Centrodraco fidelis, Fricke, 2015

Fricke, Ronald, 2015, Centrodraco fidelis (Draconettidae), a new deepwater dragonet species from the southern Loyalty Ridge, southwestern Pacific Ocean, Cybium 39 (3), pp. 211-217 : 215-216

OF DRACONETTIDAE

1a. First dorsal fin spines long and slender; second dorsal fin rays 12; anal fin rays 12; Indo-West Pacific.... Draconetta ; only one species: Draconetta xenica Jordan & Fowler, 1903 1b. First dorsal fin spines stout and pungent; second dorsal fin rays 14 (rarely 12-15); anal fin rays 13 (-14).............................................. Centrodraco , 2

2a. Second dorsal fin rays with long filaments.......... 3 2b. Second dorsal fin rays without filaments (rarely with very short filaments).............................. 9 3a. First dorsal fin plain black; 1 st spine of first dorsal fin shorter than 2 nd spine, not filamentous; body with dark vertical lines; southeastern Pacific........................

............... Centrodraco striatus (Parin, 1982) (male) 3b. First dorsal fin light, may be distally dark; 1 st D1 spine longer than 2 nd spine, filamentous; body not with dark vertical lines (may bear dark horizontal lines or dark blotches)..

............................................... 4

4a. Body with 2-3 long horizontal dark streaks.......... 5 4b. Body without long horizontal dark streaks (may have dark spots or blotches or short ocellated dark streaks).... 6

5a. Each anal fin membrane with a dark blotch; second dorsal fin membranes each with a vertical dark line, distally dark; first D1 spine 147 or less per mill of SL (in specimens with more than 70 mm SL); first ray of second dorsal fin less than 200 per mill of SL (in specimens with more than 70 mm SL); western Indian Ocean..........................

............... Centrodraco lineatus Fricke, 1992 (male) 5b. Anal fin light, without dark blotches; second dorsal fin membranes without vertical dark lines, distally dark; first spine of first dorsal fin 148 or more per mill of SL (in specimens with more than 70 mm SL); first ray of second dorsal fin more than 230 (in specimens with more than 70 mm SL);

Central Atlantic Ocean................................... Centrodraco oregonus ( Briggs & Berry, 1959) (male)

6a. Body with short ocellate lines and blotches; each A membrane with a dark spot; West Pacific.................... Centrodraco ornatus (Fourmanoir & Rivaton, 1979) (male) 6b. Body not with ocellate lines and blotches (may have small spots); anal fin plain white..................... 7

7a. Body densely covered with dark spots; Japan and China..... Centrodraco pseudoxenicus (Kamohara, 1952) (male) 7b. Body plain whitish or brown; if bearing spots, not densely covered, but spots in two distinct groups; southeastern Pacific or Australia............................... 8

8a. Second dorsal fin membranes with vertical dark lines, distally dark; caudal fin base without a dark blotch; off northwestern Australia.............................

............. Centrodraco insolitus (McKay, 1971) (male) 8b. Second dorsal fin membranes plain whitish, without vertical lines, may be distally dark; caudal fin base with a dark brown blotch; southeastern Pacific....................

............. Centrodraco gegonipus (Parin, 1982) (male)

9a. First spine of first dorsal fin shorter than second spine..

.............................................. 10 9b. First spine of first dorsal fin longer than second spine...

.............................................. 20

10a. First spine of first dorsal fin more than 1.7 in second spine; second spine with a filament in male; eastern Australia............................................ 11 10b. First spine of first dorsal fin less than 1.7 in second spine; second spine without a filament............... 12

11a. Filament in first dorsal fin black, fin basally pale in male; anal fin pale; opercular spine in subopercular spine 1.4-1.8; body depressed, body depth 9.2-10.6% of SL, body width 10.9-17.5% of SL; pectoral fin moderate, reaching to anus when adpressed, pectoral fin length 17.9-20.8% of SL; eastern Australia...... Centrodraco atrifilum Fricke, 2010 11b. Filament in first dorsal fin pale, fin with a large basal dark blotch; anal fin with three large dark blotches, opercular spine in subopercular spine 1.8-2.4; body slightly compressed, body depth 7.4-8.5% of SL, body width 7.7-8.8% of SL; pectoral fin short, not reaching to anus when adpressed, pectoral fin length 9.9-11.8% of SL; southern Loyalty Ridge (New Caledonian EEZ)......... Centrodraco fidelis n. sp.

12a. First dorsal fin plain black..................... 13 12b. First dorsal fin not plain black (may be distally dark)..

.............................................. 14

13a. Body with about 11 regular vertical dark streaks; anal fin with distal dark spots; southeastern Pacific...........

............. Centrodraco striatus (Parin, 1982) (female) 13b. Body with irregular dark spots and blotches, not with regular vertical dark streaks; anal fin plain white; Hawaiian Islands to Indonesia................................

......... Centrodraco rubellus Fricke, Chave & Suzumoto in Fricke, 1992 (female)

14a. Body with 2-3 long horizontal dark lines......... 15 14b. Body with irregular dark blotches, without horizontal dark lines...................................... 16

15a. Each anal fin membrane with a dark blotch; second dorsal fin membranes each with a vertical dark line; western Indian Ocean... Centrodraco lineatus Fricke, 1992 (female) 15b. Anal fin light, without dark blotches; second dorsal fin without vertical dark lines; Central Atlantic Ocean.......

.... Centrodraco oregonus ( Briggs & Berry, 1959) (female)

16a. Anal fin distally blackish; caudal fin distally blackish; Pacific Ocean.....................................

............... Centrodraco nakaboi Fricke, 1992 (male) 16b. Anal fin whitish, without any dark markings; caudal fin whitish, without any dark markings................. 17

17a. Second dorsal fin distally dark.................. 18 17b. Second dorsal fin whitish, without any dark markings; Atlantic Ocean....................................

........ Centrodraco acanthopoma (Regan, 1904) (female)

18a. First dorsal fin distally dark.................... 19 18b. First dorsal fin whitish, without any dark markings; Pacific Ocean.....................................

............. Centrodraco nakaboi Fricke, 1992 (female)

19a. Caudal fin plain whitish, occasionally with a basal dark blotch; Atlantic Ocean..............................

......... Centrodraco acanthopoma (Regan, 1904) (male) 19b. Caudal fin with a distal dark stripe and with a basal dark blotch; Pacific Ocean...............................

............... Centrodraco nakaboi Fricke, 1992 (male)

20a. First spine of first dorsal fin bearing a filament; upper third of caudal fin with a long dark streak reaching distal half of fin; Hawaiian Islands and Indonesia.................

. Centrodraco rubellus Fricke, Chave & Suzumoto in Fricke 1992 (male)

20b. First spine of first dorsal fin not filamentous; upper part of caudal fin without a dark streak or with a short dark streak at most in proximal one-third of fin (caudal fin occasionally with a basal dark blotch).......................... 21

21a. Body densely covered with numerous round dark spots; Japan and China..................................

.... Centrodraco pseudoxenicus (Kamohara, 1952) (female) 21b. Body colouration not as described above; either plain brown or whitish, or with short longitudinal streaks in its dorsal part, or with groups of short transverse streaks, or with pale brown spots in two distinct groups.......... 22

22a. Body with short ocellate longitudinal streaks; West Pacific..........................................

....... Centrodraco ornatus (Fourmanoir & Rivaton, 1979) (female)

22b. Body colouration not as described above; either plain brown or whitish, or with groups of short transverse streaks, or with pale brown spots in two distinct groups........ 23

23a. Caudal fin pale, without any dark markings; body usually with pale brown spots in two distinct groups; off northwestern Australia............................................. Centrodraco insolitus (McKay, 1971) (female) 23b. Caudal fin with a basal dark blotch; body plain brown or with groups of short longitudinal transverse streaks; Pacific. ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 24

24a. Body light, with a group of short transverse streaks under anterior half of second dorsal fin; dorsal part of caudal fin with a short dark streak; rays in distal half of second dorsal fin without filaments; Philippines..................

.................. Centrodraco abstractum Fricke, 2002 24b. Body plain brown; dorsal part of caudal fin pale; rays in distal half of second dorsal fin filamentous; southeastern Pacific..... Centrodraco gegonipus (Parin, 1982) (female)

Acknowledgments. – I would like to thank the following individuals for information, loan of specimens, and permission to examine specimens under their care: D.F. Hoese, J. Leis, M. McGrouther, J. Paxton ( AMS); O. Crimmen, M. Holloway, J. Maclaine, N. Merrett, A.C. Wheeler, P.J.P. Whitehead (†) ( BMNH); J.E. Randall , A.Y. Suzumoto ( BPBM); O. Okamura ( BSKU); W.N. Eschmeyer, T . Iwamoto ( CAS); T . Nakabo ( FAKU); K. Amaoka ( HUMZ); N. V . Parin (†) ( IOAN); K.E. Hartel ( MCZ); M. Biscoito, G.E. Maul (†) ( MMF); W.-J. Chen ( NTUM); M.E. Anderson, P.C. Heemstra ( SAIAB); N.J. Wilimovsky ( UBC); G. Burgess, C. R . Gilbert ( UF); V . G. Springer, J. T . Williams ( USNM); G. R . Allen, J.B. Hutchins ( WAM); A. Andriashev (†) ( ZISP); H.-J. Paepke ( ZMB); E. Ber- telsen (†), P. R . Møller, J.G. Nielsen ( ZMUC); T . Abe (†), Y. Tominaga (†) ( ZUMT). I am especially grateful to C. Fricke for translating the abstract in French and to W.-J. Chen ( NTUM) for his hospitality during a visit in Taiwan, and for providing access to the material, catalogue numbers and information. Regarding the collection of the type series, W.-J. Chen’s gratitude extends to the crews of the R / V Alis and participants of the oceanographic cruise (campaign: EXBODI; PIs, Sarah Samadi and Laure Corbari) involved in organizing the survey and the capture of the samples. The EXBODI has been supported by UMS Flotte océanographique française.