Epigonus angustifrons Abramov & Manilo, 1987

Okamoto, Makoto & Gon, Ofer, 2018, A review of the deepwater cardinalfish genus Epigonus (Perciformes: Epigonidae) of the Western Indian Ocean, with description of two new species, Zootaxa 4382 (2), pp. 261-291 : 264-267

Epigonus angustifrons Abramov & Manilo, 1987

(English name: Amber Deepwater Cardinalfish) ( Figs. 1 , 4 ; Tables 1, 2)

Epigonus angustifrons Abramov & Manilo, 1987: 45 , fig. 1 (original description; type locality: western South Indian Ocean, 36°33 S, 52°05 E, 560–610 m depth; holotype: ZIN 47266); Abramov, 1992: 21 (key); Okamoto, 2016b: 76 (description, Western Indian Ocean).

Epigonus trunovi Parin & Prokofiev in Parin et al., 2012: 239 , fig. 1 (original description; type locality: Southeastern Atlantic; holotype ZMMU 21892).

Material examined. CSIRO H 5799-02, 316.1 mm SL, 39°01 S, 46°01 E, western South Indian Ocean, 600–820 m depth, 5 June 2000 ; FSKU-P 20015 , 2 specimens, 191–216 mm SL, 38°29 S, 46°42 E, western South Indian Ocean, 20 June 2010 ; SAIAB 193851 , 133.5 mm SL, 41°25.34 S, 42°55.48 E, western South Indian Ocean, 802– 1033 m depth, 2 December 2009 .

Diagnosis. Dorsal-fin rays VII-I-I, 10–11; pectoral-fin rays 1 9–21; total gill rakers 33–36; vertebrae 10 + 15; pyloric caeca 21–24; pored lateral-line scales 47–50 + 3–5; scales below lateral line 11; opercular spine absent; maxillary mustache-like processes absent; ribs on last abdominal vertebra present; oral cavity black; body depth 18.2–19.1 % SL.

Measurements (% SL); counts are given in Table 1. Head length 29.8–30.5; head width 15.4–16.9; head height 15.6–18.5; body depth 18.2–19.1; body width 13.3–16.1; caudal-peduncle depth 8.5–9.9; caudal-peduncle length 25.0–27.7; orbital diameter 10.4–11.5; interorbital width 7.4–8.0; postorbital length 12.8–13.4; upper-jaw length 13.2–14.2; lower-jaw length 15.2–16.3; snout length 7.0–7.9; pre-first dorsal-fin length 35.3–37.3; presecond dorsal-fin length 56.8–60.9; pre-pectoral-fin length 31.1–32.0; pre-pelvic-fin length 32.3–33.1; pre-anus length 60.3–61.7; pre-anal-fin length 62.5–68.1; first spine length on first dorsal fin 4.9–5.1; second spine length on first dorsal fin 10.6–13.7; third spine length on first dorsal fin 14.0; second dorsal-fin spine length 4.9–6.0; first anal-fin spine length 2.1–2.6; second anal-fin spine length 10.0–10.5; pelvic-fin spine length 9.3–10.6; first dorsalfin base length 11.2–12.2; second dorsal-fin base length 10.0–10.8; anal-fin base length 9.1–10.3; pectoral-fin length 13.4–16.3; pelvic-fin length 14.1–17.0.

TABLE]. Meristic counts anđ selecteđ characters for Western Inđian Ocean Epigonus species. AV* = abđominal vertebra.

Distribution. Western South Indian Ocean ( Abramov & Manilo, 1987; Okamoto, 2016b) and southeastern Atlantic ( Okamoto, 2016b).

Comparisons and Remarks. This species ( Fig. 4 ) is similar to E. macrops and E. telescopus by having an isolated dorsal-fin spine between first and second dorsal fins, but differs from it in having 33–36 gill rakers (vs. 18– 20 in E. macrops and 23–26 in E. telescopus ). Abramov & Manilo (1987) reported that E. angustifrons has small teeth on the tongue, but they misidentified the minute papillae as teeth ( Okamoto, 2016b). Epigonus trunovi Parin & Prokofiev in Parin , et al., 2012 is a junior synonym of the present species ( Okamoto & Aungtonya, 2013; Okamoto, 2016b).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Distribution of four species of the Epigonus oligolepis group and the E. telescopus group in the Western Indian Ocean.

FIGURE 4. Epigonus angustifrons, FSKU-P 20015, 1of 2 specimens, 191 mm SL, fresh specimen.