Apterichtus hatookai Hibino, Shibata & Kimura 2014

Hibino, Yusuke, 2015, A review of the finless snake eels of the genus Apterichtus (Anguilliformes: Ophichthidae), with the description of five new species, Zootaxa 3941 (1), pp. 49-78 : 62

Apterichtus hatookai Hibino, Shibata & Kimura 2014

Figure 1 , Table 1

Apterichtus klazingai (non Weber): Takagi et al. 2010:18 (Ainan, Ehime Prefecture, Japan).

Apterichtus hatookai Hibino, Shibata & Kimura 2014 : (p. 2, published online and lacking pagination) (type locality Ehime Prefecture, Shikoku Island, Japan, holotype OMNH-P 13794).

Diagnosis. An elongate species with: tail 1.6–1.7, head 17–20, and body depth 67–111 in total length; 4 preopercular pores and 7 pores in supratemporal canal; teeth conical, uniserial on jaws and vomer; a single vomerine tooth; body coloration yellowish brown to dark brown with small black punctuations, pale brown blotches on head and breast; fresh specimens have reddish brown blotches, slightly paler along mid-flanks, brilliant orange blotches on head ( Fig. 1 ) and breast, some larger than eye; and MVF 54–139, total vertebrae 137–141 (n=4).

Size. The largest specimen is 534 mm TL, sex unknown. The paratype OMNH-P 13802, 519 mm TL, is a female with unripened eggs.

Distribution. Known from western Shikoku and Honshu Islands, Japan, and from SE Fujian, China. Obtained in fish markets and collected and photographed over sandy bottoms at 4–17 m depth (KPM-NR 1360, 7818, 21557, 26782, 39713, 61174, 61179, 61184, 66376, 89201, and 91033).

Remarks. This recently described species differs from its congeners in a combination of characters including its cephalic pore numbers, vertebral counts, body proportions, and its vivid orange-blotched coloration in life.

Material examined. 5 specimens, 265–534 mm TL, including OMNH-P 13794, 478.5 mm TL, the holotype, Morode, Ainan, Minami-uwa, Ehime Prefecture, Shikoku Island, Japan, 4– 5 m. And paratypes: FRLM 9344, 265.0 mm TL, Kumano Basin, Mie Prefecture, Honshu Island, Japan; HUMZ 207074, 418.5 mm TL, Honshu Island, Japan; OMNH-P 13802, 519.4 mm TL, Morode, Ainan, Mina Uwa , Ehime Prefecture, Shikoku Island, Japan, 7 m. NTOU AE 6661, 534 mm TL, SE Fujian, China, date and further collection data unknown.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Underwater photograph of living Apterichtus hatookai, taken by J. Shibata at 7 m at Shikohu Island, Japan. Courtesy of Ichthyological Society of Japan