Abstract
A new genus and species of the subfamily Bythitinae (Bythitidae),Hastatobythites arafurensis, is described on the basis of two specimens from the Arafura Sea. The genus is unique in the subfamily in having two anteriorlydirected spines, one on the frontal and one on the mesethmoid. It is also distinguishable from all other genera in the subfamily by the following combination of characters: head scales absent; squamation on body incomplete; maxillary expanded posteriorly; no thin pore-bearing skin flap over opercle; opercle thin, weak, without distinct spine; jaw teeth conical; vomerine and palatine teeth present; developed gill rakers on 1 st arch 3; pelvic fins with 1 ray in each; pectoral peduncle elongated, with 16 rays; caudal fin rays 12; branchiostegal, rays 8; precaudal vertebrae 15, with tips of 6th to 12th neural spines truncated.
Similar content being viewed by others
Literature Cited
Cohen, D. M. 1987. Notes on the bythitid fish genusSaccogaster with a new species from the Gulf of Mexico. Nat. Hist. Mus. Los Angeles Co., Contr. Sci., (385): 1–4.
Cohen, D. M. and J. G. Nielsen. 1972. A review of the viviparous ophidioid fishes of the genusSaccogaster. Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash., 85: 445–468.
Cohen, D. M. and J. G. Nielsen. 1978. Guide to the identification of genera of the fish order Ophidiiformes with a tentative classification of the order. NOAA Tech. Rep., NMFS Circ., (417): 1–72.
Machida, Y. 1993. Two new genera and species of the subfamily Brosmophycinae (Bythitidae, Ophidiiformes) from Northern Australia. Japan. J. Ichthyol., 39: 281–286.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
About this article
Cite this article
Machida, Y. Hastatobythites arafurensis, a new bythitid genus and species from Australia (Bythitidae, Ophidiiformes). Ichthyological Research 44, 385–388 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02671990
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02671990