Cheilopogon formosus pseudospilopterus, Shakhovskoy & Parin, 2019

Shakhovskoy, Ilia B. & Parin, Nikolay V., 2019, A review of the flying fish genus Cypselurus (Beloniformes: Exocoetidae). Part 1. Revision of the subgenus Zonocypselurus Parin and Bogorodsky, 2011 with descriptions of one new subgenus, four new species and two new subspecies and reinstatement of one species as valid, Zootaxa 4589 (1), pp. 1-71 : 10

Cheilopogon formosus pseudospilopterus subsp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:493F5CFC-7B28-4EA6-9840-E5C917BB87D2

( Figs. 2–7 ; Tables 1–7)

? Cypsilurus spilopterus (non Valenciennes in Cuvier & Valenciennes). Weber & de Beaufort 1922: 187–188 (in part; description, Indonesia).

Cheilopogon spilopterus (non Valenciennes in Cuvier & Valenciennes). Parin 1996: 305 (in part: seas of South-East Asia).

Cypselurus hexazona (non Bleeker). Parin 2000: 600 (in part; South China Sea). Parin & Bogorodsky 2011: 683–686 [658–660 in English translation] (in part; description, distribution).

Representatives of this subspecies were previously identified as C. hexazona only at the juvenile stage. However, adults were identified as Cheilopogon spilopterus in all collections studied, because spots on pectoral fins make Ch. spilopterus and Ch. formosus pseudospilopterus difficult to distinguish. This prompted us to study an additional sample of Ch. spilopterus to find diagnostic characters.

Material examined. Eighty-four specimens 23.5–163 mm SL of Ch. formosus pseudospilopterus and 22 specimens 109–227 mm SL of Ch. spilopterus .

Figures

FIGURE 2. Size variation of morphometric characters in Cheilopogon formosus formosus (▲), Ch. formosus andamanicus (□), Ch. formosus pseudospilopterus (○) and Ch. spilopterus (x). (A)—postventral distance (pV); (B)—greatest body depth (H); (C)—lowest depth of caudal peduncle (h); (D)—length of anal fin base (lA); (E)—height of dorsal fin (HD); (F)—height of anal fin (HA). Note: for Ch. formosus formosus data from Kotthaus (1969) are included.

FIGURE 3. Distribution of flying fishes Cheilopogon formosus formosus (□), Ch. formosus pseudospilopterus (Δ), Ch. formosus andamanicus (◊), Ch. marisrubri (○), Cheilopogon (Ptenichthys) sp.1 (x) and Cheilopogon (Ptenichthys) sp. 2 (+). Filled symbols indicate capture location for fishes ≤100 mm SL, open symbols indicate capture location for fishes>100 mm SL.

FIGURE 5. Flying fish Cheilopogon formosus pseudospilopterus. (A)—25.5 mm SL, ZMUC uncat., Galathea, Sta. 383, 7°57’N 102°32’E; (B)—28 mm SL, ZMUC uncat., Galathea, Sta. 383, 7°57’N 102°32’E; (C)—36.5 mm SL, IORAS 03407 (paratype), 1°58’N 105°53’E; (D)—48 mm SL, IORAS 03407 (paratype), 1°58’N 105°53’E; (E)—81.5 mm SL, IORAS 03406, 4°28’N, 112°51’E; (F)—154 mm SL, CAS 81208, 9°05’N 100°48’E; (G)—150.5 mm SL, CAS 81203, 12°11’N 100°41’E, close-up of jaws.

FIGURE 6. Pectoral fin pigmentation in flying fish Cheilopogon formosus pseudospilopterus. (A)—56 mm SL, ZMUC uncat., Galathea Sta. 383, 7°57’N 102°32’E; (B)—93 mm SL, CAS 81780, 9°N 103°E; (C)—119 mm SL, ZMUC uncat., Galathea Sta. 383, 7°57’N 102°32’E; (D)—135 mm SL, CAS 81207, 9°19’N 103°58’E; (E)—142 mm SL, CAS 81221, 7°15’N, 103°06’E; (F)—146 mm SL, IORAS 03408, 3°11’N 109°06’E; (G)—147.5 mm SL, CAS 81224, 4°48’N 106°34’E; (H)—161 mm SL, CAS 81177, 10°35’N 102°09’E.

FIGURE 7. Pelvic fin pigmentation in flying fish Cheilopogon formosus pseudospilopterus. (A)—56 mm SL, ZMUC uncat., Galathea Sta. 383, 7°57’N 102°32’E; (B)—81.5 mm SL, IORAS 03406, 4°28’N 112°51’E; (C)—101 mm SL, SIO 65-40, Gulf of Thailand; (D)—125 mm SL, CAS 81221, 7°15’N 103°06’E.