Leptostomias gladiator (Zugmayer, 1911), 2020

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

Leptostomias gladiator (Zugmayer, 1911)

( Fig. 16C )

Diagnosis. Leptostomias gladiator differs from congeners by the long chin barbel, 30–75% SL, the stem with 1–2 filaments near its base; terminal bulb of chin barbel not split, bearing one or more minute filaments or tubercles at tip; 19–22 dorsal-fin rays; 23–29 anal-fin rays; head small, 10.0–13.4% SL; PV 39–44; VAV 20–22; AC 11–13 (Morrow, Gibbs, 1964; Kenaley, Stewart, 2015h; Sutton et al., 2020).

Geographical distribution. Circumglobal, between 56ºN and 45ºS, except the western Indian and western Pacific oceans (Gibbs, Barnett, 1990; Porteiro et al., 1999; Bañón et al., 2010; Fricke et al., 2014; Kenaley, Stewart, 2015h; Orlov, Tokranov, 2019; Sutton et al., 2020). In the western Atlantic, the species is reported from off United States to Uruguay, including the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea (Morrow, Gibbs, 1964; McEachran, Fechhelm, 1998; Harold, 2003; Moore et al., 2003; Nión et al., 2016; Judkins, Haedrich, 2018). Menezes et al. (2003) included L. gladiator in a list of Brazilian marine fishes based on records outside the country’s EEZ (Morrow, Gibbs, 1964; Gibbs, 1986c). The occurrence of the species in Brazilian waters was later considered as “not confirmed” by Melo et al. (2020: 208). Therefore, occurrence of L. gladiator is confirmed in the Brazilian EEZ based on one specimen collected off Fernando de Noronha Archipelago, at 780 m depth ( Fig. 14D ). One additional specimen, collected off Rio de Janeiro State in Brazilian waters (MNRJ 30806), is also known.

Specimen examined. 1: NPM 4782, 1 (83 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 16 | A. Grammatostomias dentatus, NPM 3184, 114 mm SL; B. Grammatostomias ovatus, NPM 3191, 67 mm SL; C. Leptostomias gladiator, NPM 4782, 83 mm SL. Scale bars = 10 mm.