Ventrifossa misakia (Jordan & Gilbert, 1904)

Iwamoto, Tomio, Nakayama, Naohide, Shao, Kwang-Tsao & Table, Hsuan-Ching Ho, 2015, Synopsis of the Grenadier Fishes (Gadiformes; Teleostei) of Taiwan, Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences 62 (3), pp. 31-126 : 112-113

Ventrifossa misakia Jordan and Gilbert, 1904

Figure 29 .

Coryphaenoides misakius Jordan and Gilbert , 1904:611–612 (holotype, CAS-SU 8107, 340 mm TL; Misaki, Japan).

Macrourus asper (not of Günther): Jordan and Thompson, 1914:306, pl. 38, fig. 2 (“Misaki in deep water;” no description.)

Lionurus misakius : Gilbert and Hubbs, 1916:194–195 (1 spec., 113+ mm TL).

Ventrifossa misakia : Okamura, 1970:78–81, pl. VI, text-fig. 35 (47 spec., 150–260 mm TL; s. Japan).— Iwamoto, 1990:304–305, fig. 684–685 (descr.).— Sazonov and Shcherbachev, 1997:529–533 (comparisons; synonymized V. fusca with V. misakia ).— Nakabo, 2002:423 (compiled).

Ventrifossa fusca Okamura in Okamura et al., 1982:153–155, fig. 93, A-D (p. 152) (holotype, BSKU 26067, female, 612 mm TL; Kyushu-Palau Ridge, 27°55ʹN, 134°39ʹE, 700 m; paratypes [same locality], BSKU 26068 [female, 526 TL], 26069 [male, 434+ TL], 26115 [male, 468 TL]).— Okamura in Masuda et al., 1984:94, pl. 81–B (compiled).— Nakabo, 2002:422 (compiled).— Shao et al., 2008 (6 spec., SCS; first record for Taiwan).

MATERIAL EXAMINED (6 spec. from Taiwan).— SCS: ASIZP 66783 (6, 157–380+ TL), CD 320, 731 m. Other specimens: Japan : CAS-SU 8107 (holotype, 60 HL, 340 TL), Sagami Bay near Misaki, Japan . USNM 51421 (3 paratypes, 54–76 HL, 165+-380 TL), Misaki . BSKU 12002 (1, 50 HL, 240 TL); Tosa Bay . BSKU 12953 (1, 46 HL, 225+ TL), Tosa Bay . BSKU 12955 (1, 28 HL, 157 TL) . NSMT P49952 (1, 42.7 HL, 198+ TL), Suruga Bay , 440 m. NSMT P78960 (1, 44.3 HL, 230+ TL) and P78961 (1, 43.0 HL, 230+ TL), Suruga Bay , 376 m. FAKU 5270 (1, 36.8 HL, 197+ TL), M7634 (1, 42 HL, 221 TL), M7651 (1, 38 HL, 190+ TL), and M7655 (39.5 HL, 194 TL), Chiba Pref., off Choshi .

DISTINGUISHING FEATURES.— 1D II,10–12; P i19–i23; V 8 (rarely 9); total GR-I (lateral/mesial) 11–12 / 13–16 total, (lateral/mesial) GR-II 14–15 / 12–15; scale rows below midbase 1D 8.5–10.5, below 2D 9–10; lateral line scales over distance equal to predorsal length 57–76. Snout length 27–33% HL; preoral length 20–27%; internasal 22–29%; interorbital 29–35%; orbit 32–38%; postorbital 36–44%; orbit to preopercle 40–45%; suborbital 12–15%; upper jaw 37–42%; barbel 4–9%; outer gill slit 18–24%; 1D-2D interspace 40–56%. Head broad, body relatively compressed; snout conical, protruding well beyond mouth, with a small tubercle at tip; suborbital area gently rounded, ridge defined but lacking stoutly modified scales, suborbital shelf abruptly constricted anteriorly; head fully scaled, but lacking large pores; body scales covered with slender, needle-like spinules in quincunx pattern. Color in alcohol light to medium gray-brown with silvery reflections along sides; bluish black over abdomen and chest; gill cover and gill membranes blackish; mouth and gill cavities pale, but blackish posteriorly; tip of snout (and in young along leading edge) blackish; 1D dusky, V black, P and A dusky. Attains about 40 cm TL.

DISTRIBUTION.— From se. coast Japan to the East China Sea and South China Sea off sw. Taiwan, in 200 to 731 m.

REMARKS.— We have been informed by Dr. Hiromitsu Endo of Kochi University that specimen BSKU 28596 recorded by Okamura (in Okamura and Kitajima 1984:213) as V. misakia is actially a specimen of V. johnboborum . We follow Sazonov and Shcherbachev (1997:529) in synonymizing V. fusca Okamura with V. misakia . It is rather peculiar that Okamura (in Okamura et al. 1982) failed to recognize specimens of his new species as representing V. misakia or a species very similar, knowing that he had examined many specimens of V. misakia for his work on the Japanese macrourids in the Fauna Japonica book series ( Okamura 1970:78) and treating both species in Masuda et al. (1984). The first author ( TI) has examined two paratypes of V. fusca ( BSKU 26068, 99 mm HL, 526 mm TL, and 26069, 106 HL, 434+ TL [large pseudocaudal]), both of which are much larger than any other we have seen. They are nonetheless identical in every feature with our smaller Tawian representatives of V. misakia , so far as we can tell. Sazonov and Shcherbachev (1997:532) pointed out that Okamura compared his species with Kuronezumia macronema (Smith and Radcliffe, 1912) , a very different species that has been classified in another genus. The close similarity of V. misakia and V. johnboborum Iwamoto, 1982 was also recognized by Iwamoto (1982:59–60; 1990:305) and Sazonov and Iwamoto (1992:80). Sazonov and Shcherbachev (1997:529) compared specimens of V. johnboborum from the w. Indian Ocean, e. and w. Australia, the South China Sea, the Sala y Gomez Ridge (se. Pacific), and the holotype taken in the Bismarck Sea. They found these populations “differing in a few morphometric indices while retaining several common characters not peculiar to V. misakia (including V. fusca ).” Among the different populations, that from the South China Sea was most similar to V. misakia , but they were unable to arrive at any conclusions as to “the independence of V. johnboborum . ” Accordingly, we continue recognition of V. johnboborum while awaiting a more detailed analysis, perhaps using DNA information. Our specimens represent the first record of V. misakia from Taiwan and the South China Sea and also the deepest record at 731 m.

Figures

FIGURE 29. Ventrifossa misakia Jordan and Gilbert, 1904. ASIZP66783, 1 of 6, 380+ mm TL, preserved.