Neobythites superocellatus, Uiblein & Nielsen, 2023

Uiblein, Franz & Nielsen, Jørgen G., 2023, Five new ocellus-bearing species of the cusk-eel genus Neobythites (Ophidiidae, Ophidiiformes) from the West Pacific, with establishment of three new species groups, Zootaxa 5336 (2), pp. 179-205 : 182-186

Neobythites superocellatus n. sp.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:272BB7BA-1893-4050-997A-93324EAC7F36

Figures 1–3 , Tables 1–2

Holotype. MNHN 2021-0457 , 95 mm SL, Solomon Sea, 9°48′6″S, 160°50′8″E, Salomon 1 cruise, R / V Alis, st. DW 1824, Waren dredge, 298–318 m depth, 4 Oct. 2001.

Paratypes (n =3, 79–98 mm SL). MNHN 2002-3758 , 2 , 79–90 mm SL, same collecting data as for holotype ; MNHN 2002-3654 , 98 mm SL, Solomon Sea, 10°12′1″S, 161°19′3″E, Salomon 1 cruise , R / V Alis, st. CP 1831, beam trawl, 135–325 m depth, 5 Oct. 2001 .

Fresh colour photo ( Fig. 2 ). Two adult specimens (sample not retained, size not known) photographed together with entire beam-trawl catch, Solomon Sea, 07°44′S, 158°30′E, Salomon 2 cruise, R / V Alis, st. CP 2200, beam trawl, 325–331 m depth, 25 Oct. 2004 (see also Richer de Forges 2004) .

Diagnosis. Hind margin of preopercle with two blunt spines; dorsal-fin rays 98–104; anal-fin rays 85–88; pectoral-fin rays 26–27; precaudal vertebrae 13; total vertebrae 58–60; pseudobranchial filaments 4; long rakers on anterior gill arch 14–15; head length 21–22% SL; pelvic-fin length 11–14% SL, fins not reaching anus; orbit length 4.6–5.1% SL and 22–24% HL; longest gill filament 0.8–1.4% SL and 3.7–6.6% HL; dorsal fin with large central ocellus placed well behind vertical line through anus, spot distance 51–54% SL and spot covers 15–17 dorsal-fin rays and extending ventrally to body covering 5 to 7 vertical-scale rows; dorsal half of ocellus in fresh specimens black, ventral half (extension to body) dark brown, connecting ventrally to brown vertical bar; dorsal fin and body anteriorly of ocellus two to three vertical bars, posteriorly more darkly pigmented; preserved specimens with dark-brown, ventrally less conspicuous ocellus, anterior part of lateral line brown, no vertical bars on body; otolith length 5.1–5.8% SL, sulcus length 3.6–4.7% SL, and ostium height 19–21% sulcus length and 28–30% ostium length.

Description. Principal meristic and morphometric characters are shown in Table 2 . Morphological and preserved colour description based on HT, if not indicated otherwise. Elongate fish with tapering tail; head and body covered with deciduous scales; origin of dorsal fin above posterior half of pectoral fin; origin of anal fin well in front of midpoint of fish; protruding snout blunt, equal in length to diameter of eye; two blunt spines on posterior margin of preopercle (due to damage, lower spine missing on left side in holotype); opercular spine pointed; anterior gill arch on both sides with one short and four long rakers on upper branch, one long raker at angle and, nine long and six short rakers on lower branch; longest filaments on anterior gill arch 6.6 % HL; four small pseudobranchial filaments; longest gill raker on anterior gill arch 15 % HL.

Sagittal otolith ( Fig. 3A ). Otolith slightly oval, almost rounded, its depth 1.4 times in its length; sulcus 1.2 times in otolith length; ostium 1.4 times in sulcus length; ostium depth 4.7 times in sulcus length and 3.4 times in ostium length.

Dentition. Premaxillaries, palatines, and dentaries with many small, pointed, close-set teeth in irregular rows; vomer boomerang-shaped with many small, pointed teeth; two median basibranchial tooth patches, anterior one long and narrow and posterior one small and circular.

Axial skeleton. Precaudal vertebrae 13, all with pointed tip; anterior neural spine almost half as long as second spine; spines on vertebrae 3–8 depressed; parapophyses present on vertebrae 7–13, pleural ribs on vertebrae 3–13, and epipleural ribs indistinct; bases of neural spines 3–13 enlarged.

Colour. Fresh fish ( Fig. 2 ). Head and body with pale-pink background colour, belly white; head behind and above eye with two brown bands; central ocellus well behind vertical line through anus, ocellus spot surrounded almost entirely by a broad pale whitish-rose ring, spot diameter about three times orbit length, upper half of spot on dorsal fin black, its dark-brown lower half extending down to body, connected at ventral-spot margin with similarly coloured vertical bar which reaches ventral body margin; two to three crescent-shaped bars extending from dorsal fin to body anterior of ocellus, black on dorsal fin and becoming brown on body, the posterior-most bar bordering the central ocellus ring; dark spot on dorsal fin posterior to ocellus connecting to brown area behind and below on body, latter pigmentation along dorsal margin of body, reaching down towards ventral body margin in form of two brown bars, one anterior bar shorter and crescent shaped, bordering ocellus ring, posterior bar thinner and longer; anal fin pale brown, becoming pale transparent towards posterior end; posterior end of dorsal fin and caudal fin pale transparent.

Preserved fish ( Fig. 1A ). Body and head mostly pale brown, head anterior and posterior of orbit with beige-brown pigmentation patches, lateral line beige-brown in its anterior half, belly whitish; central ocellus placed well behind vertical line through anus, ocellus spot diameter at least three times orbit length, spot covers 17 dorsal-fin rays (14–18 in PT’s) and extends onto body, covering six horizontal scale rows (5–7 in PT’s); dorsal part of ocellus spot on dorsal fin dark brown, ventral part on body pale brown, but shape of both ocellus spot and ring not fully retained; dorsal fin anterior and posterior of ocellus mostly brown or brown scattered with the pale-whitish ocellus ring well visible, while being inconspicuous on body; anal and caudal fins pale transparent; no vertical bars on body.

Etymology. The specific name refers to the large dorsal-fin ocellus.

Distribution and size. W Pacific, Central and SE Solomon Sea at 135–331 m depth. Known up to 98 mm SL.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Species of the australiensis group. (A) Neobythites superocellatus n. sp., HT, MNHN 2021-0457, 95 mm SL, Solomon Sea (M. Krag); (B) N. australiensis, PT, ZMUC P771325, 188 mm SL, W Australia (side-reversed; M. Krag); (C) N. nigriventris, HT, CSIRO H 2310-03 (side-reversed; H. O’Neill); (D) N. unimaculatus, MNHN 2005-3413, 130 mm SL, Coral Sea (M. Krag); with 10 mm scale bars.

FIGURE 2. Two specimens of Neobythites superocellatus n. sp. photographed together with beam-trawl catch, Solomon Sea (Salomon 2 cruise participants; see also Richer de Forges 2004).

FIGURE 3. Neobythites otoliths. (A) N.superocellatus n. sp., HT, MNHN 2021-0457, Solomon Sea (M. Krag). (B) N. japonicus n. sp., HT, KAUM -I. 37071, off Okinawa (from left side of head, shown side-reversed; M. Krag); (C) N. jonathan n. sp., HT, MNHN 2002-3883, Solomon Sea (C. Høegh-Guldberg); (D) N. zora n. sp., HT, ZMUC P771324, Fiji (C. Høegh-Guldberg); (E) N. pako n. sp., HT, MNHN 2006-0337, otolith number MNHN-ICOT-001969, Solomon Sea (M. Krag); (F) N. malayanus, ZMUC P77742, Lombok (C. Høegh-Guldberg); all otoliths from right side of head except for (B); with 1 mm scale bars.