Kentrocapros flavimaculatus, Glezer & Mercier & Coursier & Petrica & Pini & Pg, 2023

Glezer, Stanislav, Mercier, Gregoire, Coursier, Jean-Marc, Petrica, Nicoleta, Pini, Maria & Pg, Abhijith, 2023, A New Boxfish of the Genus Kentrocapros Collected from New Zealand (Acanthopterygii, Tetraodontiformes, Aracanidae), Bulletin of the National Museum of Nature and Science. Series A, Zoology 49 (4), pp. 191-196 : 192-194

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.50826/bnmnszool.49.4_191
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/9555AA3A-FFC7-FB6A-AADC-FB09FC962FB5
treatment provided by	Felipe
scientific name	Kentrocapros flavimaculatus
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Kentrocapros flavimaculatus n. sp.

(New English name: Yellow-spotted Boxfish;

Japanese name: Kimadara-itomaki-fugu)

( Fig. 1 View Fig )

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:A24E15CE-0C17-4552-9035-D0E55EDD6B2E

Kentrocapros eco View in CoL : Matsuura, 1990, p. 332.

Material examined. Holotype, AIM MA180380 View Materials , 62.7 mm SL, 30°14′38.4″S, 178°20′3″W, Macau- ley Island, Rangitāhua Kermadec Islands , 144– 147 m depth, 31 Oct. 2016; paratype NSMT-P 43344, 114 mm SL, 32°43′S, 167°30′E, Tasman Sea, 700 km north-east of Cape Reinga of North Island, New Zealand, 145–172 m depth, 21 Dec. 1983. GoogleMaps

Diagnosis. Many yellow spots on the lateral sides of the body, a distinct spine on the middle of each dorsolateral ridge of the carapace, no spines on the lateral and ventrolateral ridges of the carapace, and the gill opening located below the posterior half of the eye.

Description. Dorsal-fin rays 10, anal-fin rays 9, pectoral-fin rays 12. Body covered with rigid carapace except for caudal peduncle, pectoral-, dorsal-, and anal-fin bases, and around anus. Carapace with six ridges, three on each side: dorsolateral, lateral, and ventrolateral ridges; dorsolateral ridge starts dorsal to eye and extends posteriorly to below dorsal-fin origin; lateral ridge originates behind pectoral-fin base and runs posteriorly to end of carapace; ventrolateral ridge begins below pectoral-fin base and runs posteriorly to end of carapace; middle of dorsolateral ridge with pair of compressed spines; posterior half of ventrolateral ridge with series of tiny processes.

Most plates on dorsal and lateral sides of carapace hexagonal and sutured firmly to one another; each plate with central bony tubercle from which six (typically) low crests radiate out to edges of plates. Plates on snout and ventral surface of carapace variously shaped and articu- lating with one another. Most parts of caudal peduncle naked but anterior region covered by several small isolated plates.

Dorsal surface of carapace flat; interorbital space concave; dorsal profile of snout slightly concave. Ventral side of carapace slightly convex.

Mouth small, terminal; lips fleshy and plicate. Eight incisiform teeth in single row on each jaw. Two nostrils close together, just anterior to eye. Eye large, situated posterodorsally on head. Gill opening small, slit-like, slightly oblique, ventral to posterior half of eye. Dorsal and anal fins posi- tioned opposite each other, slightly rounded. Pec- toral fin slightly rounded; upper two rays unbranched; uppermost very short and lower- most unbranched. Caudal fin slightly rounded; dorsalmost and ventralmost rays unbranched.

Proportional measurements. HL 31.1% (26.5%) SL, snout length 25.0% (23.5%) SL, eye diameter 16.6% (13.7%) SL, interorbital width 15.0% (12.8%) SL, postorbital length 10.0% (9.0%) SL, gill opening length 8.6% (6.7%) SL, snout to dorsal fin 73.2% (69.6%) SL, snout to anal fin 68.9% (69.7%) SL, body depth 44.0% (39.6%) SL, body width 31.6% (25.0%) SL, greatest body width 37.2% (29.4%), dorsal-fin height 20.6% (17.0%) SL, anal-fin height 16.9% (18.5%) SL, length of dorsal-fin base 10.7% (9.5%) SL, length of anal-fin base 8.3% (7.7%) SL, pectoral-fin length 24.7% (19.6%) SL, caudal-fin length 27.9% (24.5%) SL, caudal peduncle depth 7.2% (7.0%) SL, caudal peduncle length 24.9% (25.3%), tail depth 22.3% (24.0%) SL, tail length 22.3% (25.0%) SL.

Color of fresh specimens. Lateral and dorsal sides of carapace dark gray; ventral side of carapace white; many yellow spots on lateral sides of carapace; many small dark brown spots on dorsal and dorsolateral sides of carapace; lateral and dorsal sides of caudal peduncle dark gray with several yellow spots, ventral side of caudal peduncle white; fin rays light brownish gray with yellow tinge; and lips red.

Color of preserved specimens. Lateral and dorsal sides of carapace dark gray; many dark brown spots on dorsal surface of carapace and many light gray spots on lateral sides of body; ventral surface of carapace white; lateral and dorsal sides of caudal peduncle dark brown with several light gray spots, ventral side of caudal peduncle white; fin rays dark yellow.

Etymology. The specific name, flavimaculatus , derived from Latin lflaviz (yellow) and lmaculaz (spot), refers to the many yellow spots on the body of the new species.

Remarks. Kentrocapros flaviamculatus is similar to K. aculeatus and K. spilonotus in having a sharp spine on the middle of the dorsolateral ridge, which is absent in K. eco , K. flavofasciatus , and K. rosapinto , and is distinguishable from K. aculeatus and K. spilonotus in lacking spines on the ventrolateral ridges.

Although Philipps (1927) described Ostracion hexagonus , based on a single specimen washed up on a beach in the Bay of Islands, New Zealand, he later gave the replacement name, O. eco , to the species because O. hexagonus was preoccupied. Matsuura (1990) provided brief accounts and a color photograph of a species of Kentrocapros collected from the northern Tasman Sea under the name of K. eco . However, a subsequent examina- tion of the holotype of K. eco revealed the Tasman Sea specimen differs from K. eco in having a spine on the middle of dorsolateral ridge, implying it could be an undescribed species ( Matsuura, 2015). Although Stewart (2015) suggested K. eco may be a senior synonym of K. flavofasciatus the holotype of K. eco is in too poor a condition ( Fig. 2 View Fig ) to determine its taxonomic identity. I conclude that K. eco must be regarded as a nomen dubium.

Kamohara (1938) described Aracana flavofasci- ata based on a single specimen collected from the sea off Kochi, Japan. Because this species differs from typical Aracana members in having no spines on the carapace, and resembles Kentrocapros in having six ridges on the carapace, Matsubara (1955) transferred the species from Aracana to Kentrocapros . The holotype of K. flavofasciatus and other type specimens of many species described by Kamohara were deposited at Kochi University in Kochi City. All these type specimens and other fish collections were unfortunately destroyed by a war-caused fire in 1945 ( Kamohara, 1961). After World War II, Kamohara began collecting fish specimens in the sea around Shikoku Island, and was fortunate in obtaining specimens of the species he described before the war. He published a paper to designate neotypes for the many species he described ( Kamohara, 1961), but his designations do not satisfy article 75 of the ICZN, because his paper was not published as a revisory work. Considering the taxonomic prob- lems existing with species of Kentrocapros , I here designate BSKU 3692 as a neotype of K. flavofasciatus to clarify its taxonomic identity.

Gosline and Brock (1960) regarded Aracana spilonota Gilbert, 1905 (= Kentrocapros spilonotus ) as a synonym of Ostracion aculeatus Houttuyn, 1782 (= K. aculeatus ). Mundy (2005) fol- lowed Gosline and Brock (1960) placing K. spilonotus in synonymy with K. aculeatus . The decision is incorrect as K. spilonotus is clearly distinguishable from K. aculeatus in having the greatest body width much greater than the body depth, while the greatest body width is much less than the body depth in K. aculeatus , and K. spilonotus lacks the black spots on the sides of the body that are present on the sides of the body of K. aculeatus .