Malthopsis formosa

description

Description. Morphometric and meristic data are provided in Table 1. Body depressed, disk markedly triangular in dorsal view, cranium elevated above general surface of other parts of disk; caudal peduncle cylindrical, tapering posteriorly; rostrum small, its base moderately wide of genus, terminal spine conical, directed forward horizontally (Fig. 4 A), distinctly overhanging illicial cavity and beyond the mouth; rostrum relatively short, eye diameter / rostral length 1.9 (1.4 – 1.7 in paratypes); eye relatively small, its diameter 12.6 % SL (12.7 % – 14.0 % SL), directed dorsolaterally; no pupillary operculum; interorbital space moderately wide, its width 6.8 % (5.9 – 8.1 % SL), shallowly concave (Fig. 4 B); illicial cavity a small rounded cave, relatively broad in outline, about as wide as high; esca a single oval bulb, bearing 2 small cirri on dorsal margin; mouth small, terminal; small villiform teeth on jaws forming narrow bands, those on fifth ceratobranchial forming 2 large and elongated patches close together, and teeth on vomer and palatines in quadrangular patch. Scales on body surface in the form of bucklers, moderately low and pointed (Fig. 3), mostly associated with la

A new Malthopsis batfish from Taiwan, with comments on Malthopsis tiarella Jordan, 1902 (Lophiiformes: Ogcocephalidae)

diagnosis

Diagnosis. A species of Malthopsis with numerous small prickle-like bucklers on ventral surface, and distinguished from other congeners in having the following combination of characters: dorsal-fin rays 5; pectoral-fin rays 11 – 12; rostral spine directed forward horizontally; principal bucklers on dorsal surface relatively low, few in number and scattered in arrangement; body densely covered by small prickle-like bucklers; head length 27.1 – 29.1 % SL; posterior tip of appressed anal fin not reaching caudal-fin base.

A new Malthopsis batfish from Taiwan, with comments on Malthopsis tiarella Jordan, 1902 (Lophiiformes: Ogcocephalidae)

distribution

Distribution. Known only from the type series collected from off southwestern Taiwan; rarely seen in bycatch of bottom trawlers. Comparison. Malthopsis formosa is similar to Malthopsis tiarella (Figs. 5 – 7) and M. kobayashii (Figs. 8 – 9) in squamation and coloration. However, these three species differ from each other in several ways. Malthopsis tiarella has a naked interorbital space, membrane above eye with a single row of a few bucklers (naked elsewhere), large naked areas on throat and outer surface of gill chamber, compared with more numerous small prickle-like bucklers in these areas in two other species. Moreover, the relatively more fin rays (6 or 7 in dorsal fin and 13 or 14 in pectoral fin) can also separate it from two other species. Both M. formosa and M. kobayashii have 5 dorsal-fin rays (rarely 4 or 6 in M. kobayashii), 11 or 12 pectoral-fin rays, and uniformly grayish dorsal surface with some irregular blackish spots at central portion of disk. Malthopsis formosa differs from M. kobayashii in having the rostral spine directed forward horizontally (vs. rather upward; Figs. 8 B, 9 A); body loosely covered with principal bucklers (vs. densely and heavily covered with

A new Malthopsis batfish from Taiwan, with comments on Malthopsis tiarella Jordan, 1902 (Lophiiformes: Ogcocephalidae)

etymology

Etymology. The specific name is derived from Formosa, meaning beautiful in Portuguese, and an old name for Taiwan.

A new Malthopsis batfish from Taiwan, with comments on Malthopsis tiarella Jordan, 1902 (Lophiiformes: Ogcocephalidae)