Meadia roseni Mok, Lee et Chan, 1991

Ho, Hsuan-Ching & Vo, Quang Van, 2024, New record of the cutthroat eel, Meadia roseni (Actinopterygii: Anguilliformes: Synaphobranchidae), from Vietnam, Acta Ichthyologica et Piscatoria 54, pp. 209-212 : 209-212

Meadia roseni Mok, Lee et Chan, 1991

Fig. 1

Meadia roseni Mok, Lee et Chan, 1991 . — Mok et al. (1991): 39, figs. 1–3 (type locality: off Tongkang [Dong-gang], southwestern Taiwan, 22 ° 21 ′ 05 ′′ N, 120 ° 12 ′ 46 ′′ E, depth 1020 m). — Shen et al. (1993): 109 ( Taiwan; short description). Smith (1999): 1661 (western central Pacific; list). — Randall and Lim (2000): 585 (South China Sea; list). — Ho and Shao (2011): 22 ( Taiwan; type catalog). — Ho et al. (2015 a): 8 ( Taiwan; checklist). — Ho et al. (2015 b): 179 ( Taiwan; annotated checklist). — Vo et al. (2021): 187 ( Taiwan; description).

Specimen examined.

NMMB-P 39330, 845 mm TL, Lương Sơn fishing port, ca. 12 ° 20 ′ 6.7 ′′ N, 109 ° 12 ′ 14.6 ′′ E, Nha Trang city, Vietnam, South China Sea, 13 January 2024, coll. H. - C. Ho.

Description of NMMB-P 39330.

Body rather robust, moderately slender, body depth at gill opening 13.1 times in TL; head and trunk slightly compressed, becoming more compressed on tail posteriorly. Body depth relatively uniform, narrowing gradually to caudal fin. Anal fin much higher than dorsal fin, about twice of depth; height of anal fin about 1 / 4 of body depth without fins, continuous with small caudal fin. Pectoral fin well developed, lower end of fin base at around upper end of gill opening; pectoral-fin length 25.0 % (4.0 times in) HL. Head moderately long, rather robust, its length 15.5 % (6.5 times in) TL; origin of dorsal fin slightly behind gill opening, above vertical through anterior 1 / 3 of pectoral fin, predorsal length 17.2 % (5.8) TL; trunk short, 8.3 % (12.1) TL; anus well anterior, about 1 / 2 head length behind pectoral-fin base; preanal length 23.8 % (4.2) TL; tail very long, tail length 76.2 % (1.3) TL. Head moderately slender, with bump in dorsal profile; snout blunt anteriorly and broad dorsally, densely covered with numerous papillae and flashy bumps; snout length 27.4 % (3.6) HL; tip of snout projecting beyond lower jaw; eye moderately small, covered by thick and semitransparent membrane, its anterior margin above middle of upper jaw; eye diameter 7.7 % (13.0) HL or 3.6 times in snout length; interorbital space very broad, flat or slightly concave, width 18.8 % (5.3) HL; postorbital space broad. Anterior nostrils tubular, directed anteriorly; posterior nostril a small rounded pore with low rim and anterior flap, situated in front of eye, slightly higher than lower margin of eye. Lower jaw shorter than upper, its tip reaching first pore of supraorbital series. End of mouth gape well behind eye, upper-jaw length 31.7 % (3.2) HL. Gill opening large, semi-circular, its upper end right below lower end of pectoral-fin base. Head pores small. Head pores: SO 4 (including ethmoid), anterior 3 all restricted to anterior portion of snout, opening of first pore directed forward; AD 1; IO 6; 5, 2 pores between nostrils, 2 below eye, 2 (1 on left side) behind eye; POM 10 (11 on left side), anterior 8 pores along lower jaw, two pores behind rictus, last pore (penultimate pore on left side) and 1 eye diameter behind rictus; ST 0; F 0. Lateral line almost complete, canal extending to about 1 eye diameter before caudal fin base; pores rather small along entire lateral line, rather small and indistinct on posterior end. Lateral-line pores: PPLL 9, PDLL 14, PALL 31, and total ca. 195. Tooth on jaw blunt to conical, somewhat granular, interspaces densely covered with numerous cirri making teeth not easily recognized; oval patch of moderately large teeth with about 13 small teeth along anterior and lateral margins on intermaxillary; followed by long patch of about 12 enlarged and stout teeth arranged in about 3 rows at middle, followed by small stout teeth posteriorly. Maxilla with long band of about 4–5 rows of slightly pointed teeth, those on outer row smallest, those on inner rows gradually larger innerly. Lower jaw with about 5–6 rows of stout teeth anteriorly, gradually becoming 4 rows posteriorly, those on outer row smallest, those on inner row gradually becoming larger innerly. Vertebrae: PDV 13, PAV 30, PCV 63, TV 197. Fin rays: 41 dorsal-fin rays before anal-fin origin; 430 total dorsal-fin rays; 394 total anal-fin rays.

Coloration.

Body uniformly grayish brown to dark brown (Fig. 1 A ). Anterior 2 / 3 of dorsal fin grayish brown with broad pale margin, gradually becoming darker and the margins becoming narrower, darkened at about one head length from posterior end; anterior half of anal fin with narrow pale margin, becoming darker and the margins becoming narrower, darkened at about one head length from posterior end; caudal fin black. Peritoneum pale with fine black pepper dots, stomach and intestines pale.

Figures

Figure 1. Meadia roseni Mok, Lee et Chang, 1991, off Nha Trang, Vietnam, fresh. (A) Lateral view. (B) Lateral view of head. A pin is inserted at origin of dorsal fin.