Sphagemacrurus Fowler, 1925

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 : 99

Genus Sphagemacrurus Fowler, 1925

DISTINGUISHING FEATURES.— BR 7; ventral region of short head and short trunk shifted forward, gill membranes united under orbit, V usually under opercle, anus under origin of 1D, A origin under hind margin of 1D; snout blunt, high, tip of snout with small, spiny tubercle, on level with upper margin of pupil, naked areas, if present, confined to lower surfaces; jaws oblique; 1D spine with saw-tooth serrations on leading edge, 1D base somewhat elevated; naked periproct region broad, occupying 1 ⁄ 3 or more of space between V and A, usually immediately before A origin; inner GR-I 15 or fewer; length barbel 1.7 to> 2.0 into orbit diameter. A well-developed suborbital shelf composed of two parallel rows of stout, spiny, modified scales. Body scales with 5–9 subparallel rows of short, awl-shaped, slightly reclined spinules.

REMARKS.— A small genus of six species, two of which are recorded from Taiwan. Iwamoto and Williams (1999:211–212) noted differences in recorded values and features of specimens identified as S. pumiliceps from the Indian and Pacific oceans and stated that there are unresolved problems with the species in the genus. There is overlap in many characters between the Sphagemacrurus specimens we have examined, making identification difficult. The genus is in need of further study.