Phylogeny Reconciles Classification in Antarctic Plunderfishes
Author
Parker, Elyse
Author
Near, Thomas J.
text
Ichthyology & Herpetology
2022
2022-11-03
110
4
662
674
http://dx.doi.org/10.1643/i2021126
journal article
10.1643/i2021126
2766-1520
7846951
Neodraco
,
new genus
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:
489B040E-2B31-48C9-A814- C77310289EDB
Type
species.—
Artedidraco skottsbergi
(
Lönnberg, 1905: 48–49
;
Fig. 1
).
Definition.—
The least inclusive clade that includes
Neodraco skottsbergi
(
Lönnberg, 1905
)
and
Neodraco loennbergi
(
Roule, 1913
)
. The reference phylogeny is one inferred from the min84 dataset (including DNA sequences of 64,980 ddRAD loci) presented in
Figure 2
.
Diagnosis.—
First dorsal fin with two to three spines, second dorsal fin with 24 to 28 rays, anal fin with 14 to 17 rays, and pectoral fin with 17 to 21 rays. The upper lateral line has 2 to 9 anterior tubular scales and 1 to 16 posterior disc-shaped scales. Number of vertebrae ranges between 36 and 40. In the caudal skeleton, the parhypural and lower hypural plate are fused with the urostyle (
Eakin, 1981
). The depth of the head is similar to the body depth to the caudal peduncle. The diameter of the orbit exceeds the length of the snout. The interorbital width is narrow, ranging 13 to 24 times smaller than the head length. The mental barbel is short, ranging between 3.8 to 11.0 times smaller than the head length. There are 6 to 8 dark patches of pigment at the bases of the two dorsal fins that form saddles when viewed from above (
Eakin, 1990
).
Comparisons.—
Neodraco
is distinguished from species of
Artedidraco
in having 2 to 9 tubular scales in the upper
lateral line (more than
6 in
the latter), with the tubular scale row not extending beyond the first ray of the second dorsal fin (upper lateral line extends well under the dorsal fin in
Artedidraco
), 17 or 18 gill rakers on the first gill arch (
13 to 16 in
Artedidraco
), and two to three spines in the first dorsal fin (three to five in
Artedidraco
;
Eakin, 1981
,
1990
;
Eakin et al., 2015
).
Neodraco
differs from
Dolloidraco longedorsalis
in having fewer than 8 tubular scales in the upper lateral line and the first dorsal fin is positioned above the base of the pectoral fin versus 8 to 18 tubular upper lateral-line scales and the placement of the first dorsal fin above the operculum in
D. longedorsalis
(
Norman, 1938
;
Eakin, 1990
).
Neodraco
is distinguished from
Histiodraco velifer
and species of
Pogonophryne
by the absence of post-temporal ridges (
Norman, 1938
;
Eakin, 1990
).
Etymology.—
From the Ancient Greek words
me
´oç (neos) meaning new and
dqajxm
´(dracon) meaning dragon. The name
Neodraco
highlights that this is a newly-described lineage of Artedidraconinae identified through the application of molecular phylogenetics (
Derome et al., 2002
;
Lecointre et al., 2011
;
Near et al., 2012
,
2018
).