Histiophryne maggiewalker, Arnold, Rachel J. & Pietsch, Theodore W., 2011

Arnold, Rachel J. & Pietsch, Theodore W., 2011, A new species of frogfish of the genus Histiophryne (Teleostei: Lophiiformes: Antennariidae) from Queensland, Australia, Zootaxa 2925, pp. 63-68 : 64-67

Histiophryne maggiewalker sp. nov.

Type material. Holotype: QM I.38176, 55 mm, found washed up on the beach of Alexandria Bay, Noosa Heads, southeast Queensland, K. Long, 20 October 2007. Figure 1A .

Paratypes: QM I.29079, 16.6 mm, north side of Mujimba Island, Mujimba, Queensland, Australia; QM I.37621, 1 male (54.0 mm), 1 female (60.1 mm), and two juveniles (12.5–14.1 mm), Shag Rock, east side off North Stradbroke Island, Queensland, Australia. Figures 1 B and 2.

Diagnosis. A frogfish of the lophiiform family Antennariidae , genus Histiophryne , unique in having a relatively long illicium and esca, the latter expanded distally, its shape more or less rectangular with rounded edges ( Figure 3 ), and genetic divergence in the nuclear recombination activation gene-2 (RAG2) and cytochrome oxidase-I (COI) genes.

Description. Body short and deep, somewhat compressed laterally, vertebral column distinctly sigmoid in shape (as determined by radiographs); head large, its length approximately 29−39% standard length (SL); mouth small (relative to other antennariid taxa), opening strongly oblique to nearly vertical. Jaws bearing 2 – 4 irregular rows of small villiform teeth; similar teeth present on vomer and palatine. Eye diameter 4.5 – 4.9% and 8.8 – 9.1% SL for adults (four specimens) and juveniles (two specimens), respectively. Spinous dorsal fin consisting of three widely spaced spines, anteriormost spine (illicium) relatively long (2.5 – 4.7% SL); second and third dorsal-fin spines laid back and bound down to surface of head by thick skin; esca relatively long (4.1 – 6.4% SL), more or less rectangular with rounded edges. Pectoral-fin lobe elongate, leg-like, attached to side of body by loose skin for most of its length. Opercular opening restricted to a small, elongate, tube-like opening situated immediately posteroventral to base of pectoral fin. Caudal peduncle absent, thick fleshy posteriormost margin of soft-dorsal and anal fins extending posteriorly well beyond base of caudal fin, connecting to outermost caudal-fin rays. Skin covering head and body everywhere thick, fleshy, and naked, lacking any visible trace of dermal spinules or cutaneous filaments or appendages. Rays of dorsal, anal, pectoral, and pelvic fins all simple; those of caudal fin all bifurcate. Dorsal-fin rays 15; anal-fin rays 8; pectoral-fin rays 8; pelvic fin with 1 spine and 5 rays; caudal-fin rays 9; vertebrae 21–22, including the anteriormost and posteriormost centra fused to the cranium and hypural plate, respectively.

Color in preservation. The three largest specimens completely black, a reticulate pattern easily discernible with aid of a dissecting scope except in the holotype, for which the pattern can only be found with more difficulty, perhaps because the skin may have been damaged while the specimen lay washed up on the beach; the two juveniles and smaller adult creamy white with small brown spots on the head and surrounding the eyes, the spots continuing on the body in the small adult, but differ on the bodies of the two smaller juveniles in that the spots are relatively larger and fewer in number.

Molecular results. Results are summarized in Figure 4 . Analysis of RAG2 and COI sequences included 441 and 570 bps, respectively. Histiophryne maggiewalker was recovered as sister to H. bougainvilli with posterior probability of 1.0. H. cryptacanthus and H. psychedelica , the two tropical species included in this study, were recovered as sister to H. bougainvilli and H. maggiewalker with posterior probability of 1.0. The intraspecific COI DNA sequence divergence between H. cryptacanthus and H. psychedelica was 6.1%, and between H. bougainvilli and H. maggiewalker , 7.1%.

Etymology. This species is named in honor of Maggie Walker for her service and dedication to science and education at the University of Washington and The Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture.

Distribution and behavior. Known only from shallow inshore waters of Queensland, Australia, all specimens collected within 130 kilometers, in 7–12 m of water; the holotype washed up on the beach of Alexandria Bay, Noosa Heads, southeast Queensland. Four specimens, a non-gravid female, male, and two juveniles, were collected together. While some frogfishes are notorious for their insatiable appetite, including tendencies to cannibalize one another, it is possible these four were living together peacefully. We might even be tempted to speculate that the two juveniles are the offspring of one or both of the adults.

Material examined. Tathicarpus butleri, Abrolmus Island, Western Australia, WAM 32904.001, Genbank accession nos. GU188502 , GU188551 ; Lophiocharon trisignatus, Aquarium trade, UW 115748, Genbank accession nos. FJ219610 , FJ219617 ; L. lithinostomus, Aquarium trade, UW 115749, Genbank accession nos. FJ219611 , FJ219618 ; Histiophryne maggiewalker, Alexandria Bay, Noosa Heads , southeast Queensland, QM I.38176, Genbank accession nos. FJ755972, JF755974 ; H. bougainvilli, Nelson Bay , NSW, Australia, UW 118990 (1 of 2), Genbank accession nos. JF755970 , JF755973 ; H. bougainvilli, Nelson Bay , NSW, Australia, UW 118990 (2 of 2), Genbank accession nos. JF755973 , JF755976 ; H. psychedelica , Ambon Island, Indonesia, NCIP 6377, Genbank accession nos. FJ219608 , FJ219615 ; H. cryptacanthus, Aquarium trade, UW 117820, Genbank accession nos. FJ219614 , FJ219621 ; H. cryptacanthus, Aquarium trade, UW 117821, Genbank accession nos. GU188512 , GU188545 ; H. cryptacanthus, Aquarium trade, UW 117816, Genbank accession nos. JF755971 , JF755977 .

Figures

FIGURE 3. The illicium of Histiophryne maggiewalker, QM I. 38176, 55 mm SL, and H. bougainvilli, AMS I. 17304 - 001, 58.9 mm SL.

FIGURE 1. A) Histiophryne maggiewalker, new species, holotype, QM I. 38176, 55 mm SL, showing some dehydration, and B) Histiophryne maggiewalker, paratype, QM I. 37621, 60.1 mm SL.

FIGURE 4. 50 % majority rule phylogeny for all described species of Histiophryne, from trees sampled in the posterior, generated from Bayesian analyses on a partitioned dataset that included the nuclear recombination activating gene 2 (RAG 2) and mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase-I (COI) gene.