Bufoceratias thele ( Uwate, 1979 )

Ho, Hsuan-Ching, Kawai, Toshio & Amaoka, Kunio, 2016, Records of deep-sea anglerfishes (Lophiiformes: Ceratioidei) from Indonesia, with descriptions of three new species, Zootaxa 4121 (3), pp. 267-294 : 273-274

Bufoceratias thele ( Uwate, 1979)

Figs. 6 B, 7A–B

Phrynichthys thele Uwate, 1979:142 , fig. 19 (type locality: Halmahera Sea, western Pacific, 680–850 m). Bufoceratias thele ( Uwate, 1979) : Pietsch et al., 2004:104. Pietsch, 2009:358.

Materials. HUMZ 190902 (1, 48.5), st. 24, 3°44.57'S, 94°52.18'E, 3°46.22'S, 94°51.39'E, 712–768 m, off Sumatra, 21 Oct. 2004. HUMZ 191147 (1, 127.4), st. 19, 1°18.42'S, 98°45.5'E, 1°49.43'S, 98°47.10'E, 547–567 m, off Sumatra, 29 Sep. 2004. HUMZ 194413 (1, 39.5), st. 34, 8°37.7'S, 111°21.5'E – 8°37.8'S, 111°19.8'E, off Java, 595–600 m, 15 May 2005.

Description. Dorsal-fin rays 6; pectoral-fin rays 13–15; anal-fin rays 4; caudal-fin rays 9. Teeth on vomer 6–11 (3–6 on each side); upper jaw teeth 40–52; lower jaw teeth 33–44. Head length 41.0–43.7% SL; head depth 50.2–55.7; head width 30.5–30.9; frontal width 13.9–15.1; illicial length 153.8–174.4; distance between upper jaw symphysis and origin of illicium 44.1–50.2; upper jaw length 38.4–41.4; lower jaw length 40.6–40.8.

Body short, globular, rounded profile in lateral view. Illicium emerging from dorsal surface of head, behind sphenotic spines. Illicium very long. Mouth large, oblique. Esca simple bulb, its width 2.0–5.8% SL, its total length 9.9–11.1% SL, with short terminal papilla, its length 3.9–6.5% SL, from about half to slightly more escal length; no other appendage present.

Slender fang-like teeth on both jaws, longest teeth on upper jaw 5.1–6.6% SL, longest teeth on lower jaw 6.2–9.4% SL.

Distribution. Previously only known from western Pacific Ocean. Our specimens represent the first record for the eastern Indian Ocean.

Remarks. Three Indonesian specimens agree well with the data and description provided by Pietsch et al. (2004), except for the following: longer illicium (153.8–174.4% SL, vs. 112–143% SL in Pietsch et al., 2004); the 48.5 mm specimen has 52 teeth on upper jaw (vs. 15–48); the 127.4 mm specimen has 11 vomerine teeth (vs. 4–10) and 15 rays on one pectoral-fin (vs. 13–14). The 127.4 mm specimen also has a relatively long escal terminal papilla, its length 6.5% SL, compared with other specimens examined.

Figures

FIGURE 6. A. Bufoceratias microcephalus, HUMZ 193747, 151.0 mm SL, holotype. B. Bufoceratias thele, HUMZ 191147, 127.4 mm SL. C. Bufoceratias shaoi, HUMZ 193746, 68.2 mm SL. D. Bufoceratias wedli, HUMZ 31934, 124.0 mm SL.