Himantolophus litoceras Stewart & Pietsch, 2010, new species

• Main Authors: Stewart, Andrew L., Pietsch, Theodore W.
• Format: Other/Unknown Material
• Language: unknown
• Published: 2010
• Subjects: Biodiversity; Taxonomy; Animalia; Chordata; Actinopterygii; Lophiiformes; Himantolophidae; Himantolophus; Himantolophus litoceras; New Zealand; North Cape; Cape North
• Online Access: https://zenodo.org/record/6197496; https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6197496

Himantolophus litoceras new species Figures 1, 2, 3 Holotype. NMNZ P. 042004, female, 276 mm SL (263 mm SL preserved), F/V Seamount Explorer, Station OBS 2170 / 130, South Cavalli Seamount, east of North Cape, North Island, New Zealand, 34 º12.0'–14.0'S, 175 º05.0'–07.0'E, bottom trawl, 654 m, collected by Ted Turton, MFish Scientific Observer, 7 November 2005. Diagnosis. Metamorphosed females of Himantolophus litoceras differ from those of other members of the H. cornifer -group in having a pair of simple distal escal appendages, each lacking any trace of lateral appendages or filaments. It further differs in having the following combination of character states: length of illicium 31.1 % SL (28.2 % preserved); width of escal bulb 11.9 % SL (10.5 % preserved); illicium and esca without filaments; illicium, esca, and proximal one-half of distal escal appendage covered with tiny, close-set dermal spinules; distal escal appendages darkly pigmented, tip of intact filament silvery white in freshly thawed specimen. Description. Holotype somewhat damaged by trawl, lower jaw broken, partially missing; about threequarters length of left distal escal appendage lost prior to capture, tip healed, showing no recent signs of injury; tip of intact distal escal appendage with some signs of damage, may not be complete. Distal escal appendages separated nearly from base, escal bulb with two lobes, escal pore on posterior margin of bulb, opening on a small raised protuberance. Stem of illicium darkly pigmented, escal bulb at base of distal escal appendages white; body without unpigmented patches of skin. Dorsal-fin rays 5, two anteriormost rays simple, but closely aligned (appearing as one), remaining rays bifurcated; anal-fin rays 4, bifurcated; pectoralfin rays 16, all simple and flattened; caudal-fin rays 9, upper- and lowermost ray closely aligned with adjacent ray for most of length (each appearing as one), innermost five rays bifurcated. Four dermal spines on lateral surface of each pectoral fin lobe; approximately 55 dermal ...