A Review of the Snailfishes (Liparidae, Scorpaeniformes) of New Zealand, Including Descriptions of a New Genus and Sixteen New Species
Author
Stein, David L.
text
Zootaxa
2012
3588
1
54
journal article
10.5281/zenodo.283120
62898615-ab09-4d0a-9341-9cbece286c1a
1175-5326
283120
Notoliparis
Andriashev 1975
Diagnosis.
Ventral sucking disk present. Nostrils single. Pseudobranchs and pleural ribs absent. Two nasal, five infraorbital, seven preoperculo-mandibular pores. Additional unpaired coronal, paired postcoronal, and five pairs of post temporal pores present. Eyes small, reduced to about 2.5% SL. Anus posterior to disk by a distance greater than disk length. Vertebrae 53–65. Caudal fin of 13–14 rays.
Distribution.
Three species known from the Southern Hemisphere, one from
New Zealand
waters (
Fig. 11
).
FIGURE 11.
Collection locations of
Notoliparis kermadecensis
. Filled circle: Holotype, ZMUC P 82217 and paratypes P 82218–8221; Empty circle: newly collected specimens.
Notoliparis kermadecensis
(
Nielsen 1964
)
Figs. 12
,
13
,
14
“Species of
Liparidae
”
Wolff 1961
: 283.
Careproctus kermadecensis
Nielsen 1964
: 117
, fig. 5
Notoliparis kermadecensis
Andriashev 1975
: 315
;
Andriashev 1978
: 159
;
Andriashev 2003
: 199
, figs. 103, 104;
Jamieson
et al.
2009
: 1041
, fig. 4.
Holotype
.
ZMUC
P 82217, female,
252 mm
SL, ~
275 mm
TL, 35°51ʹ S, 178°31ʹ W, Kermadec Trench,
20 February 1952
,
HDMS
Galathea
, Stn.
658, 6660–
6670 m
.
Material examined.
None.
Diagnosis.
(modified from
Andriashev 2003
). Vertebrae 65, dorsal fin rays 57, anal fin rays 53, caudal fin rays 14, pectoral fin rays 32–33. Head width about equal to its length. Posterior edge of disk directly below upper part of pectoral fin base. Pectoral fin short, its posterior end far anterior to anal fin origin. Head 19–21%, preanal 45–48% (
37 in
juvenile), disk 5–7% SL (
7.1 in
juvenile).
Distribution.
Known only from the Kermadec Trench at depths between
6660–7261 m
.
Comments.
A total of
12 specimens
of
N. kermadecensis
have been collected. The initial collection (
Nielsen 1964
) included five specimens, ranging in length from approximately
50 to 258 mm
SL. Recently, seven more specimens were collected by trapping in the Kermadec Trench. These latter specimens are in much better condition than the older ones, and allow collecting significant additional data on the morphology, physiology, and biology of
N. kermadecensis
. Their data will be published separately in a paper including a complete redescription of the species.
This species is not only the deepest known liparid species from the
New Zealand
EEZ, it is one of the deepest living fishes.