Caulophryne sp.

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 : 17

Caulophryne sp.

( Figs. 1J , 5 )

Diagnosis. Same as for genus.

Geographical distribution. Species of Caulophryne have been reported from the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans between approximately 65ºN and 50ºS (Pietsch, 2009). Three of the four currently recognized species of the genus are known from the Atlantic Ocean: Caulophryne jordani Goode & Bean, 1896 , known from the North Atlantic up to about 5ºN; Caulophryne pelagica (Brauer, 1902) , recorded in the Atlantic at a single locality off Cape Verde Islands; and Caulophryne polynema Regan, 1930 , recorded in the North and South Atlantic to 28ºS off Africa, with no records in the western South Atlantic (Pietsch, 1979, 2009). The extremely small specimen of Caulophryne sp. reported here was collected off Rio Grande do Norte State, between depths of 35 and 100 m, and represents the first record of the genus in Brazilian waters and in the western South Atlantic ( Fig. 5 ).

Material examined. NPM 3835 , 1 , 6 mm SL ( Fig. 1J ) , RV Antea, sta. AB1/23, 5°08’36.7”S 34°42’48.5”W to 5°08’02.8”S 34°44’40.4”W, 35–100 m, 9 Oct 2015, 10:35–11:20 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 5 | Records of the Caulophrynidae, Gigantactinidae, and Linophrynidae in Brazilian waters: Caulophryne sp. (pentagon), Gigantactis longicirra (square), Gigantactis vanhoeffeni (cross), Gigantactis watermani (triangle), Gigantactis sp. (diamond), Rhynchactis sp. (star), Linophryne arborifera (circle). Full symbols represent specimens collected during the ABRACOS surveys and open symbols are records from the literature (see text). Selected Brazilian States and oceanic islands are RN – Rio Grande do Norte, BA – Bahia, ES – Espírito Santo, RJ – Rio de Janeiro; 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.