Careproctus ovigerus ( Gilbert, 1896 )

James Wilder Orr, 2012, wo New Species of Snailfishes of the Genus Careproctus (Scorpaeniformes: Liparidae) from the Bering Sea and Eastern North Pacific Ocean, with a Redescription of Careproctus ovigerus, Copeia 2012 (2), pp. 257-265 : 262-264

Careproctus ovigerus ( Gilbert, 1896)

Abyssal Snailfish

Figures 1C, 2C

Bathyphasma ovigerum Gilbert, 1896:448 . Type locality: British Columbia, 52.6583°N, 132.6333°W.

Careproctus ovigerum : Jordan and Evermann, 1898:2128, fig. 767 (description of holotype).– Burke, 1930:131, fig. 52 (description of holotype); Clemens and Wilby, 1946:302, fig. 224.– Clemens and Wilby, 1961:348, fig. 231 (description of holotype).– Quast and Hall, 1972:28 (distribution).– Hart, 1973:575, unnumbered fig. (description of holotype).– Stein, 1978:11, fig. 6a (description).– Stein, 1980:687 (reproduction).– Stein and Fitch, 1984:76 (description of otolith).– McAllister, 1990:209 (checklist).– Mecklenburg et al., 2002:609 (brief description).

Careproctus ovigerus: Chernova et al., 2004:12 (checklist).– Love et al., 2005 (distribution).– Stein et al., 2006:970 (underwater observations).

Holotype.— USNM 48622, holotype, ca. 270 mm, 315 mm TL, male, British Columbia, Haida Gwaii (Queen Charlotte Is.), 52.6583°N, 132.6333°W, 2039 m depth, U.S. Fisheries Commission Steamer Albatross station 3342, 3 September 1890, poor condition.

Non-type material.— 6 specimens, 180–420 mm: UW 118518, 180 mm, 205 mm TL, female, Oregon, ca. 45°N, 125°W, F/V Noah, cruise 2007, haul 177, D. J. Kamikawa; USNM 211572, 300 mm, male, Oregon, 44.545°N, 125.600°W, 2853 m depth, R/V Yaquina, cruise 6610-A, station NH-65, 14 October 1966; CAS 32345, 420 mm, 475 mm TL, female, Washington, 48.13°N, 127.0717°W, 2510 m depth, USNS De Steigue, beam trawl, DWD 3, 10 September 1971; CAS 81729, 330 mm, 379.4 mm TL, male, California, 37.6453– 37.6400°N, 123.3947– 123.3467°W, 2300–2550 m depth, R/V Wecoma, Farrallones Oceanic Research Expedition, beam trawl, 19 July 1991; RBCM 010-00507-004, 185 mm, 212 mm TL, female, British Columbia, Haida Gwaii (Queen Charlotte Is.), off Moresby I., 52.9948– 53.0239°N, 133.0851°W, TC 2004-035, J. Boutillier; RBCM 1979-11101-01, 420 mm, 475 mm TL, British Columbia, off W coast of Vancouver I., 49.625°N, 126.95°W, 17 May 1979.

Diagnosis.— Careproctus ovigerus is distinguished from all other species of Careproctus by the combination of narrow rows of stout, sharp, simple, recurved teeth on both jaws, a moderate-sized gill opening extending ventrally to pectoral rays 4–8, a large pelvic disk 25–38% HL, and cephalic pore pattern 2-6-7-1. It is most similar to C. lycopersicus , new species, and C. kamikawai , new species, both distinguished from C. ovigerus by their broad bands of trilobed teeth.

Description.— Body robust, tapering posteriorly, moderately compressed; depth at anal-fin origin 55.1–77.3% HL. Head large, 26.7–31.2%, and robust, dorsal profile gently sloping from nape to snout. Snout blunt, slightly projecting anterior to lower jaw. Mouth subterminal, large, upper jaw 50.1– 56.2% HL, maxilla extending to posterior rim of orbit, oral cleft extending to mid orbit. Lower jaw slightly inferior, premaxillary tooth plates matching mandibular tooth plates. Teeth of premaxilla and mandible in 53–55 oblique rows of 9 teeth forming narrow bands. Teeth of inner 5 rows large, sharp, simple, recurved; small teeth of outer 3–4 rows simple with weak lobes in smallest specimens (180–185 mm; Fig. 2 C); all teeth simple in larger specimens. 300 mm. Diastema absent at symphysis of upper and lower jaws. Orbit rhomboidal, eye relatively small, 21.6–26.5% HL, dorsal margin below dorsal contour of head, suborbital depth to maxilla 59.4–85.1% OL; pupil round. Interorbital space broad, bony distance 18.9–26.5% HL, slightly convex. Snout much longer than orbit, 106.3–125.3% OL, 26.2–35.5% HL. Nostril single, with raised rim.

Pores of cephalic lateralis system of moderate size: pore pattern 2-6-7-1; chin pores paired. Interorbital pore absent. Free neuromasts not discernable, 3 papillae on left side of one specimen at position of anterior neuromasts (CAS 32345).

Gill opening moderately large, 38.0–47.7% HL, upper margin at level of dorsal rim of orbit, extending to pectoralfin ray 4–9. Gill rakers 10–14, 0–2 on upper part of arch, Opercular flap rounded. Branchiostegal rays 6.

Dorsal-fin rays 40–45. Two smallest specimens (180– 185 mm) with anterior 4 dorsal-fin rays forming distinct small lobe, slightly longer than and connected by membrane to succeeding rays, interspace with one pterygiophore lacking ray in smallest specimen; larger specimens (330– 420 mm) with shallow notch posterior to anterior 4 rays; tips of all rays slightly exserted. Anteriormost dorsal-fin pterygiophore inserted between neural spines 3 and 4, bearing a single small ray. Predorsal length 28.0–36.5%. Anal-fin rays 35–36, 1–2 anal-fin pterygiophores anterior to first haemal spine, each bearing a single ray, tips of all rays slightly exserted. Anal-fin origin below vertebrae 12–13 (caudal vertebrae 1–2), preanal length 44.8–59.4%. Pectoral fin deeply notched, with 32–35 rays ( Table 1 ). Upper lobe of 24–28 rays extending beyond anus midway to anal-fin origin, dorsalmost rays lengthening to rays 6–8, more ventral rays gradually shortening to shortest ray of notch. Lower lobe moderately elongate, with 7–8 rays, extending beyond anus midway to anal-fin origin; dorsal rays gradually lengthening to thick and fleshy rays 2–6, ventral rays gradually shortening to ventralmost ray near pectoral symphysis. Tips of rays 5–50% free of membrane, rays of lower lobe more strongly exserted. Notch poorly defined, rays in notch slightly more widely spaced than rays of lobes, more widely spaced ventrally. Uppermost pectoral-fin ray level with region just above cleft. Insertion of lowermost pectoral-fin ray at mid orbit. Proximal pectoral radials four (3 + 1), robust: radials 1–2 notched and hour-glass shaped, radial 3 crescent shaped ( Fig. 2 B). Interradial fenestrae 3, elliptical, extending between scapula and proximal radials 1–3. Scapula broadly Y-shaped with robust helve; coracoid with broad triangular head and long thin helve, angled anteriorly. Distal radials absent, rays articulating directly with pectoral cartilage.

Pelvic disk large, length 24.4–39.7% HL, round, width 20.9–40.3% HL, anterior lobe moderately developed, flat with margins slightly upturned, distance from tip of lower jaw to pelvic disc 11.9–16.6%. Anus posterior to gill slit, closer to pelvic disk than to anal-fin origin; distance from pelvic disk to anus 36.7–42.6% HL, distance from tip of lower jaw to anus 31.3–32.7%, equal to HL.

Caudal-fin rays 15 (3 + 5/6 + 1; Table 1 ). Membrane of posterior dorsal- and anal-fin rays attached about equidistant along caudal-fin margin: dorsal-fin rays attached 33.9– 46.1% CL; anal-fin rays, 40.0–50.7% CL. Depth at base of caudal fin 13.9–26.8% CL.

Skin thin, prickles absent. Pyloric caeca 17–20, long, 30– 40% HL, slender, on right side of visceral cavity.

Vertebrae 45–50, precaudal 11–13, caudal 33–39 ( Table 1 ). Pleural ribs 2, present on posterior precaudal vertebrae, each long and slender. Hypural plate composed of dorsal and ventral plates, with a weak distal notch. Single epural present.

Coloration.— Body uniformly red ( Fig. 1 C), pale pink, or cream, with fin edges blackish in life ( Stein, 1978; Stein et al., 2006). Eye black. In preservation, body overall dusky pale, with dusky fin edges. Peritoneum and orobranchial cavity dusky; stomach, intestines, pyloric caeca, and urogenital papilla pale.

Life history.— The holotype is a male of 270 mm that had eggs in its mouth ( Gilbert, 1896), likely consumed in the net during capture ( Stein, 1978, 1980). Two females of 420 mm were ripe with large yolked eggs 6–7 mm in diameter; the male of 330 mm had enlarged testes. The two smallest specimens examined (180–185 mm) were immature females, with small ovaries containing many small white eggs ca. 1 mm in diameter.

Distribution.— Careproctus ovigerus has been collected from off the Queen Charlotte Islands in northern British Columbia to Monterey Bay and the southern California coast ( Fig. 3 ). Examined specimens were collected at depths from 2039 to 2904 m. It has been reported from as shallow as 1000 m ( Love et al., 2005).

Etymology.— The specific epithet of Careproctus ovigerus likely refers to the eggs found in the mouth of the holotype ( Jordan and Evermann, 1898).

Figures

Fig. 2. (A) Right medial view of pectoral girdle and teeth of Careproctus lycopersicus, new species, paratype, UW 119817, 149 mm. (B) Right medial view of pectoral girdle and teeth of Careproctus kamikawai, new species, paratype, UW 150325, 153 mm. (C) Right medial view of pectoral girdle and inner and outer teeth of Careproctus ovigerus, UW 118518, 180 mm. Stippled areas represent cartilage.

Fig. 3. Distribution of two new species, Careproctus lycopersicus and C. kamikawai, and C. ovigerus in the eastern Bering Sea and North Pacific Ocean based on material examined and underwater observations of Stein et al. (2006). Bottom contour illustrated is 200 m.