Sigmops bathyphilus (Vaillant, 1884)

Villarins, Bárbara T., Dario, Fabio Di, Eduardo, Leandro N., Lucena-Frédou, Flávia, Bertrand, Arnaud, Prokofiev, Artem M. & Mincarone, Michael M., 2022, Deep-sea dragonfishes (Teleostei: Stomiiformes) collected from off northeastern Brazil, with a review of the species reported from the Brazilian Exclusive Economic Zone, Neotropical Ichthyology (e 220004) 20 (2), pp. 1-78 : 14

Sigmops bathyphilus (Vaillant, 1884)

( Fig. 4D )

Diagnosis. Sigmops bathyphilus can be distinguished from congeners by the presence of adipose fin; anal-fin origin in line with dorsal-fin origin; 10–14 pectoral-fin rays; 11–15 dorsal-fin rays; 7–9 pelvic-fin rays; 21–26 anal-fin rays; 28–32 gill rakers; no photophores on isthmus; two rows (lateral and ventral) of minute and obscure photophores; IC 32–38; OA 14–16, in an irregular row (Grey, 1964; Mukhacheva, 1972; Kenaley, Stewart, 2015c; Coad, 2018a).

Geographical distribution. Circumglobal between 70ºN and 45ºS, except the western Indian Ocean (Grey, 1964; Schaefer et al., 1986a; Pequeño, 1989; Hutchins, 2001; Møller et al., 2010; Kenaley, Stewart, 2015c; Béarez et al., 2017; Sutton et al., 2020). In the western Atlantic , the species is reported from off Greenland, Canada, United States, the Bermudas and the Caribbean Sea , and off Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil (Mukhacheva, 1972; Grey, 1964; Harold, 2003; Moore et al., 2003; Costa, Mincarone, 2010; Møller et al., 2010; Judkins, Haedrich, 2018). Here we report on one specimen of S. bathyphilus collected off Rio Grande do Norte State, near the seamounts of the region, between depths of 700 and 1,113 m ( Fig. 3C ) .

Specimen examined. 1: NPM 4764, 1 (155 mm), AB2#59A.

Figures

FIGURE 3 | Records of species of Diplophidae (A), Gonostomatidae (B, C) and Sternoptychidae (D, E, F) collected during the ABRACOS expeditions off northeastern Brazil. Oceanic islands: RA, Rocas Atoll; FN, Fernando de Noronha Archipelago.

FIGURE 4 | A. Gonostoma atlanticum, NPM 4615, 61 mm SL; B. Gonostoma denudatum, NPM 6519, 122 mm SL; C. Margrethia obtusirostra, NPM 3384, 27 mm SL; D. Sigmops bathyphilus, NPM 4764, 155 mm SL; E. Sigmops elongatus, NPM 3182, 173 mm SL; F. Zaphotias pedaliotus, NPM 4407, 62 mm SL. Scale bars = 10 mm.