Kumba punctulata Iwamoto and Sazonov, 1994

Figures 13A–B.

Kumba punctulata Iwamoto and Sazonov, 1994:233–234, figs. 6–7 (holotype, MNHN 1994–0034; off New Caledonia, 20°54ʹS, 168°21ʹ02ʺE, 530 m; 1 paratype, ZMMU P.17762 (13.4 HL, 89+ TL; Bismark Sea off New Guinea, 5°20.9ʹS, 146°16ʹE; 0–1000 m).— Iwamoto and Merrett, 1997:526, fig. 23 (holotype listed from New Caledonia).— Merrett and Iwamoto, 2000:764 (3 spec.; Vanuatu, 541–577 m).— Shao et al., 2008: table 2 (17 spec.; Taiwan [SCS], 509–516 m. first record for Taiwan).

MATERIAL EXAMINED (17 spec.).— SCS: ASIZP 66816 (4, 90+-131 TL), CP 315, 509 m; ASIZP 66861 (1, 95 TL) and ASIZP 66891 (3, 82+-128 TL), OCP 313, 513 m; ASIZP 66877 (2, 105+-118+ TL), CP 314, 506 m; ASIZP 66902 (3, 105–107+ TL), CP 316, 514 m; ASIZP 66942 (1, 90+ TL), CD 311, 516 m; ASIZP 66943 (3, 83+-103+ TL), OCP 317, 515 m.

DISTINGUISHING FEATURES.— 1D II 9–11; P i18–i22; V 9–10 (rarely 11); inner GR-I 12–13 total. Snout 20–29% HL; orbit 37–43%; interorbital (25)28–35%; upper jaw 40–51%; barbel 13–20%. Snout bluntly pointed, relatively high, much shorter than orbit diameter; suborbital ridge relatively flat, not sharply angular in cross section; upper jaw extends to below of middle one-third orbit; barbel about 1.4–2.2 times into snout length. Underside of head entirely naked; naked areas dorsally on snout extend only to transverse line connecting lateral snout angles. Spinules on scales short, conical, aligned in 5–8 parallel crest-like rows. Spinous second ray of 1D sparsely serrated. Origin of V under opercle, A origin under anterior half of 1D. A small species, probably not attaining more than 150 mm TL.

DISTRIBUTION.— Known from relatively few captures off Vanuatu and New Caledonia in sw. Pacific, but numerous specimens were collected in six trawls from the South China Sea off Taiwan in 509–516 m.

REMARKS.— Our Taiwan specimens (as listed by Shao et al., 2008: table 2) represent the first record of the species from this region and from the nw. Pacific.