790 



Fishery Bulletin 88(4), 1990 



4a Branchial apertures 12(10-14). Ventral 

 finfold prominent, with wide pale margin. 

 Color light reddish gray or light brown. 

 Extensive piebaidness common E. stoutii 



4b Branchial apertures 10(9-12). Ventral fin- 

 fold vestigial or absent. Color dark red- 

 dish brown, not piebald E. sinus n. sp. 



Systematlcs 



Eptatretus mcconnaugheyi new species 



It is not feasible to attempt a meaningful synonymy 

 for this new species, as it and E. stoutii are very similar 

 and occur sympatrically off southern California. Ep- 

 tatretus stoutii has long been extensively used in bio- 

 chemical and physiological research. However, none of 

 this research material has been examined by us, and 

 no identification credited to competent ichthyologists. 

 As£'. mcconnaugheyi is not previously known, it is very 

 likely to have formed a part of this research material, 

 particularly from southern California. 



Holotype SI069-231E, female, 482 mm TL, taken at 

 32°32'0"N, 117°21'07"W, in a trap on bottom at 148 

 m, 11-12 April 1969. 



Paratypes SI069-228B, 14(185-400 mm TL), taken 

 at32°05.9'N, 117°04.4'W, 177 m, 10-11 March 1969; 

 SI071-114, 7(360-440 mm TL), taken at 28°21.0'N, 

 115°43.0'W, 689 m, 25-26 May 1971; SI069-231E, 

 7(200-448 mm TL), taken with the holotype; SI068- 

 126, 5(355-409 mm TL), taken at 25°49'N, 110°51'W, 

 351 m, 25-26 January 1968; CAS 63203, 7(210-400 

 mm TL), taken at 32°31.8'N, 117°21.6'W, 145 m, 29 

 September 1972; LACM 44409-1, 6(195-430 mm TL), 

 taken at 32°31.8'N, 117°21.1'W, 145 m, 29 Septem- 

 ber 1972; USNM 29630, 7(245-380 mm TL), taken at 

 32°31.8'N, 117°21.1'W, 145 m, 29 September 1972. 



Additional material SI056-9, 1(340), 42 m; SI068- 

 109, 1(390), 415 m; SI068-11, 1(230), 177 m; SI068- 

 124, 1(249), 205 m; SI068-125. 19(239-347), 278 m; 

 SI068-126, 5(355-409), 351 m; SI068-127, 3(315-440), 

 238 m; SI069-179, 2(235-376), 109 m; SI069-181, 2 

 (141-312), 183 m; SI069-225C, 1(392), 371 m; SI069- 

 228B, 14(195-406), 99 m; SI069-228C, 1(433), 166 m; 

 SI069-231C. 1(372), 139 m. 



Distribution Eptutrefiis inrconnaugheyi appears to 

 consist of two disjunct populations: one from Santa 

 Monica Bay, California, to the Cedros and San Benito 

 Islands, Mexico, and one apparently restricted to the 

 lower portion of the Gulf of California. These two pop- 

 ulations appear to differ significantly (P>0.001) in 



numbers of trunk and total slime pores, the higher 

 counts occurring in the southern California population. 

 Depths of capture range between 42 and 384 m off 

 southern California and between 177 and 415 m in the 

 Gulf of California. Collecting efforts between the 

 Cedros and San Benito Islands and the mouth of the 

 Gulf have failed to take the species. 



Diagnosis Prebranchial length usually less than bran- 

 chial length, rarely equal to or very rarely even slight- 

 ly longer. Body motlerately robust, deepest at midhody, 

 its width about half its depth, increasingly laterally 

 compressed toward tail. Tail length 13-16% of TL, its 

 depth about half its length. Ventral finfold usually 

 prominent, often low, with pale margin. Caudal finfold 

 prominent, wide, the margin thin and pale. Three fused 

 cusps (multicusp) on anterior, two fused cusps on pos- 

 terior, set of cusps. 



Etymology We take great pleasure in dedicating this 

 new species to Ronald R. McConnaughey, friend and 

 superb marine technician, who was instrumental in the 

 development of capture gear and party to the collect- 

 ing of many of the thousands of specimens of species 

 examined by us. 



Description Counts (Tables 2-8) and body propor- 

 tions (Table 1) are given and compared with similai' 

 data for the other four species treated here. Body 

 moderately robust, deepest at midbody, the width 

 about half the depth, increasingly laterally compressed 

 toward tail. Tail spatulate, its length about twice its 

 depth, its ventral margin slojMng downward below le\'el 

 of body. A tliin, deep caudal finfold, with a narrow pale 

 margin, extends from cloaca around end to about over 

 cloaca dorsally. Ventral finfold low, usually entirely un- 

 pigmented. Head at eyespots about as deep as wide, 

 narrowing to rostrum. Width of rostrum about half the 

 width of head at eyespots. Eyespots rather prominent, 

 of moderate size, the margins well defined. Oral sur- 

 face short, sloping posteriorly at about 45° angle from 

 the vertical. Barbels small, the distal thirds unpig- 

 mented. First barbel only slightly shorter than second, 

 often equal to or slightly longer, averaging 64% (52- 

 79%) of length of third, the second barbel averaging 

 70%(51-84%) of length of third. Length of first nasal 

 barbel, left side, is given in Table 6 and compared with 

 that of other species treated. 



Head grooves Grooves present before and behind 

 eyespots on each side of dorsal midline. Three to six 

 grooves, each side, before eyespots lie in longitudinal 

 rows, and two to four ventrad in transverse rows. One 

 to eight grooves may occur behind eyespots. Most lie 

 transversely, with none to three longitudinally, at sides. 

 As many as 24 grooves may occur on one specimen. 



