Owstonia

Smith-Vaniz, William F. & Johnson, David, 2016, Hidden diversity in deep-water bandfishes: review of Owstonia with descriptions of twenty-one new species (Teleostei: Cepolidae: Owstoniinae), Zootaxa 4187 (1), pp. 1-103 : 97

Owstonia sp. 2

( Figure 89 )

Material examined. MNHN 2014‒ 163, 36 mm SL, French Polynesia, Tahiti Islands, Tarasoc seamounts, 18°19'S, 148°32'W, 380 m, R/ V Alis, sta. DW3297, 21 Sep. 2009.

Description. Lateral line originates at posttemporal sensory canal near anterodorsal margin of gill opening, curves upward and backward then continues posteriorly just below dorsal-fin base. Dorsal fin III, 20; anal fin I, 13; pectoral fin 20/19; gill rakers 13 + 24. Vertebrae 11 + 17; anal-fin pterygiophores anterior to 1st haemal spine 3. Teeth in outer row of each premaxilla 38/42; no inner teeth anteriorly. Teeth in lateral row of each dentary 21/22, and 1 inner tooth anteriorly.

Comparisons. The lateral-line pattern and meristic values of the Tarasoc specimen agree with the holotype of Owstonia hawaiiensis (scale counts could not be obtained because many scales are missing), but it has fewer gill rakers 13 + 24 (vs. 15 + 28) which might be expected in such a small specimen. It has higher numbers of outer row premaxillary teeth 38‒42 (vs. 34‒35), although lower numbers of teeth might be expected in a smaller specimen. Owstonia mundyi , the only other species of Owstonia known from the region ( Fig. 24 ), has different vertebral, dorsal- and anal-fin ray counts.

The preserved color pattern of this specimen also differs from adult O. hawaiiensis in having the body and membrane connecting maxilla and premaxilla with numerous small freckles and most of the dorsal and anal fins darkly pigmented. The color pattern discrepancy does not exclude the possibility of conspecificity because the pigmentation of small specimens of several other species differ from their adults; however, the higher number of jaw teeth combined with the disjunct locality suggest that this specimen is probably another undescribed species.

Figures

FIGURE 24. Distributions of selected species of Owstonia based on specimens examined, except records of O. mundyi from Kingman Reef based solely on submersible videos, and possibly could have been misidentifications of O. hawaiiensis.

FIGURE 89. Owstonia sp. 2, MNHN 2014 ‒ 0163, 36 mm SL, French Polynesia, Tarasoc seamounts. Photograph by Sandra J. Raredon.