs. 19 and 11 respectively), and none of the 36 species we recognize have the same combination of meristic values (see Table 2). Except for having one fewer dorsal-fin soft ray, meristic values of this specimen agree with the holotype of the eastern Australian O. merensis, although their color patterns are very different. Furthermore, no species of Owstonia is known to occur on opposite sides of Australia. We defer formal description this species in the absence of adult specimens.