Uranoscopus kishimotoi, Fricke, 2018

Fricke, Ronald, 2018, Two new species of stargazers of the genus Uranoscopus (Teleostei: Uranoscopidae) from the western Pacific Ocean, Zootaxa 4476 (1), pp. 157-167 : 162-166

Uranoscopus kishimotoi new species

Tube-nosed stargazer

( Figures 2 C–D , 5 , 6 ; Table 1)

ZooBank: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:E5FCF8C0-51F6-4454-9A5B-9DB24D19081F

Uranoscopus sp. 1: Kishimoto 2001: 3529.

Material. Holotype: NTUM 12420 , 92.4 mm SL, western Pacific , Papua New Guinea , West Sepik Province, 21.7 km northwest of Tadji , 03°03'S 142°19'E, 300̄ 308 m depth, St. CP 4053K, " Our Planet Reviewed " PAPUA NIUGINI 2012 Biodiversity Expedition, R / V Alis, 20 Dec. 2012 .

Diagnosis. A small species of Uranoscopus with a moderately large head (head length 3.1 in SL); lower edge of preopercle with 3 spines; no labial fimbriae; both anterior and posterior nostrils with long tubiform valves; supracleithrum with a sharp spine at rear end and one additional small spine inside; dorso-posterior margin of pectoral fin concave; 59 oblique scale-rows along the sides of the body in adult; upper pectoral-fin membranes pale, lower membranes brown.

Description. Morphometric and meristic data are presented in Table 1.

Dorsal fin V + i,14; anal fin i,12; pectoral fin i,9,viii (totally 18); pelvic fin I,5; caudal fin (iii),i,10,i,(iii). Vertebrae 11 + 14.

Head moderate, anterior part of body relatively narrow, slightly compressed, body tapering and becoming strongly compressed posteriorly. Body scales arranged in 59 oblique rows. Head, breast and belly naked. Nape with embedded scales which are barely visible. Tubiform scales embedded along lateral line. Lateral line positioned dorsally, slightly bending down on caudal peduncle to continue in an extension on the fifth branched caudal-fin ray (counted from above), extending along the basal one third of that ray. Spines 1–4 in first dorsal fin well developed, connected by membranes; rudimentary 5th element covered by skin. First element of second dorsal fin segmented and unbranched. Membranes of anal and paired fins fleshy and thickened. Pectoral fin broad, dorsoposterior margin concave, forming an angle of about 40° between upper edge and middle ray, remainder of distal margin straight, 10th ray longest ( Fig. 2 C ). Soft dorsal and anal-fin bases moderately long, height of soft dorsal-fin 1.9 in second dorsal-fin base length, height of anal fin 3.4 in anal-fin base length. Caudal fin distally convex. Pelvic fins situated on isthmus; distance between pelvic fin bases about half a pelvic-fin base length. Pelvic spine feeble, closely connected to 1st soft-ray by connective tissue.

Head flattened dorsolaterally, dorsal and lateral surfaces almost entirely encased in minutely sculptured bones.

Externally apparent bones of head not concave but flattened along mid-dorsal line. Preorbital spines 3, the upper two spines forming small knobs near anterior margin of orbit ( Fig. 2 D ). Single pair of basipterygial processes widely separated. Joints of head bone elements not marked by grooves. Post-interorbital knobs absent from frontal bone. Parietal bone not separated into lobes. Eye small, positioned dorsally, slightly telescopic, without membranous tentacle or grainy row. Interorbital fossa semi-oval, longer than broad including most of interorbital space, nearly reaching to level of posterior end of orbit ( Fig. 5 B ). Supracleithrum with a sharp spine at rear end and one additional small spine inside. Nasal bone weakly ossified, not exposed, covered by skin of snout. Frontal bones not forming a supraorbital tubercule. Both anterior and posterior nostrils with long tubiform valves ( Fig. 2 D ). No chin barbel or cirri on branchiostegal membrane. Prelingual filament reduced to a barely distinguishable triangular velum. Opercle distinctly shorter than deep; subopercle without ventral thickening, not overlapping opercle. Preopercle without a ventro-lateral thickening. Lower edge of preopercle with 3 large spines. Respiratory valves well developed. Dentary without a ventromedial flange. Teeth in jaws small, conical, in two series; one series of widely separated caniniform teeth on dentary, no caniniform but small villiform teeth on premaxillary; no labial fimbriae.

Colour in life (see Fig. 6 ). Dorsal parts of head brown, and of body dark brown, with irregular large yellowish blotches, turning to oblique yellowish to rose streaks on the sides of the body. Belly, thorax and pectoral-fin base rose. Eye dark brown. First dorsal-fin black. Second dorsal, anal and caudal fin rose. Pectoral fins red. Pelvic fins rose.

Colour in preservative. Head yellowish; upper half of body brown, with numerous, closely set, pale blotches; ventral half of body yellowish, belly whitish. Eyes dark grey. First dorsal fin jet black; second dorsal fin pale, rays light grey. Anal fin yellowish, membranes whitish. Caudal-fin rays yellow, distally grey, membranes translucent. Pectoral-fin rays yellow, spotted with brown, upper membranes pale, lower membranes brown, tips of lower rays and membranes pale yellow. Pelvic fins yellow.

Etymology. The new species is named in honour of Hirokazu Kishimoto, appreciating his important research on uranoscopids; he already recognised the existence of the two new species which are described in the present paper.

Distribution. Papua New Guinea (West Sepik), Indonesia (Lombok), Hong Kong (see Kishimoto 2001: 3529; updated). Found on soft bottoms of lower continental shelf; known depth range 300̄ 308 m.

Comparisons. This new species is a member of the Uranoscopus albesca species-group (comparison of the species of this group see Tab. 2). Uranoscopus kishimotoi n. sp. exclusively possesses within the group a compressed head (other species depressed or as broad as deep), 3 spines on the lower margin of the preopercle (other species 4–8), a single small additional spine on the inner side of the supracleithrun (other species 2–5), and a long, tubiform valve on the posterior nostril (other species with a slit-like pore, without a valve).

Remarks. This species was briefly described from Hong Kong and Lombok ( Indonesia) by Kishimoto (2001: 3529) as Uranoscopus sp. 1.

Uranoscopus kishimotoi n. sp. lives relatively deep, at a known depth range of 300–308 metres. Kishimoto (2001) reports a maximum total length of 18 cm, which would equal a maximum standard length of about 14 cm. The new species is close to U. brunneus n. sp. in having a high number of lateral scale rows and a very long cleithral spine.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Pectoral-fin shapes and nostril shapes of Uranoscopus brunneus n. sp. and U. kishimotoi n. sp. A Left pectoral fin of U. brunneus n. sp.; scale indicates 4 mm. B Nostrils and preorbital spines of U. brunneus n. sp.; scale indicates 3 mm. C Left pectoral fin of U. kishimotoi n. sp.; scale indicates 3 mm. D Nostrils and preorbital spines of U. kishimotoi n. sp.; scale indicates 2 mm. [A anterior nostril; P posterior nostril; PO1 preorbital spine 1; PO2 preorbital spine 2; PO3 preorbital spine 3.]

FIGURE 5. Uranoscopus kishimotoi n. sp., NTUM 12420, holotype, 92.4 mm SL, western Pacific, Papua New Guinea, West Sepik Province. A Lateral view. B Head, dorsal view. Scale 5 mm.

FIGURE 6. Uranoscopus kishimotoi n. sp., NTUM 12420, holotype, 92.4 mm SL, western Pacific, Papua New Guinea, West Sepik Province. Dorsolateral view. Colouration immediately after collection. (Photograph: J.-N. Chen).