Brachionichthys hirsutus (Lacepède)

Last, Peter R. & Gledhill Csiro, Daniel C., 2009, A revision of the Australian handfishes (Lophiiformes: Brachionichthyidae), with descriptions of three new genera and nine new species 2252, Zootaxa 2252 (1), pp. 1-77 : 15-19

Brachionichthys hirsutus (Lacepède)

Figs 1 , 2 , 3 , 6 , 7, 9; Tables 7–10

Lophius hirsutus Lacepède, 1804: 202 , 210, pl. 55 (3); type not designated; southern coast of Australia, presumably Tasmania [original description].

Chironectes punctatus Cuvier, 1817: 434 , pl. 18 (2, 5); lectotype MNHN A 4627, by subsequent designation of Le Danois (1964: 139), paralectotype apparently skeletonised and subsequently lost, see Pietsch, 1985; southern Australia, presumably Tasmania [new name for Lophius hirsutus Lacepède ].

Chironectes hirsutus: Valenciennes, 1837: 434 [new combination].

Brachionichthys hirsutus: Bleeker, 1855: 22–23 [new combination].

Brachionichthys politus (not Richardson): Whitley, 1949: 403 [misidentification].

Lectotype. MNHN A 4627 , 78.7 mm SL, coast of southern Australia (probably Tasmania), voyage de Péron (1800–1804), no other data.

Additional material. 5 specimens (63–101 mm SL): NMV A 21672 , 62.6 mm SL, Derwent Estuary , Tasmania, 42° 57'S, 147° 21'E, 10 Mar. 1997; NMV A 21687 , 66 mm SL, Derwent Estuary , Tasmania, 42° 55'S, 147° 21'E, 1997; QVMT 1974.5 .165, 2 specimens, 84.4 and 89.4 mm SL, off Cape Portland , Tasmania, ca. 40° 43'S, 148° 00'E, 8 Sep. 1974. QVMT 2009.5. 1, 100.6 mm SL, off St Helens, Tasmania, ca. 41° 18'S, 148° 20'E, no other data .

Material from Last et al. (2007). 81 specimens (21–83 mm SL): CSIRO C 2986 , CSIRO H 797–01 , CSIRO H 2629–01 , CSIRO H 2629–02 , CSIRO H 2629–03 , CSIRO H 2629–04 , CSIRO H 4114–01 , CSIRO H 4114–02 , CSIRO H 4114–03 , CSIRO H 4114–04 , CSIRO H 4114–05 , CSIRO H 4115–01 , CSIRO H 6564– 01 , CSIRO T 2 , CSIRO T 3 , CSIRO T 7 , CSIRO T 10 , CSIRO T 11 , CSIRO T 1989–01 , CSIRO T 1990–01 , NMV A 2305 , NMV A 29404–001 , TMH D 80 , TMH D 81 , TMH D 237 , TMH D 240 , TMH D 254 , TMH D 269 , TMH D 364 , TMH D 640 , TMH D 650 , TMH D 746 , TMH D 962 , TMH D 965 , TMH D 966 , TMH D 1309 , TMH D 1333 , TMH D 1775 , TMH D 1892 , TMH D 1929 , TMH D 1938 .

Diagnosis. Member of the genus Brachionichthys with a combination of the following characters: esca small, 15–26 (mean 20)% of illicium length (including esca); illicium very slender, length 19–20% SL, 2.3– 2.4 times in head length; apex of adpressed illicium reaching to or just behind base of third dorsal-fin spine; esca barely thicker than illicial stem, its filamentous branches multiple, irregular, dense, short thallate; eye moderate-sized, horizontal diameter exceeding 5.4 times in head, 7.0–8.5% SL; upper lip very fleshy; relatively short first dorsal-fin base (length 23–26% SL); second dorsal-fin rays 17–19 (mean 18), length of fin base 61–64 (mean 62)% SL; length of second dorsal-fin spine 0.7–1.0 times length of longest ray of second dorsal fin; vertebrae 22–26; upper body usually covered with fine, dark spots or short streaks (rarely with long streaks on head); caudal fin with dense coverage of fine spots, forming a dark submarginal bar in juveniles.

FIGURE 7. Collection localities for: A. Brachionichthys australis holotype () and additional material (•); and B. all material of B. hirsutus () . Locations are approximate, and may represent multiple records; they include registered collection, and verified, non-retained material.

Size. To 100.6 mm SL (ca. 143 mm TL), adults more commonly ~ 60–75 mm SL; juveniles hatch at about 6–7 mm SL (the caption for figure 8 in Last et al. (2007) erroneously states that the newly hatched juvenile is 30 mm TL, this should read ca. 6 mm TL). Egg masses contain about 80– 250 eggs (1.8–2 mm diameter); egg capsules about 3–4 mm diameter and connected by strands.

Distribution. Now confined to southeastern Tasmania (Derwent River estuary mouth and adjacent marine embayments) but once more widespread in disjunct populations off eastern Tasmania; mainly demersal inshore (ca. 5–15 m) on the continental shelf, but probably occurred at depths of 1– 60 m. Appears to have undergone a major range reduction and its populations have declined significantly since its discovery; now considered to be Critically Endangered (Bruce & Last, 2006) and Endangered (Australian Government Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, 1999 and the State Government of Tasmania Threatened Species Protection Act, 1995, Anon 2005, 07). Specimens were collected in Great Oyster Bay, central eastern Tasmania (ca. 42° 06′S, 148° 09′E) between 1909 and 1957, the Huon Estuary (ca. 43° 12′S, 147° 04′E) in the 1940s, and more widely in the D'Entrecasteaux Channel (ca. 43° 03′S, 147° 20′E) in the 1960’s and 1980s, but have not been collected from these regions since. In 1974, two specimens (QVMT 1974.5.165) were obtained from Cape Portland, eastern Bass Strait (ca. 40° 43'S, 148° 00'E), and an additional specimen (QVMT 2009.5.1, date unspecified) was collected from off St Helens, eastern Tasmania (ca. 41° 18'S, 148° 20'E). No other records of this species exist from Bass Strait or off eastern Tasmania despite extensive commercial and recreational dive effort, a scallop fishery and several biological surveys of the region in the past half century.

Etymology. The epithet is based on the Latin hirsutus (hairy) with reference to its rough, hairy skin. Vernacular name: Spotted Handfish (Yearsley et al., 2006, Last et al., 2007).

Comparisons. Brachionichthys hirsutus can be distinguished from B. australis based on its colour pattern which is more densely spotted, particularly on the caudal fin, and usually lacks thin longitudinal yellowish streaks. It also has typically shorter fins (illicium length 19–20% vs. 23–28% SL; 42–44% vs. 49–57% of head length; length of second dorsal-fin spine 0.7–1.0 vs. 1.1–1.4 times length of longest ray of second dorsal fin), a smaller eye (diameter mainly exceeding 5.4, rather than less than 5.4, in head), more second dorsal-fin rays (17–19 mainly 18 vs. 16–18, mainly 17) with a longer dorsal-fin base (61–64% vs. 55–61% SL).

Remarks. The conservation biology and population status of this species have been discussed in some detail (Green & Bruce, 1998; Bruce et al., 1998, 1999; Last et al., 2007). Museum data indicates that B. hirsutus was probably reasonably common in Great Oyster Bay before the First World War. Similarly, handfishes taken by early French explorers suggest that B. hirsutus was likely to be abundant in the D’Entrecasteaux Channel in the early 19 th C. Periodic sightings throughout the 20 th C indicate that these populations remained viable up until at least the mid 1980s. Dredges are very efficient in catching small, slow-moving benthic fishes, such as adult handfishes, and can impact on breeding populations by damaging critical spawning substrate (see Bruce et al., 1998, 1999). These areas were subjected to aggressive harvesting of the commercial scallop ( Pecten fumatus ), from the 1960s through to the 1980s, using dredges (Dix, 1982), and B. hirsutus has not been collected in either area since (apart from North West Bay, near the Derwent Estuary mouth) despite several scallop surveys and special requests to fishers to report sightings. The likely extirpation of B. hirsutus from these regions flags the need for strong management approaches to be put in place to conserve the remaining populations.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Early illustrations of brachionichthyids, reproduced courtesy of the Tasmaniana Library (State Library of Tasmania): A. Brachionichthys hirsutus illustrated by W. Gould (ca. 1832), figured as a ‘Walking Fish’; B. Brachionichthys hirsutus (bottom specimen), illustrated by L. Meredith, figured as a ‘Tortoiseshell Fish (Cheironectes politus)’ in Tasmanian Friends and Foes (1880); and C. Thymichthys politus, copper engraving by T. Bock, figured as ‘Fish caught at Port Arthur’ in Dr Ross’s ‘Van Diemen’s Land Annual’ for 1835.

FIGURE 2. Illustrations of the illicium and esca of: A. Brachionichthys australis, CSIRO H 4114–07, 55.8 mm SL; B. Brachionichthys hirsutus, CSIRO T 7, 78.9 mm SL; C. Brachiopsilus dianthus sp. nov., CSIRO H 4995–01, holotype, 99.5 mm SL; D. Brachiopsilus dossenus sp. nov., NMV A 29405–002, holotype, 65.0 mm SL; E. Brachiopsilus ziebelli sp. nov., CSIRO T 1993–01, holotype, 101.5 mm SL; F. Pezichthys amplispinus sp. nov., CSIRO H 4460–01, 37.2 mm SL; G. Pezichthys compressus sp. nov., CSIRO H 4447–01, holotype, 42.4 mm SL; H. Pezichthys eltanini sp. nov., LACM 11516–1, holotype, 30.0 mm SL; I. Pezichthys macropinnis sp. nov., CSIRO H 5317–02, holotype, 20.5 mm SL; J. Pezichthys nigrocilium sp. nov., CSIRO H 6154–01, holotype, 40.8 mm SL; K. Sympterichthys moultoni sp. nov., CSIRO H 3773–03, holotype, 45.1 mm SL; L. Thymichthys politus, CSIRO H 782–01, 67.3 mm SL; M. Thymichthys verrucosus (tasselled morph), CSIRO T 5, 51.3 mm SL; and N. Thymichthys verrucosus (eastern form) CSIRO H 3781– 01, 63.5 mm SL.

FIGURE 3. Skin morphology of: A. Brachionichthys australis, CSIRO H 4451–02 (x40); B. Brachionichthys hirsutus, TMH D 640 (x40); C. Brachiopsilus dianthus sp. nov., CSIRO H 4995–01, holotype (x20); D. Brachiopsilus dossenus sp. nov., NMV 29405–002, holotype (x20); E. Brachiopsilus ziebelli sp. nov., CSIRO T 1993–01, holotype (x25); F. Pezichthys amplispinus sp. nov., CSIRO H 4448–01, holotype (x50). All images orientated as a view of mid-upper body on left side (i.e. anterior part to left).

FIGURE 6. Underwater images of live handfishes (photographer K. Gowlett-Holmes): A. Brachiopsilus ziebelli sp. nov. (Loney’s morph) with egg mass, Waterfall Bay, Tasmania, not retained; B. Brachionichthys hirsutus, Derwent Estuary, Tasmania, not retained; C. Thymichthys politus, Primrose Bay, Tasmania, not retained; D. Thymichthys verrucosus (tasselled morph), habitat artificial, Tasmania; E. Brachiopsilus dianthus sp. nov., CSIRO 4995–01, holotype, 99.5 mm SL, habitat artificial, Tasmania; F. Sympterichthys moultoni sp. nov., CSIRO H 4461–01, paratype, 39.3 mm SL, habitat artificial, Tasmania.