Melanostomias, Brauer, 1902

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 : 57-58

Melanostomias tentaculatu s (Regan & Trewavas, 1930)

( Fig. 17C )

Diagnosis. Melanostomias tentaculatus differs from congeners by the chin barbel not flattened, slender, its length about 2–3 times in HL or 25% to 50% SL; barbel with one or two pale elongated terminal bulbs, with very small terminal filaments; main stem of chin barbel extended as a free tentacle along the bulb; 5–7 pectoral-fin rays; anal-fin origin just posterior to dorsal-fin origin; PV 25–27; OV 24–26 (Morrow, Gibbs, 1964; Parin, Pokhilskaya, 1978; McEachran, Fechhelm, 1998; Kenaley, Stewart, 2015h; Sutton et al., 2020).

Geographical distribution. Atlantic, Indian, and western Pacific oceans (Parin, Pokhilskaya, 1978; Gibbs, Barnett, 1990; Vinnichenko, 1997; Bordes et al., 1999; Aizawa, 2002; Harold, 2003; Tatsuta et al., 2014; Kenaley, Stewart, 2015h; Carneiro et al., 2019; Sutton et al., 2020). In the western Atlantic, the species is reported from off the United States to Argentina, including the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea (Parin et al., 1974; Morrow, Gibbs, 1964; Moore et al., 2003; McEachran, Fechhelm, 1998; Judkins, Haedrich, 2018). In Brazil the species was previously reported off Maranhão State and the east coast to about 8ºS (McEachran, Fechhelm, 1998; Judkins, Haedrich, 2018). Melanostomias tentaculatus is reported here based on specimens collected off the Pernambuco State and Fernando de Noronha Archipelago, between depths of 45 and 800 ( Fig. 14E ).

Specimens examined. 4 (182–201 mm SL): NPM 3181, 1 (201 mm), AB1#51; NPM 4604,

1 (182 mm), AB2#40A; NPM 4605, 1 (194 mm), AB2#41A; NPM 4607, 1 (188 mm), AB2#21.

Figures

FIGURE 14 | Records of species of the Melanostomiinae (A–F) collected during the ABRACOS expeditions off northeastern Brazil. Oceanic islands: RA, Rocas Atoll; FN, Fernando de Noronha Archipelago.

FIGURE 17 | A. Melanostomias bartonbeani, NPM 4609, 185 mm SL; B. Melanostomias biseriatus, NPM 4603, 177 mm SL; C. Melanostomias tentaculatus, NPM 3181, 201 mm SL. Scale bars = 10 mm.