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Melanostigma bellingshauseni sp. n. (Zoarcidae): a New Pelagic Eelpout from Large Depths in the Central Part of the Kerguelen Plateau (Southern Ocean)

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Abstract—

A new species Melanostigma bellingshauseni sp. n. is described from large depths (1000−1010 m) in the central part of the Kerguelen plateau (the Indian Ocean sector of the Southern Ocean) The new species differs from the other species of the genus in total light coloration of body and head (light snout, jaws, nostril tubes, light brown oral cavity including respiratory membranes), an original combination of some meristic characters of the axial skeleton, fins, and the structure of the lateral line canals on the head. It has been hypothesized that species of the genus Melanostigma are not pelagic but predominantly benthic animals dwelling in excavated burrows that are used both as sites to ambush and for shelter from predators. Morphological adaptations for such lifestyle are discussed.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We are grateful to I.S. Chechun, a collector, for sampling and transferring a large collection of Antarctic fish collected in the Indian Ocean sector of the Southern Ocean including a type series of the new species to the Laboratory of Ichthyology, Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences. We also thank S.A. Evseenko (Institute of Oceanology, Russian Academy of Sciences) for discussion and valuable comments on the manuscript.

Funding

This work was performed within the framework of a state assignment, project no. АААА-А19-119020790033-9.

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  1. Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences (ZIN RAS), St. Petersburg, Russia

    M. V. Orlovskaya & A. V. Balushkin

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  1. M. V. Orlovskaya
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  2. A. V. Balushkin
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Correspondence to M. V. Orlovskaya.

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Translated by N. Ruban

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Orlovskaya, M.V., Balushkin, A.V. Melanostigma bellingshauseni sp. n. (Zoarcidae): a New Pelagic Eelpout from Large Depths in the Central Part of the Kerguelen Plateau (Southern Ocean). J. Ichthyol. 60, 900–908 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1134/S0032945220060041

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