Revision of the circumglobal deep-sea genus Leucicorus (Teleostei, Ophidiidae) with two new species.

The rare deepsea ophidiid genus Leucicorus was described by Garman (1899) based on L. lusciosus Garman, 1899 caught in the East Pacific. Until 1973 only three additional specimens were caught of which two from the East Pacific belong to L. lusciosus and one from off Hawaii is an undescribed species here described as L. lentibus n. sp. In 1973 a Soviet expedition to the Caribbean Sea trawled 18 specimens from abyssal and hadal depths and based on this material a second Leucicorus species was described, L. atlanticus Nielsen, 1975. Since then eight Leucicorus specimens from the Indo-Pacific and Atlantic Oceans have been caught of which two from the West Atlantic belong to a new species, L. gerringerae n. sp., herein described, four to L. atlanticus and two remain as Leucicorus sp. About 35 demersal Leucicorus specimens have been observed and photographed by ROV (remotely operated vehicle) at depths of 3804-5768 meters in the Pacific Ocean.

Revision of the 'dragon-head cusk eels of the genus Porogadus (Teleostei: Ophidiidae), with description of eight new species and one new genus.

The ophidiid genus Porogadus occurs between 800 and 5300 m in the tropical and subtropical world oceans. Fifteen nominal species have been described since 1878 and most of them until 1902. The genus has been highlighted as needing revision in recent compilations about ophidiiforms and here we present the first comprehensive review. Twelve of the previously described species are here accepted as valid with two being moved to the newly established genus Tenuicephalus n. gen. that encompasses fishes differing from those of Porogadus in the extremely weak ossification, the stout head, absence of head spines and absence of the triple lateral line system considered typical for Porogadus and a reduced dentition. In addition, eight new species are described: Porogadus caboverdensis, P. dracocephalus, P. lacrimatus, P. mendax, P. solomonensis, P. turgidus, Tenuicephalus multitrabs and T. squamilabrus. The species of Porogadus show a distinctive depth segregation with the majority of species having a demersal bathyal life-style between 800 and 3500 m and other species being more or less exclusively restricted to abyssal depths below 3000 m. The biogeographic distribution pattern of bathyal groups shows putative species pairs in the Atlantic versus the eastern Pacific and a clear separation of eastern Pacific from Indo-West Pacific species. The geographic effects and timing are being discussed that may have led to this speciation events. Generally, we found widely distributed species that are found far away from continental masses and others restrained to continental slopes and sometimes exhibiting regionalism. In abyssal depth, the Cabo Verde and Canary basins off NW-Africa have yielded three exclusive species, but it is uncertain at this stage whether this could represent a sampling bias with this area being extensively sampled by the Discovery research vessel (BMNH) over the years from 19701998. Another instance of a potentially endemic abyssal species is that of Porogadus melanocephalus in the Bay of Bengal. The latter has been caught with 45 specimens in a single trawl, representing the highest number of Porogadus specimens collected in any trawl and indicating that these fishes may actually not be as rare as one might assume from the literature.

A new species of viviparous brotula genus Pseudogilbia (Ophidiiformes: Dinematichthyidae) from Brazilian reefs, with an updated diagnosis of the genus.

In this study, a new species of Pseudogilbia Møller, Schwarzhans & Nielsen 2004 is described based on two male specimens (40-44 mm LS ) from shallow reefs of Bahia, Brazil. Pseudogilbia australis sp. nov. is distinguished from its only congener, Pseudogilbia sanblasensis Møller, Schwarzhans & Nielsen 2004 from Caribbean Panama, by having: two lower preopercular pores (vs. one); dorsal-fin rays 65-67 (vs. 69); anal-fin rays 51-53 (vs. 56); pectoral-fin rays 18 (vs. 20); caudal vertebrae 27-28 (vs. 30); pectoral-fin length 15.0%-15.9% LS (vs. 14.3); pelvic-fin length 13.5% LS (vs. 16.4) and a different morphology of the male copulatory organ. Pseudogilbia australis sp. nov. is the only dinematichthyid so far recorded in the South Atlantic. An updated diagnosis for the genus is also provided.

A new species of the genus Verilus (Teleostei, Percomorpha, Acropomatidae) from Brazil.

A new species of Acropomatid fish, Verilus costai sp. nov., is described from a single locality off Belmonte, State of Bahia, Brazil. It resembles Verilus pseudomicrolepis (Schultz, 1940) from the Caribbean Sea. The two are considered vicariant and they are interpreted to be separated from other species of the genus Verilus by (amongst other characters) the presence of fangs on the dentary (vs. only villiform teeth), the anal fin formula (II+9 vs. III+7) and the naked occiput (vs. scaled). However, formal establishment of a separate genus is postponed until a complete phylogenetic review of the family has been performed. Verilus costai can be distinguished from V. pseudomicrolepis by its higher number of gill rakers (27-31 vs. 21-25), lower number of pseudobranchial filaments (15-23 vs. 21-28), shorter snout length (8.2-11.3 vs. 11.3-13.4 % of SL), and more compressed otoliths (OL:OH = 1.3-1.35 vs. 1.35-1.5). In addition, the fossil otolith-based species Verilus mutinensis (Bassoli, 1906) from the late Miocene to middle Pleistocene of the Mediterranean is thought to be related and indicates that in the past this group was more widely distributed than nowadays and comprised more vicariant species.

Reappraisal of Synagrops Günther, 1887 with rehabilitation and revision of Parascombrops Alcock, 1889 including description of seven new species and two new genera (Perciformes: Acropomatidae).

An ongoing review of the fishes of the basal percoid family Acropomatidae has revealed that the genus Synagrops Günther, 1887 as it is currently understood is not a natural group. Species with a serrated pelvic-fin spine are here placed in the resurrected genus Parascombrops Alcock, 1889 (type-species: Parascombrops pellucidus Alcock, 1889), and the new, monospecific genus Caraibops n. gen. (type-species: Synagrops trispinosus Mochizuki & Sano, 1984). Parascombrops is unique amongst Acropomatidae in the combination of the presence of vacant 8th interneural space, a predorsal formula /0+0/0+2/ and an epaxialis attachment type 1. Caraibops n. gen. shares none of these characters and further differs from Parascombrops by an anal-fin formula of III + 9 (vs II + 7 or III + 6), and the absence of denticles on the ectopterygoid. Parascombrops is revised and now contains a total of 13 species, including 7 new: P. analis (Katayama, 1957), P. argyreus (Gilbert & Cramer, 1897), P. glossodon n. sp., P. madagascariensis n. sp., P. mochizukii n. sp., P. nakayamai n. sp., P. ohei n. sp., P. parvidens n. sp., P. pellucidus Alcock, 1889, P. philippinensis (Günther, 1880), P. serratospinosus (Smith & Radcliffe, 1912), P. spinosus (Schultz, 1940) and P. yamanouei n. sp. Synagrops adeni Kotthaus, 1970 and S. malayanus Weber, 1913 are treated as synonyms of P. pellucidus and P. philippinensis, respectively. Lectotypes are designated for P. philippinensis and S. malayanus. The main characters used to distinguish between the species of Parascombrops are: serration of other fin spines, number of gill rakers and pseudobranchial filaments, head profile, presence or absence of ridges on the preopercle, shape of 1st anal-fin pterygiophore, dentition on vomer, palatines and ectopterygoids, orbit diameter, pectoral-fin length, maximal body depth and otolith morphology. The genus Synagrops is here confined to two species, S. japonicus (Döderlein, 1883) and S. bellus (Goode & Bean, 1896), characterized by the apomorphic character of an otic capsule with a posteriorly open myodome, a basioccipital fossa and a very specialized otolith morphology. Synagrops is also characterized by the absence of pelvic-fin spine serrations. Two other species without a serrated pelvic-fin spine, originally described in Synagrops, are removed from this genus. Synagrops microlepis Norman, 1935 is separated into the monotypic Kaperangus n. gen., the only genus in the family with two supraneurals (cf. three in all other taxa). The second, Synagrops pseudomicrolepis Schultz, 1940 is re-assigned to the genus Verilus.        The geographic distribution of Parascombrops as currently composed is discussed, and is shown to be primarily of West Pacific nature, with few species in the Indian Ocean and one in the tropical West-Atlantic (P. spinosus). The West Atlantic species Parascombrops spinosus is very closely related to P. mochizukii from the tropical northwestern Pacific, and the implications of this disjunct distribution are discussed. The high degree of speciation now recognized in Parascombrops species of the West-Pacific indicates that a diverse ecological adaptation within an overall pseudoceanic habitat may have played a major role in speciation, which would have remained obscured without adequate taxonomic resolution.        Fossil, otolith-based records are also briefly discussed in the context. The extant Parascombrops argyreus and P. ohei are reported from the Pliocene of Japan, and Caraibops trispinosus has been recorded from the Pliocene of Venezuela.

Before the freeze: otoliths from the Eocene of Seymour Island, Antarctica, reveal dominance of gadiform fishes (Teleostei).

The first record of fossil teleostean otoliths from Antarctica is reported. The fossils were obtained from late Early Eocene shell beds of the La Meseta Formation, Seymour Island that represent the last temperate marine climate phase in Antarctica prior to the onset of cooling and subsequent glaciation during the late Eocene. A total of 17 otolith-based teleost taxa are recognized, with 10 being identifiable to species level containing nine new species and one new genus: Argentina antarctica sp. nov., Diaphus? marambionis sp. nov., Macruronus eastmani sp. nov., Coelorinchus balushkini sp. nov., Coelorinchus nordenskjoeldi sp. nov., Palimphemus seymourensis sp. nov., Hoplobrotula? antipoda sp. nov., Notoberyx cionei gen. et sp. nov. and Cepola anderssoni sp. nov. Macruronus eastmani sp. nov. is also known from the late Eocene of Southern Australia, and Tripterophycis immutatus Schwarzhans, widespread in the southern oceans during the Eocene, has been recorded from New Zealand, southern Australia, and now Antarctica. The otolith assemblage shows a typical composition of temperate fishes dominated by gadiforms, very similar at genus and family levels to associations known from middle Eocene strata of New Zealand and the late Eocene of southern Australia, but also to the temperate Northern Hemisphere associations from the Paleocene of Denmark. The Seymour Island fauna bridges a gap in the record of global temperate marine teleost faunas during the early Eocene climate maximum. The dominant gadiforms are interpreted as the main temperate faunal component, as in the Paleocene of Denmark. Here they are represented by the families Moridae, Merlucciidae (Macruroninae), Macrouridae and Gadidae. Nowadays Gadidae are a chiefly Northern Hemisphere temperate family. Moridae, Macruroninae and Macrouridae live today on the lower shelf to deep-water or mesopelagically with Macruroninae being restricted to the Southern Ocean. The extant endemic Antarctic gadiform family Muraenolepididae is missing, as are the dominant modern Antarctic fishes of the perciform suborder Notothenioidei. Recently, there has been much debate on isolated jaw bones of teleost fishes found in the La Meseta Formation and whether they would represent gadiforms (Merlucciidae in this case) or some early, primitive notothenioid. Otoliths are known to often complement rather than duplicate skeletal finds. With this in mind, we conclude that our otolith data support the presence of gadiforms in the early Eocene of Antarctica while it does not rule out the presence of notothenioids at the same time. http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:A30E5364-0003-4467-B902-43A41AD456CC.

Molecular, morphological and fossil input data for inferring relationship among viviparous brotulas (Bythitidae) - Resulting in a family status change for Dinematichthyidae.

This article comprise the data related to the research article (Møller et al., 2016) [1], and makes it possible to explore and reproduce the topologies that allowed [1] to infer the relationship between the families Bythitidae and Dinematichthyidae. The supplementary data holds nexus-input files for the Bayesian analysis and the '.xml'-input files - with and without nucleotide data - that are used in the fossil-calibrated phylogenetic analysis with a relaxed clock model. The resulting topologies are provided as '.new'-files together with a characters matrix file for traits to trace across the inferred phylogenies.

A new classification of viviparous brotulas (Bythitidae) - with family status for Dinematichthyidae - based on molecular, morphological and fossil data.

The order Ophidiiformes is a large but not very well known group of fishes, unique among teleosts for showing high diversity in both deep sea and shallow reef habitats. The current classification includes more than 500 species, 115 genera and four families, based primarily on mode of reproduction: viviparous Aphyonidae and Bythitidae vs oviparous Carapidae and Ophidiidae. Since 2004 we revised the bythitid tribe Dinematichthyini, described more than 100 new species and noticed that this group has unique morphological characters, perhaps supporting a higher level of classification than the current status. Here we study the viviparous families phylogenetically with partial mitochondrial (nd4, 16s) and nuclear (Rag1) DNA sequences (2194bp). We use a fossil calibration of otolith-based taxa to calibrate the age of the clade comprising bythitid and dinematicththyid representatives, together with fossil calibrations adopted from previous phylogenetic studies. The separation of the order into two major lineages, the viviparous Bythitoidei and the oviparous Ophidioidei is confirmed. At the familial level, however, a new classification is presented for the viviparous clades, placing Aphyonidae as a derived, pedomorphic member of Bythitidae (new diagnosis provided, 33 genera and 118 species). The current subfamily Brosmophycinae is considered polyphyletic and we propose family status for Dinematichthyidae (25 genera, 114 species), supported by unique, morphological synapomorphic characters in the male copulatory apparatus. Previous use of the caudal fin separation or fusion with vertical fins is ambiguous. Age estimates based on calibrated molecular phylogeny agrees with fossil data, giving an origin within the Cretaceous (between 84 and 104mya) for a common ancestor to Ophidiiformes.

Fish-otoliths from the marine-brackish water transition from the Middle Miocene of the Belgrade area, Serbia.

We describe here the first fossil otoliths from the Middle Miocene (Badenian and Sarmatian) of Belgrade, Serbia. They were obtained from Lower Badenian outcrops at Slanci and from upper Badenian and Sarmatian sediments recovered from four shallow wells near the village of Barajevo. The otoliths from the Lower Badenian of Slanci represent fishes typical for an open marine environment, characterized primarily by the mesopelagic families Myctophidae and Bregmacerotidae, a faunal composition that is also well known from other time equivalent locations in the Central Paratethys. The upper Badenian and Sarmatian composition of the fish fauna, in contrast, is dominated by otoliths of the family Gobiidae, indicating a sharp environmental shift from open marine to shallow water, probably slightly brackish environments, which is also confirmed by the faunal composition of mollusks, foraminifera, and ostracods. Most of the gobiid genera identified in the samples from Barajevo represent small fishes of the so-called sand gobies with Ponto-Caspian affinities, such as Economidichthys, Knipowitschia, or Pomatoschistus, or are entirely endemic to the Ponto-Caspian Basin, such as Hyrcanogobius. Another group of endemic Ponto-Caspian gobies is the first fossil record interpreted to represent the genus Proterorhinus. These and other finds currently being investigated indicate that the origin of the extant, rich, endemic gobiid fauna of the Ponto-Caspian Basin dates back to a crucial time in the development of Paratethys during the Middle Miocene when it segregated from the Mediterranean with the onset of phases of low salinity in the basin. In addition, we briefly discuss the distribution of certain gobiid species during Late Badenian and Sarmatian as it begins to emerge. The following new taxa are described based on fossil otoliths: Hyrcanogobius hesperis n.sp. and Proterorhinus vasilievae n.sp.

Head and otolith morphology of the genera Hymenocephalus, Hymenogadus and Spicomacrurus (Macrouridae), with the description of three new species.

The fishes of the genus Hymenocephalus live over continental slope terrain, chiefly between 300 and 1000 m water depths, in all tropical oceans, except the eastern Pacific. They are characterized by an elongated light organ with two lenses, striations on jugular and thorax, and by an extraordinary development of sensory reception organs: strongly enlarged eyes, exceptionally large and specialized sagittal otoliths and extremely wide and deep head canals resembling caverns and housing the cephalic sensory organ for motion reception (lateral line system).        The purpose of this study is to evaluate the potential that a detailed analysis of the head and otolith morphology can offer for distinguishing the various species and assessment of their interrelationships. About 500 specimens were investigated, representing all 22 nominal species of the genus Hymenocephalus, except for H. barbatulus (specimens of which could not be located), the two species of the related genus Hymenogadus and three of the four species of Spicomacrurus.  Because of the delicate and thin nature of the head bones and head skin typical for the fishes of the genus Hymenocephalus and the deteriorating effects of formalin to the aragonitic otoliths, only a fraction of the studied specimens actually contributed useful data, although that fraction represented all species studied.        Otoliths in particular and aspects of the cephalic canal system were found to contribute additional characters that help to verify the status of certain controversial species such as H. heterolepis, H. nascens and species within the H. striatissimus and H. grimaldii Groups. Hymenocephalus longiceps is revised to represent a junior synonym of H. longibarbis. Eight species groups are defined within the genus Hymenocephalus. Three new species are being described in the course of this review: H. iwamotoi from off northwestern Australia, H. sazonovi from the Sala y Gomez and Nazca Ridges, and H. punt from northern Somalia and the Gulf of Aden, now raising the count of valid species in the genus to a total of 24.        The specializations of the sensory reception organs show a variety of developments with well-expressed phylogenetic polarities that are discussed in the context of their evolution and interrelationships. A well-documented case of polarity reversal of certain characters in the H. aterrimus Group is interpreted as a functional adaptation to migration of these fishes into a deeper water environment that favors different specializations of the sensory reception.