Melanostomias bartonbeani Parr, 1927

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 : 55-56

Melanostomias bartonbeani Parr, 1927

( Fig. 17A )

Diagnosis. Melanostomias bartonbeani differs from congeners by the chin barbel length 17–33% SL; terminal end of chin barbel with masses of opaque material filling much of the membrane on both sides of the axis; barbel tip unpigmented, about 5 times longer than wide; relatively large, white spots on head; 12–16 dorsal-fin rays; 16–20 anal-fin rays; PV 22–26; VAV 12–16; AC 8–11; IC 55–60; OV 22–25; VAL 11–14

(Parr, 1927; Morrow, Gibbs, 1964; Parin, Pokhilskaya, 1978; Gibbs, 1986c; Sutton et al., 2020; specimens examined herein).

Geographical distribution. Atlantic and Indian oceans, between 70ºN and 40ºS (Morrow, Gibbs, 1964; De Groot, Nijssen, 1971; Gibbs, 1986c; Vinnichenko, 1997; Møller et al., 2010; Carneiro et al., 2019; Sutton et al., 2020). In the western Atlantic , the species was previously reported off Greenland, Canada, United States, Bermudas and Uruguay (Morrow, Gibbs, 1964; McAllister, 1990; Møller et al., 2010; Nión et al., 2016). The species was reported in Brazilian waters by Melo et al. (2020) likely based on one specimen collected off Espírito Santo State ( MNRJ 30905 ). The occurrence of M. bartonbeani is therefore corfirmed in the Brazilian EEZ based on two specimens collected off Paraíba State and the Fernando de Noronha Archipelago, between depths of 90 and 780 m ( Fig. 14E ) .

Remarks. Morphometric and meristic data of the two specimens examined are within the ranges reported for the species (Morrow, Gibbs, 1964; Gibbs, 1986c), except for the barbel length, which is longer (26–33% SL) than previously indicated (17–24% SL).

Specimens examined. 2 (50–185 mm SL): NPM 3422, 1 (50 mm), AB1#34; NPM 4609, 1

(185 mm), AB2#42A.

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.