Chaenophryne draco Beebe, 1932

Mincarone, Michael Maia, Afonso, Gabriel Vinícius Felix, Di Dario, Fabio, Eduardo, Leandro Nolé, Frédou, Thierry, Lucena-Frédou, Flávia, Bertrand, Arnaud & Pietsch, Theodore Wells, 2021, Deep-sea anglerfishes (Lophiiformes: Ceratioidei) from off northeastern Brazil, with remarks on the ceratioids reported from the Brazilian Exclusive Economic Zone, Neotropical Ichthyology 19 (2), pp. 1-28 : 12

Chaenophryne draco Beebe, 1932

( Figs. 1E , 4 )

Diagnosis. Among the five valid species of Chaenophryne , C. draco , C. longiceps Regan, 1925 and C. ramifera Regan & Trewavas, 1932 are reported from the Atlantic Ocean (Pietsch, 1975, 2009). Females of Chaenophryne draco differ from all other congeners by the absence of anterolateral escal appendages (vs. esca with 1–3 anterolateral appendages on each side), and ratio of number of teeth in upper and lower jaws in specimens 20 mm or larger (1.08–1.45 vs. 0.76–1.30). The species is further distinguished from C. longiceps by having esca with an unpaired internally pigmented anterior appendage (vs. esca with a pair of internally pigmented anterior appendages); width of escal bulb 2.1–6.6% SL in specimens larger than 20 mm (vs. width of escal bulb 5.3–11.4% SL in specimens larger than 20 mm); pectoral-fin rays 16–19, rarely more than 18 (vs. 17–22, rarely less than 18). Chaenophryne draco also seems to differ from C. ramifera by a slightly shorter illicium (24.0–36.4% SL vs. 32.8–47.4% SL) and by fewer dorsal-fin rays (6–8 vs. 7–8) (Pietsch, 1975; Pietsch, 2007, 2009).

Geographical distribution. Chaenophryne draco is widespread in the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans. In the Atlantic , it has been reported from Greenland to Cape Verde, with additional records from off Cape Town , South Africa, and off Espírito Santo State, Brazil ( MNRJ 30707 , 19º43’40”S 38º39’50”W; Pietsch, 1975, 2009; Sutton et al., 2008; Porteiro et al., 2017). Species is reported here based on two specimens collected off Pernambuco State and Rocas Atoll, between depths of 680 and 984 m ( Fig. 4 ).

Material examined. NPM 4954 , 1 , 90 mm ( Fig. 1E ) , RV Antea, sta. AB2/16, 7°36’15.0”S 33°59’30.0”W to 7°36’49.3”S 33°57’18.7”W, 680 m, 14 Apr 2017, 21:53– 22:39 h; NPM 4969 , 1 , 55 mm , RV Antea, sta. AB2/52A, 3°43’16.2”S 33°25’09.8”W to 3°42’14.2”S 33°24’36.2”W, 822–984 m, 2 May 2017, 11:47–12:18 h.

Figures

FIGURE 1 | Species of the Ceratioidei reported in this study: A. Ceratias uranoscopus, NPM 5050, 76 mm SL; B. Himantolophus sp., NPM 4959, 37 mm SL; C. Melanocetus johnsonii, NPM 4970, 19 mm SL; D. Thaumatichthys sp., NPM 4985, 32 mm SL; E. Chaenophryne draco, NPM 4954, 90 mm SL; F. Chaenophryne ramifera, NPM 4955, 32 mm SL; G. Dolopichthys sp., NPM 4980, 35 mm SL; H. Oneirodes anisacanthus, NPM 4977, 30 mm SL; I. Oneirodes carlsbergi, NPM 4953, 98 mm SL; J. Caulophryne sp., NPM 3835, 6 mm SL. Scale bars = 10 mm.

FIGURE 4 | Records of the Oneirodidae in Brazilian waters: Chaenophryne draco (square), Chaenophryne ramifera (circle), Chaenophryne sp. (pentagon), Dolopichthys sp. (asterisk), Microlophichthys microlophus (upside-down triangle), Oneirodes anisacanthus (star), Oneirodes carlsbergi (triangle), Oneirodes notius (diamond), Pentherichthys atratus (cross). Full symbols represent specimens collected during the ABRACOS surveys and open symbols are records from the literature (see text). Selected Brazilian States and islands are: RN – Rio Grande do Norte, PB – Paraíba, PE – Pernambuco; ES – Espírito Santo, RS – Rio Grande do Sul; SPA – Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago, FN – Fernando de Noronha Archipelago, RA – Rocas Atoll. Dashed line represents the outer limit of the Brazilian Exclusive Economic Zone.