STRUHSAKER: ARC YRIPNUS BROCKI NEW SPECIES 



Table 4. — Measurements (mm) of nine Argyripnus iridescens, one A. hrocki from the Indian Ocean (USNM 207984), 



and two specimens of undetermined species of Argyripnus (last two columns). 



Vertebrae: 42 (15 precaudal -I- 27 caudal), 44 

 (15 + 29), 44 (15 + 29). 



I tentatively assign the 51-mm specimen 

 from the Indian Ocean to A. hrocki. The speci- 

 men shares in common with the Hawaiian type 

 series 19 of 23 morphological and meristic 

 characters, including the four diagnostic counts 

 (VAV + anterior AC photophores, posterior 

 AC photophores, gill rakers, and vertebrae). 

 It does not agree with the range of interorbital 

 measurements obtained from the type series 

 (a diagnostic character), but this may be due 

 to geographical variation or distortion of the 

 small specimen. Thus, the distribution of A. 

 hrocki may extend from Hawaii to the Indian 

 Ocean. 



Although the remaining two specimens cer- 

 tainly do not represent A. atlanticus, I cannot 

 definitely assign them to a species because, to 

 varying extents, they share characters with 

 A. hrocki, A. ephippiafi(s, and A. iridescens. 

 For example, the Philippine specimen exhibits 

 10 body proportions similar to both A. ephip- 

 piatus and A. hrocki, 3 proportions character- 

 istic of A. ( phippiatxs, and 3 proportions char- 

 acteristic of A. hrocki. With regard to counts, 

 there are two characters common to both A. 



ephippiatus and A. hrocki, one common to A. 

 ephippiatus, two common to A. hrocki, and one 

 shared by both A. ephippiatus and A. iridescens. 

 While this report was in press I had the 

 opportunity to examine an approximately 60- 

 mm SL specimen of an undetermined species 

 of Argyripnus taken from the stomach of a 

 specimen of Etelis captured at a depth of 280 m 

 outside of "Grand Recif," New Caledonia. The 

 specimen is in i)oor condition and only the 

 vertebrae and gill rakers may be counted with 

 certainty. The total vertebral count of 42 (14 

 -I- 28) places this specimen within the range 

 of vertebral counts for A. hrocki. However, the 

 only Argyripnus specimens I have examined 

 that possess 14 precaudal vertebrae are two 

 individuals representing A. ephippiatus (all 

 other specimens have 15 or 16 precaudal ver- 

 tebrae). The gill raker count of 3 4- 10 = 13 

 (for both sides) is two less than the lowest 

 count obtained for A. hrocki (which has the 

 lowest gill raker counts of the four species 

 treated here). The stomach of the New Cal- 

 edonia Argyripnus specimen contains an unde- 

 termined myctophid. I thank P. Fourmanoir 

 and Robert K. Johnson for making this speci- 

 men available for study. 



835 



