Hirundichthys speculiger praecox Whitley, 1937: 218–219 Cypsilurus melanocercus Whitley 1957: 60–61 Cypselurus hexazona Belyanina 1993: 124 A review of the flying fish genus Cypselurus (Beloniformes: Exocoetidae). Part 1. Revision of the subgenus Zonocypselurus Parin and Bogorodsky, 2011 with descriptions of one new subgenus, four new species and two new subspecies and reinstatement of one species as valid Shakhovskoy, Ilia B. Parin, Nikolay V. Zootaxa 2019 2019-03-23 4589 1 1 71 Muller 1843 [151,474,1270,1296] Actinopterygii Exocoetidae Cheilopogon Animalia Beloniformes 42 43 Chordata subGenus Ptenichthys  ( Figs. 3, 15b, 17c–d, 18, 19; Tables 1–7, 9)      Hirundichthys speculiger praecox Whitley, 1937: 218–219(original description; Australia).  Cypsilurus melanocercus(non Ogilby).  Whitley 1957: 60–61, figs. 5, 6 (description of a juvenile, Garden Island, Port Jackson).  Cypselurus hexazona(non Bleeker):  Belyanina 1993: 124, fig. 5d (in part: only the juvenile 24.7 mmSL; eastern Australia).  Parin & Bogorodsky 2011: 683–686[ 658–660 inEnglish translation] (in part; description, distribution (eastern   Australia)).   Material examined.Twelve specimens 17.5–72.5 mmSL.  Full morphological study.  AMSI.19461-060 (1, 48 mm SL), 14°40’S 145°28’E,  4.11.1975.  AMSI.23902-001 (1, 67 mm SL), 32°28’S 152°05’E,  26.05.1982.  AMSI.26494-013 (1, 31 mm SL), 14°39’S 145°26’E.  AMSI.26529-008 (1, 38.5 mmSL), 14°40’S 145°27’E.  AMSIA.6045 (1, 72.5 mmSL), 32°56’S 151°46’E.  Partial morphological study.  AMSI.20735-001 (2, 21– 29 mmSL), 23°30’S 152°05’E.  AMSIA.1608 (1, ~ 35 mmSL), 32°55’S 151°48’E.  AMSIB.1436 (1, 33 mm SL), 33°52’S 151°16’E,  2.12.1945.  AMSIB.6342 (3, 17.5– 19 mmSL), 31°39’S 152°50’E,  January 1963.  Types. Parin and Bogorodsky (2011)listed  Hirundichthys speculiger praecoxWhitleyas a junior synonym of  C. hexazona. The holotypeof H. s. praecox( AMSIA.4050, Inside Port Jackson) was examined by the second author. Characters of this specimen are given below and a photograph of the specimen is available on the Australian Museum website. SL 43 mm. D13, A9, PI 13, Spred~27, Str7½, Vert46 (30 + 16). Measurements (in % SL): c23.7, o10.4, io 19.3, H16.7, h8.1, p13.7, cV 130.4, pV44.8, Dc31.1 (30.2 from the right side), lP64.4, lP 141.8, lV49.3, HD16.2. First anal-fin ray beneath 5th–6th dorsal-fin ray. Lower part of body with dark bands: below eye, below pectoralfin base, between pectoral and pelvic fins, near pelvic-fin base, in front of anal fin, and above anal fin base; the last two bands are barely visible. Pelvic fins dark. Left and right pectoral fins differ in pigmentation: left fin pale with dark base (with a paler triangular area near lower part of the fin base), large dark spot in middle of fin near upper margin, and broad dark band along postero-inferior margin. Right pectoral fin dark with pale lower edge and two pale triangular areas near upper edge proximally and distally. A paler, faintly-visible band shines through near fin base. Dorsal fin pale, with only slight pigmentation anteriorly near fin base and along upper margin. Anal fin pale with small dark spot near ends of middle rays. Chinbarbels absent. These data leave us no doubt that H. s. praecoxand  Cheilopogon( Ptenichthys)sp.2 belong to the same species.   TABLE 9.Meristic and morphometric characters of flying fish  Cheilopogonsp.2.    № 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12   SL 17.5 18 19 21 29 31 33 35 38.5 48 67 72.5   D - - - 13 13 13 14 13 14 13 13 13   A - - - 9 10 9 10 - 9 9 9 9   P - - - - 15 15 - - 15 15 15 15   Spred - - - - - 27 - - - 30 - -   Str - - - - - - - - - 8,5 8 -   Sp.br - - - - - - - - 22 22 22 23   Vert 46 46 46 46 46 - - 46 - 46 45 45   aA - - - - - 76.7 - - 75.5 75.6 75.9 76.0   aD - - - - - 64.8 - - 67.2 68.3 68.6 70.3   aV - - - - - 51.9 - - 54.5 54.5 53.8 52.4   cV - - - - - 28.3 - - 30.1 28.1 30.1 30.3   pV - - - - - 43.5 - - - 43.1 43.1 43.0   c - - - - - 23.8 - - 23.6 25.2 23.7 23.0   po - - - - - 9.3 - - 10.3 10.6 10.0 9.3   o - - - - - 10.0 - - 10.1 10.4 8.8 9.5   ao - - - - - 3.5 - - 4.6 4.5 4.7 4.2   io - - - - - 9.6 - - 10.3 10.6 9.1 9.5   Hc - - - - - 16.1 - - 17.6 18.3 16.8 16.6   H - - - - - 16.1 - - 17.6 18.3 16.8 16.9   h - - - - - 6.4 - - 7.2 7.2 7.1 6.8   Dc - - - - - 28.7 - - 30.3 26.6 28.5 27.5   lP - - - - - 58.7 - - 63.3 63.3 73.1 72.9   LP 1 - - - - - 34.8 - - 36.8 36.6 40.4 -   lV - - - - - 45.1 - - 44.6 45.4 47.4 48.1   lD - - - - - 20.0 - - 22.5 19.1 19.7 19.5   lA - - - - - 12.5 - - 13.5 12.5 11.9 12.1   HD - - - - - 15.4 - - 16.1 14.5 15.0 14.0   HA - - - - - - - - 12.2 10.8 11.9 11.0   p - - - - - 12.9 - - 15.3 14.5 13.5 13.6   lcir - - - - - - - - - - - - Note to Table 9: Nos. 1-3— AMSIB.6342, No. 4— AMSI.20735-001, No. 5— AMSI.20735-001, No. 6— AMSI.26494- 013, No. 7— AMSIB.1436, No. 8— AMSIA.1608, No. 9— AMSI.26529-008, No. 10— AMSI.19461-060, No. 11— AMSI.23902-001, No. 12— AMSIA.6045.   Description. 5The meristic and morphometric characters are given in Tables 1–7 and 9. D13–14, A9–10, PI 13–14 (usually I 14), Spred27–30, Str7½–8½, Sp.br22–23 (6–7 + 16), Vert45–46 (30 + 15–16). Palatine teeth absent in all examined specimens. Snout relatively short, upper jaw usually slightly pointed at tip. Lower jaw slightly longer than upper or, less commonly, equal. Barbels absent in all examined fish. Jaw teeth few, small, conical, arranged in 1–2 rows. Fish 31–72.5 mmSL with elongate body, greatest body depth 5.5–6.2 inSL. Body width 1.15–1.26, and depth of caudal peduncle 2.06–2.54 ingreatest body depth. Greatest head depth and head length 5.5–6.2 and 3.95–4.35 inSL, respectively. Head length 1.05–1.28 indorso-caudal distance. Eyes large, their diameter 9.6–11.4 inSL, 2.28– 2.69 in cand 0.96–1.03 in io. Pectoral fins relatively short (longer in fish from higher latitudes), their length 1.35–1.7 inSL. Tip of pectoral fin usually almost to end of dorsal-fin base or barely beyond it (in fish from higher latitudes it can extend beyond middle of caudal peduncle). First pectoral-fin ray unbranched, its length 2.4–2.9 inSL and 1.55–1.8 in lP. Base of pelvic fin is much closer to posterior edge of head than to origin of caudal fin lower lobe ( cV/pV= 0.65–0.70). Length of pelvic fin 2.03–2.25 inSL and 1.3–1.55 in lP. Tip of fin always protrudes beyond origin of lower lobe of caudal fin. Anal fin origin far behind dorsal-fin origin (1st anal-fin ray below 5th–7th dorsal-fin ray). Dorsal fin with 3–5 rays more than anal fin. Heights of dorsal and anal fins 6.15–7.15 and 8.2–9.25 inSL, respectively. Longest ray in dorsal and anal fins the 2nd or 3rd. Tip of last dorsal-fin ray reaches middle of caudal peduncle. Middle and posterior dorsal-fin rays not elongate.  Pigmentation. Pigmentation of body and fins very similar to that of  Cheilopogon( Ptenichthys)sp.1 ( Figs. 16, 17and 19), with only a few differences. Pigment bands on body near the anus and middle of anal-fin base may be absent; distinct band under eye always present. Ventral side of head with numerous dots on branchiostegal rays. Pectoral fins become dark with wide oblique pale stripe reaching upper edge of fin as early as 72.5 mmSL. Pelvic fins pigmented more uniformly, pale spots near base usually absent and large paler area on the distal part of fin never expressed ( Fig. 17).  Coloration in life.Transverse bands on body of live juvenile, 36 mmSL, were bright red ( Whitley 1957).  Intraspecific variation.Fish from higher latitudes (south of 30°S) differ from fish captured in more northern waters (about 14– 23°S) in having slightly longer fins ( lP, lP 1, lV, see Table 9). This may be a consequence of either intraspecific variation in these characters, or the taxonomic heterogeneity of the material studied. Unfortunately, the limited number of samples available did not allow us to answer this question with certainty.  Comparative remarks.  Cheilopogonsp.1 differs from  Cheilopogonsp. 2 inthe absence of chin barbels, the presence of a distinct pigment band under the eye and in more uniform pigmentation of pelvic fins, as well as in values of some characters: aA, Hc, lA, Str, D -A, Vert, Vert.pc. Thus, there is no doubt that we are dealing with (at least) two different, although closely related, species.   Cheilopogonsp.2 differs from all known representatives of the subgenus  Ptenichthysliving in the Western Pacific (see Parin 1996, 1999, 2009),  Ch. furcatus,  Ch. unicolor,  Ch. arcticeps,  Ch. intermediusand  Ch.cf. heterurus, in a number of characters, and especially in the absence of chin barbels in juveniles. The first two species have long barbels protruding beyond the end of head and sometimes (in  Ch. unicolor) exceeding the body length.  Ch. intermediusand  Ch.cf. heterurushave short flattened barbels not exceeding the length of head. Juveniles of  Ch. arcticepshave not yet been properly described. Only in the work of Parin (1961a)is there a brief description of juveniles, presumably identified as this species. According to this work, juveniles of  Ch. arcticepshave two short chin barbels, pale proximally and dark distally, and this pigmentation is extremely similar to that of  Cheilopogonsp.1, but the barbels are somewhat longer: 10.8 and 8.6% SL in juveniles of 85 and 108 mmSL, respectively. It is quite possible that  Cheilopogonsp.2 should be considered a valid species and named  Cheilopogon( Ptenichthys) praecox(Whitley). However, because the adult stages of this species are still undescribed (or not matched), we refrain from re-establishing validity until a taxonomic revision of the subgenus  Ptenichthyshas been carried out. Thus,  Cheilopogonsp.1 partially and  Cheilopogonsp.2 have completely lost barbels at the juvenile stage of development, which is probably convergent for representatives of the subgenus  Amustotrogon.   Distribution.  Cheilopogon( Ptenichthys)sp.2 occurs in the coastal waters of the eastern Australia( Fig. 3). 5. In the description we also included data on H. s. praecox. 2609011068 [495,1221,1602,1627] 1975-04-11 AMS -14.666667 1287 145.46666 42 43 1 2609011079 1982-05-26 AMS -32.466667 1210 152.08333 42 43 1 2609011060 [725,1360,1638,1663] AMS -14.65 1287 145.43333 42 43 1 2609011062 AMS -14.666667 1287 145.45 42 43 1 2609011072 [716,1293,1674,1699] AMS -32.933334 1207 151.76666 42 43 1 2609011063 [528,1171,1710,1735] AMS -23.5 1255 152.08333 42 43 1 2609011073 AMS -32.916668 1208 151.8 42 43 1 2609011064 [478,1159,1746,1771] 1945-02-12 AMS -33.866665 1202 151.26666 42 43 1 2609011069 1963-01 AMS -31.65 1214 152.83333 42 43 1