Epigonus okamotoi (Perciformes: Epigonidae), a junior synonym of E. draco, with new distributional records for E. atherinoides and E. lifouensis in the West Pacific

Epigonus okamotoi Fricke, 2017 was originally described on the basis of a single specimen collected from New Britain, Papua New Guinea during one of the exploratory cruises (campaign: MADEEP) in 2014 organized under the Tropical Deep-Sea Benthos program. However, there are no clear differences in the meristic and morphometric characters between the holotype of the new species and specimens of E. draco Okamoto, 2015, including two additional specimens of the species found in the ichthyological collections in the NTUM. The genetic distance (p-distance) between the two “species” at the COI locus was negligible. Accordingly, the holotype of E. okamotoi is considered to be a specimen of E. draco, and the former nominal species is reduced to a junior synonym of E. draco. In addition, we rediagnose and report new distributional records for E. atherinoides (Gilbert, 1905) and E. lifouensis Okamoto & Motomura, 2013 in the West Pacific.

Download Full-text

A new species of sinistral flatfish of the genus Chascanopsetta (Teleostei: Bothidae) from off Papua New Guinea, western Pacific Ocean

Zootaxa ◽

10.11646/zootaxa.4476.1.16 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 4476 (1) ◽

pp. 168

Author(s):

PAKORN TONGBOONKUA ◽

MAO-YING LEE ◽

WEI-JEN CHEN

Keyword(s):

New Species ◽

Papua New Guinea ◽

Dna Sequences ◽

Taxonomic Status ◽

New Guinea ◽

Coi Gene ◽

Phylogenetic Position ◽

Nominal Species ◽

The West ◽

West Pacific

Left-eyed flounders of the genus Chascanopsetta Alcock 1894 (Bothidae) occur in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans at depths ranging from 120 to 1500 meters. They possess some unique features in bothid fishes including a strongly compressed and elongated body and a tremendously large mouth. Currently, nine species of Chascanopsetta are recognized, and three of them (C. micrognatha Amaoka & Yamamoto 1984, C. lugubris Alcock 1894 and C. prognatha Norman 1939) are distributed in the West Pacific. We collected 25 specimens of Chascanopsetta during 11 biodiversity expeditions carried out mainly in the West Pacific. Among them, eight specimens taken off Papua New Guinea present morphological features that differ from those of the three nominal species known in the West Pacific. In this study, we examined these eight specimens of unknown affinity and compared their morphology to that of specimens of other congeneric species. Results of these comparisons showed that these specimens represent an undescribed species of Chascanopsetta, named herein, C. novaeguineae sp. nov.. The new species resembles C. elski Foroshchuk 1991, which is known only from the Saya de Malha Bank in the western Indian Ocean, in having a high number of gill rakers (> 13). However, the combination of the following characters further distinguishes C. novaeguineae sp. nov. from C. elski: longer jaws, narrower interorbital width, and number of pseudobranches (21–25 vs. 26–27). The DNA sequences from the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) gene from C. novaeguineae sp. nov. and other species were obtained and compared to confirm its taxonomic status and to infer its tentative phylogenetic position within the Chascanopsetta.

Download Full-text

Deep-sea chitons from sunken wood in the West Pacific (Mollusca: Polyplacophora: Lepidopleurida): taxonomy, distribution, and seven new species

Zootaxa ◽

10.11646/zootaxa.3195.1.1 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 3195 (1) ◽

pp. 1 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

JULIA D. SIGWART ◽

BORIS I. SIRENKO

Keyword(s):

New Species ◽

Deep Sea ◽

Solomon Islands ◽

The Philippines ◽

Identification Key ◽

Sensory Function ◽

The West ◽

West Pacific ◽

Important Habitat

Natural deposits of sunken wood provide an important habitat for deep-sea invertebrates. Deep-sea chitons in the primitiveorder Lepidopleurida are typically collected rarely and as single specimens. However, these animals have been recoveredin large densities associated with sunken wood in the tropical West Pacific, in groups of up to 50 individuals. Four deep-sea expeditions in the West Pacific, to the Philippines, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu, recovered a large number of poly-placophorans. We have examined the morphology as well as the range and distribution of these species, based on the larg-est collection ever examined (more than 1300 individuals). These species show potentially adapted characters associatedwith exploitation of sunken wood as habitat, such as protruding caps on sensory shell pores (aesthetes) and large interseg-mental bristles with potential sensory function. In this study we investigated the twenty-two species recovered, includingseven newly described here (Leptochiton consimilis n. sp., L. angustidens n. sp., L. dykei n. sp., L. samadiae n. sp., L.longisetosus n. sp., L. clarki n. sp., L. schwabei n. sp.), and provide the first identification key to the 34 lepidopleuran chitons known from sunken wood worldwide.

Download Full-text

Phylogeny and Biogeography of Branchipolynoe (Polynoidae, Phyllodocida, Aciculata, Annelida), with Descriptions of Five New Species from Methane Seeps and Hydrothermal Vents

Diversity ◽

10.3390/d11090153 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (9) ◽

pp. 153 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Johanna Lindgren ◽

Avery S. Hatch ◽

Stephané Hourdez ◽

Charlotte A. Seid ◽

Greg W. Rouse

Keyword(s):

New Species ◽

Papua New Guinea ◽

Hydrothermal Vents ◽

Costa Rican ◽

Methane Seeps ◽

The West ◽

West Pacific ◽

Mitochondrial Coi ◽

The North ◽

Nuclear Its

The four named species of Branchipolynoe all live symbiotically in mytilid mussels (Bathymodiolus) that occur at hydrothermal vents or methane seeps. Analyses using mitochondrial (COI and 16S) and nuclear (ITS) genes, as well as morphology, were conducted on a collection of Branchipolynoe from Pacific Costa Rican methane seeps and West Pacific hydrothermal vents. This revealed five new species of Branchipolynoe, and these are formally described. The new species from Costa Rica live in three species of Bathymodiolus mussels (also new) at depths ranging from 1000 to 1800 m. Branchipolynoe kajsae n. sp. and Branchipolynoe halliseyae n. sp. were found in all three undescribed Bathymodiolus species, while Branchipolynoe eliseae n. sp. was found in Bathymodiolus spp. 1 and 2, and Branchipolynoe meridae n. sp. was found in Bathymodiolus spp. 1 and 3. Hence, Bathymodiolus sp. 1 hosted all four of the new species, while the other two Bathymodiolus hosted three each. Most mussels contained only one specimen of Branchipolynoe; where there was more than one, these were often a female and smaller male of the same species. The newly discovered species from the West Pacific, Branchipolynoe tjiasmantoi n. sp., lives in unidentified Bathymodiolus at depths ranging from 674 to 2657 m from hydrothermal vents in the North Fiji (Fiji) and Lau Basins (Tonga) and also from New Zealand, Vanuatu, and the Manus Basin (Papua New Guinea). The phylogenetic and biogeographical implications of this diversity of Branchipolynoe are discussed.

Download Full-text

Two new species of the family Leptochitonidae (Mollusca: Polyplacophora) from the tropical and subtropical shallow waters of the West Pacific

Бюллетень Дальневосточного малакологического общества ◽

10.24866/1560-8425/2020-24/19-36 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 24 (1/2) ◽

pp. 19-36

Author(s):

Boris I. Sirenko ◽

Hiroshi Saito

Keyword(s):

New Species ◽

Papua New Guinea ◽

New Guinea ◽

The Philippines ◽

Shallow Waters ◽

Ryukyu Islands ◽

The West ◽

West Pacific ◽

The Family ◽

Two New Species

Two new species of the family Leptochitonidae, Leptochiton pumilus sp. nov. and Terenochiton nomurai sp. nov. are described from the tropical and subtropical shallow waters of the West Pacific. L. pumilus from the Philippines and Papua New Guinea has a net-like sculpture on the shell which is rather rare feature in the genus. In this genus, so far only three species have hitherto been known in the tropical shallow waters, in contrast to more than 130 other extant species which are living in the deep cold waters and high latitudes. T. nomurai from Ryukyu Islands is the second representative of the genus Terenochiton Iredale, 1914 which was recently reinstated for Leptochiton norfolcensis (Hedley et Hull, 1912), and is characterized by having rudiments of the insertion plates in all valves. T. nomurai closely resembles the type species, but differs in the arrangement of the aesthete pores on the granules of the tegmentum, and less developed rudiments of the insertion plates. Key words: chitons, Leptochiton, Terenochiton, new species, the Philippines, Japan, Papua New Guinea. Описаны два новых вида семейства Leptochitonidae, Leptochiton pumilus sp. nov. и Terenochiton nomurai sp. nov. из тропических и субтропических мелководий западной Пацифики. L. pumilus c Филиппин и Папуа – Новой Гвинеи имеет сетчатовидную скульптуру на раковине, что является довольно редким признаком в этом роде. В этом роде только три вида известны до настоящего времени в тропических мелководьях, в противоположность более чем 130 другим современным видам, которые живут в глубоких холодных водах и в высоких широтах. T. nomurai из островов Рюкю является вторым представителем рода Terenochiton Iredale, 1914, который был недавно восстановлен для Leptochiton norfolcensis (Hedley et Hull, 1912) и характеризуется наличием рудиментов инсерционных пластинок на всех щитках. T. nomurai сходен с типовым видом рода, но отличается расположением пор эстетов на зернах тегментума и менее развитыми рудиментами инсерционных пластинок. Ключевые слова: хитоны, Leptochiton, Terenochiton, новые виды, Филиппины, Япония, Папуа Новая Гвинея.

Download Full-text

Gibbosaverruca weijiai, a new verrucid (Crustacea, Thoracica) species from the Weijia Guyot deep-sea seamount in the West Pacific

European Journal of Taxonomy ◽

10.5852/ejt.2021.739.1273 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 739 ◽

Author(s):

Zhibin Gan ◽

Dongsheng Zhang ◽

Xinzheng Li ◽

Chunsheng Wang

Keyword(s):

New Species ◽

Deep Sea ◽

Shell Morphology ◽

Future Research ◽

Caudal Appendage ◽

The West ◽

West Pacific ◽

Extant Species ◽

A New Species ◽

Rrna Sequences

A new species of verrucid barnacle, Gibbosaverruca weijiai sp. nov., is described and illustrated based on specimens collected from a deep-sea seamount, Weijia Guyot, in the West Pacific. This is the third barnacle species reported from Weijia Guyot. The new species is distinguished from its congeners by its extremely long caudal appendage. In terms of shell morphology, G. weijiai sp. nov. is most similar to G. gibbosa and G. sulcata but differs from them by the intermediate articular ridges of its movable tergum and scutum, which are distinctly wider than the axial ridges. The COI and 16S rRNA sequences of the holotype of G. weijiai sp. nov. are presented to support future research, and a key to extant species of the genus Gibbosaverruca Young, 2002 is provided.

Download Full-text

The centipede genus Otostigmus Porat in Brazil: Description of three new species from the Atlantic Forest; a summary and an identification key to the Brazilian species of this genus (Chilopoda, Scolopendromorpha, Scolopendridae, Otostigminae)

Zootaxa ◽

10.11646/zootaxa.3280.1.1 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 3280 (1) ◽

pp. 1 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

AMAZONAS CHAGAS-JÚNIOR

Keyword(s):

New Species ◽

Atlantic Forest ◽

The State ◽

Junior Synonym ◽

Identification Key ◽

Nominal Species ◽

Brazilian Atlantic Forest ◽

Three New Species ◽

First Time ◽

New Distribution

Three new species of Otostigmus Porat, 1876 from Brazilian Atlantic Forest are described. Otostigmus beckeri sp. n. andO. lanceolatus sp. n. are described from the state of Bahia and O. giupponii sp. n. from the state of Espírito Santo. InBrazil, the otostigmine scolopendrid genus Otostigmus comprises 22 species. A summary of Brazilian Otostigmus speciesis presented with new distribution records, taxonomic remarks when appropriate and an identification key. Otostigmus sul-catus Meinert, 1886 is recorded for the first time from Brazil; the Andean Otostigmus silvestrii Kraepelin 1903, previouslyrecorded from Brazil, is here considered not to be present in this country. Eight nominal species are regarded here as newsynonyms. Five of them—Otostigmus pradoi Bücherl, 1939, O. longistigma Bücherl, 1939, O. longipes Bücherl, 1939,O. langei Bücherl, 1946 and O. dentifusus Bücherl, 1946—are based on females of O. tibialis Brölemann, 1902. O. latipesBücherl, 1954 is conspecific with and is considered a junior synonym of O. sulcatus Meinert, 1886; O. limbatus diminutusBücherl, 1946 is a junior synonym of O. limbatus Meinert, 1886 and O. fossulatus Attems, 1928 is a junior synonym of O. goeldii Brölemann, 1898. A lectotype is designated for O. goeldii.

Download Full-text

A pyrene-degrading consortium from deep-sea sediment of the West Pacific and its key memberCycloclasticussp. P1

Environmental Microbiology ◽

10.1111/j.1462-2920.2008.01611.x ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 10 (8) ◽

pp. 1948-1963 ◽

Cited By ~ 126

Author(s):

Baojiang Wang ◽

Qiliang Lai ◽

Zhisong Cui ◽

Tianfeng Tan ◽

Zongze Shao

Keyword(s):

Deep Sea ◽

The West ◽

West Pacific ◽

Deep Sea Sediment

Download Full-text

A revision of the gobiid fish genus Pseudogobius (Teleostei, Gobiidae, Tridentigerinae), with description of seven new species from Australia and South-east Asia

Zootaxa ◽

10.11646/zootaxa.4961.1.1 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 4961 (1) ◽

pp. 1-85

Author(s):

HELEN K. LARSON ◽

MICHAEL P. HAMMER

Keyword(s):

New Species ◽

Feedback Loop ◽

Valid Species ◽

Nominal Species ◽

Type Specimens ◽

Gobiid Fish ◽

West Pacific ◽

Close Proximity ◽

Tropical Areas ◽

Initial Focus

The tridentigerine genus Pseudogobius is widespread, from temperate to tropical areas of the Indo-west Pacific. A morphological review of the genus was carried out, with the initial focus on South-east Asian and Australian species. There are about 21 nominal species in the genus; however, the type specimens for some nominal species are missing. Our work recognises 15 valid species so far, including seven new species, which are described herein: P. aquilonius n. sp., P. cinctus n. sp., P. eos n. sp., P. hoesei n. sp., P. jeffi n. sp., P. rhizophora n. sp. and P. verticalis n. sp. We also conclude that P. poicilosoma (Bleeker, 1849) is the senior synonym of P. javanicus (Bleeker, 1856). Pseudogobius poicilosoma, P. gastrospilos (Bleeker, 1853) and P. javanicus are accepted here as conspecific, although the types are in poor condition (note that all three names were given to specimens collected within close proximity to each other in coastal Java, Indonesia). A key to valid species is presented. The revision benefited from an adaptive feedback loop with companion genetic analyses, with the most comprehensive data available for the Australian region. Broader preliminary genetic data suggest the potential for recognition of additional cryptic species, with the current study providing a platform for future systematic work. Pseudogobius are a prominent part of estuarine biodiversity in the Indo-west Pacific, and this study helps to highlight the need to better understand the taxonomy and conservation requirements of cryptobenthic fishes.

Download Full-text

Taxonomy of the South American genus Pachypops Gill 1861 (Teleostei: Perciformes: Sciaenidae), with the description of a new species

Zootaxa ◽

10.11646/zootaxa.26.1.1 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 26 (1) ◽

pp. 1 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

LILIAN CASATTI

Keyword(s):

New Species ◽

River Basins ◽

Junior Synonym ◽

Valid Species ◽

Nominal Species ◽

South American ◽

The South ◽

Haemal Spine ◽

A New Species ◽

Fin Spines

Pachypops is a South American freshwater sciaenid genus characterized by having two anal-fin spines, three mental barbels, an inferior mouth, a swimbladder with a pair of short appendages anteriorly and a pair of longer appendages projected posteriorly, and the haemal spine of the first caudal distinctly expanded. Three valid Pachypops species are recognized herein. Of the six nominal species previously assigned to Pachypops, two are herein recognized as valid (Perca fourcroi and Micropogon trifilis), two are assigned to other sciaenid genera (Pachypops adspersus and Pachypops cevegei) and two are considered junior synonyms (Corvina biloba and Pachypops camposi). A seventh nominal species, Pachyurus nattereri, formerly considered a valid species of Pachyurus, is determined to be a junior synonym of Pachypops fourcroi, and lectotype and paralectotypes are designated for it. Pachypops fourcroi occurs in the Orinoco, Amazonas, Essequibo, Corantijn, and Approuague River basins, and Pachypops trifilis in rivers of Guyana and middle and lower reaches of the Rio Amazonas basin. A third valid species, Pachypops pigmaeus n. sp., is herein described from tributaries of the Rio Amazonas, Brazil.

Download Full-text