Review of the batfish genus Halicmetus Alcock, 1891 from Australian waters, with descriptions of two new species (Lophiiformes: Ogcocephalidae)
Author
Ho, Hsuan-Ching
Author
Last, Peter R.
text
Zootaxa
2018
2018-10-31
4508
2
179
196
journal article
28052
10.11646/zootaxa.4508.2.2
cf4afb1e-da33-46d0-a3de-3e5092b4de01
1175-5326
2606976
28A35297-48D9-4CEE-97A7-B294C2D271E5
Halicmetus niger
Ho, Endo & Sakamaki, 2008
Vernacular name: Black Shortnose Seabst
Figure 7
Halicmetus nigra
Ho, Endo & Sakamaki, 2008
:768
, figs. 1, 4A, 5A (
type
locality: Central Tosa Bay, off
Kochi
, Shikoku Island,
Japan
, depth ~
500 m
).
Halicmetus niger
:
Ho & Shao, 2011
:37
(name emmendation).
Material examined.
10 specimens
,
46.7–87.2 mm
SL.
AMS
I.29756007 (1, 87.2,
paratype
), FRV
Kapala
sta. K
89-15-04
,
eastern Broken Bay
, bottom trawl,
33°38’S
,
152°0’E
,
677–750 m
,
4 Aug. 1989
;
AMS
I.30304003 (2, 53.9–60.6,
paratypes
), FRV
Kapala
sta. K
89-17-09
,
eastern Cape Hawke
,
32°13’S
,
153°6’E
,
820–857 m
,
17 Aug. 1989
.
AMS
I.20920019 (6, 46.7–58.9,
paratypes
),
6–17.6 km
NE of
Raine
I.,
11°32’S
,
144°10’E
, 1 prawn trawl,
1000 m
,
12 Feb. 1979
.
CSIRO
H.4070-48 (1, 74.7), NNW of
Port Hedland
,
18°12’S
,
118°14’E
,
269 m
,
8 Sep. 1995
.
Diagnosis.
A species of
Halicmetus
distinguished by the following combination of characters: disk moderately broad, 62–71% SL; orbit very large, 78.9–11.6% SL; interorbit broad, 6.1–8.1% SL; illicial trough opening low; mid-dorsal disk covered with mixed simple and multicuspid spinules; tiny bucklers evenly distributed on dorsal surface, imperceptible without magnification; belly covered with closely spaced, simple spinules and slightly larger, scattered multicuspid tubercles; dorsal-fin rays absent; pectoral-fin rays 12–15 (modally 13–14); uniformly black dorsally, paler grayish ventrally; peritoneal membrane with dense coverage of melanophores; fins dark banded or black.
Remarks.
The diagnosis given above is consistent with the description of this species provided by
Ho
et al.
(2008)
. The name is apparently an adjective and should be spelled
niger
when in
Halicmetus
.