Aseraggodes pelvicus, Randall, 2005

Randall, John E., 2005, A review of soles of the genus Aseraggodes from the South Pacific, with descriptions of seven new species and a diagnosis of Synclidopus., Memoirs of Museum Victoria 62 (2), pp. 191-212 : 208-209

Aseraggodes pelvicus sp. nov.

Figure 14 , Tables 1–3, 10

Holotype. AMS IB.6134, 67.5 mm, Australia, Queensland, Great Barrier Reef, Swain Reefs, Gilette Cay , rotenone, Australian Museum Expedition , October 1962.

Diagnosis. Dorsal rays 71; anal rays 49; lateral-line scales 81; vertebrae 36; dorsal pterygiophores anterior to fourth neural spine 14; body depth 2.45 in SL; HL 4.75 in SL; eye diameter 6.4 in HL; upper eye overlapping anterior half of lower eye; interorbital space narrow, 12.0 in HL; caudal peduncle present, its depth 1.45 in HL, its length 10.0 in HL; prominent lappet-like cirri on front of snout and ventral edge of head; lateral line aligned with dorsal edge of upper eye; longest dorsal ray 1.25 in HL; membranous edges of anterior dorsal rays with a row of tubercle-like papillae, many with cirri, a few darkly pigmented; caudal fin rounded and moderately long, 3.4 in SL; pelvic fins long, 1.6 in HL, the tip of longest ray reaching base of fifth anal ray; colour of ocular side in alcohol pale yellowish brown with numerous irregular pale spots, none as large as eye, and many smaller brown blotches and dots, the most conspicuous along middle of lateral line.

Description. Dorsal rays 71, branched except first 9, the tips broadly free; anal rays 49, branched except first; caudal rays 18, the uppermost and lowermost unbranched, the middle 14 double-branched; pelvic rays 5, branched except last ray of blind side; lateral-line scales 81, including 11 anterior to a vertical at upper end of gill opening; scales on ocular side above lateral line to dorsal-fin base 27; scales below lateral line to anal-fin base about 33; vertebrae 37; erisma (counted as the first dorsal pterygiophore) about twice as thick as remaining pterygiophores, its inner three-fourths narrowly branched; next 2 pterygiophores before tip of second neural spine; space between second and third neural spines with 7 pterygiophores; space between third and fourth neural spines with 3 pterygiophores (total of 13 dorsal pterygiophores anterior to fourth neural spine); ventroanterior margin of urohyal forming an angle of about 80°, the corner slightly rounded.

Body depth 2.45 in SL; body width 5.3 in body depth; HL 4.75 in SL; ventral profile of head below mouth nearly straight; eye diameter 6.4 in HL; least vertical interorbital width 10.0 in HL; a vertical at posterior edge of upper eye (edge of dark eyeball) passing through middle of lower eye; ventral edge of lower eye one-half eye diameter above level of upper end of gill opening; caudal-peduncle depth 1.45 in HL; caudal-peduncle length 10.0 in HL.

Snout not overhanging lower lip when mouth closed; maxilla extending to below middle of lower eye, the upper jaw length (blind side) 3.15 in HL; jaws too firmly closed to obtain details of dentition; anterior nostril a tapering membranous tube anterior to upper edge of lower eye, reaching anterior edge of eye ball when laid back, its length equal to eye diameter; posterior nostril an oblique slit in labial groove directly in front of ventral third of lower eye; anterior nostril of blind side a very slender membranous tube nearly an eye diameter in length just above anterior third of upper lip; posterior nostril of blind side an eye diameter dorsoposterior to anterior nostril, covered by a broadly curved pointed flap on ventral side.

Scales ctenoid on both sides (except those of lateral line, partially embedded); scales of ocular side with 11–14 cteni; 3 rows of scales in interorbital space, with about another 4 or 5 rows extending onto medial and anterior part of each eye; scales on both sides of head progressively smaller anteriorly and ventrally, with fewer cteni, replaced more anteriorly with isolated papillae and at front of snout by cirri; 15 large lappet-like cirri along ventral edge of head below mouth, and several at front of snout; slender well-spaced cirri along edge of opercle at the gill opening on both sides. Lateral line straight midlaterally on both sides, directed on ocular side toward dorsal edge of upper eye; supratemporal branch of lateral line curving at front of head on blind side, continuing posteriorly onto body 2 to 3 scale rows below dorsal fin, becoming obscure posterior to base of about 23rd dorsal ray.

Dorsal and anal fins with a basal sheath of 2 to 3 rows of scales; a thin membranous lengthwise ridge on dorsal and anal rays of both sides, progressively smaller posteriorly; front of dorsal fin on ocular side densely covered with papillae to base of about fourth ray; edge of membranous ridge on rays of about anterior third of dorsal fin with a row of small tubercle-like papillae, most ending in a slender cirrus; rows of similar papillae on anterior dorsal rays of blind side, but without cirri; small scales extending out on anterior dorsal rays, progressively reduced posteriorly, and absent beyond 25th dorsal ray; small tubercle-like papillae on basal part of rays of anal fin on ocular side, disappearing posterior to 20th ray.

Origin of dorsal fin anterior to lower edge of upper eye, the predorsal length 3.25 in HL; first dorsal ray 2.8 in HL; first 5 dorsal rays free of membrane at tips; longest dorsal ray 1.25 in HL; origin of anal fin below base of 22nd dorsal ray and slightly behind posterior end of opercular membrane, the preanal length 4.0 in SL; length of first anal ray 2.05 in HL; longest anal ray 1.25 in HL; caudal fin rounded and moderately long, 3.4 in SL; pelvic fins adjacent on ventral edge of body; ocular-side pelvic fin slightly longer, the second and third pelvic rays longest, reaching to base of fifth anal ray, 2.05 in HL; anus anterior to first anal ray; genital papilla on ocular side of anus, about equal in length to pupil diameter.

Colour of ocular side in alcohol pale yellowish brown with numerous irregular pale spots (probably near-white in life), some approaching eye size; many brown blotches and brown dots (mainly from dark posterior edge of scales) scattered on head and body, the middle three or four of about ten along lateral line the most conspicuous (each covering 4 or 5 lateral-line scales); dorsal, anal, and pelvic fins with pale yellowish rays and translucent membranes; a few isolated cirri of dorsal fin brown; scaled basal part of caudal fin coloured like body, the rest of fin with pale yellowish rays and transparent membranes, except for small scales on rays that are brown; blind side of body pale yellowish brown with no markings.

Etymology. Named pelvicus from the Latin pelvis, in reference to the long pelvic fins, the longest for species of the genus.

Remarks. This species is known only from the holotype from the Swain Reefs of the Great Barrier Reef of Australia. It appears to be most closely related to Aseraggodes ramsaii from Lord Howe Island and New Caledonia and to A. whitakeri , wide-ranging in islands of the Pacific. It shares the same counts of vertebrae, dorsal pterygiophores, dorsal rays, and anal rays with these two species. It differs from both in its smaller head, smaller eye, and longer dorsal and pelvic fins. Aseraggodes ramsaii has a higher number of lateral-line scales, 86–88, compared to 81 for pelvicus , but additional specimens are needed to confirm this difference. The series of small tubercle-like papillae at the edge of the membranous ridges of the dorsal and anal rays, many with a small cirrus, and the long pelvic fins appear to be unique to A. pelvicus .

Figures

Figure 14. Holotype of Aseraggodes pelvicus, AMS IB.6134, 67.5 mm, Swains Reefs, Great Barrier Reef.