PIETSCH and VAN DUZER; SYSTEMATICS AND DISTRIBUTION OF ANGLERFISHES 



FIGURE 24.— Relationship between 

 Ulicium length and standard length 

 in two species of Melanocetus. 



E 

 E 



e: 



to 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 80 85 



Standard length in mm 



tional specimen); Maul 1973:667 (synonymy, 

 after Bertelsen 1951). 



Material. — Metamorphosed females, 346 (10-119 

 mm): AMS, 33 (11-88 mm); BMNH, 16 (13-64 mm); 

 CAS, 1 (25.5 mm); FSM, 10 (13-76 mm); lOAN, 35 

 (12-75 mm); lOS, 7 (35-91 mm); ISH, 82 (15-119 

 mm); LACM, 65 (13.5-83 mm); MCZ, 25 (12-75 

 mm); NMNZ, 7 (12-55 mm); ROM, 4 (15-56 mm); 

 SAM, 6 (10-13 mm); UMML, 3 (27-82 mm); 

 USNM, 15 (12-85 mm); ZMUC, 37 (11.5-89 mm). 



Diagnosis. — A species of Melanocetus unique in 

 having the following combination of characters: 

 anterior margin of vomer nearly straight (Figure 

 1); least outside width between frontals 13.5- 

 28.67c SL (Figure 19); number of lower jaw teeth 

 32-78 (Figure 20), length of longest lower jaw 

 tooth 8.4-25.0% SL (Figure 21); width of pectoral 

 fin lobe 10.7-17.87f SL; escal bulb width 4.3-8.6% 

 SL; illicium length 32.4-60.8'y^ SL; esca with pos- 

 terior and (usually) anterior crests (Figure 25); 

 minute skin spines present over most of body; 

 integument relatively thick (1.55 mm). 



Description. — Escal bulb slightly compressed 

 with a low, rounded or conical distal prolongation 

 nearly always darkly pigmented on tip; a com- 

 pressed posterior crest usually darkly pigmented, 



becoming larger and more conspicuous with 

 growi;h; and a considerably smaller, compressed, 

 anterior crest present in some specimens (Figure 

 25); integument relatively thick (cross sections 

 measure 1.55 mm in thickness), not easily torn, 

 usually retaining heavy pigmentation during 

 fixation and preservation. 



Number of upper jaw teeth 48-134; dorsal fin 

 rays 13-15 (rarely 16), pectoral fin rays 17-22 

 (rarely 23) (Table 2). 



Distribution. — Melanocetus johnsoni has a wide 

 horizontal distribution in tropical and subtropical 

 waters of all three major oceans of the world (see 

 Distribution, p. 83). Compared with M. murrayi, it 

 appears to occupy relatively shallow depths: about 

 62% of the material (for which data was available) 

 was captured by open nets fished at maximum 

 depths of 1,000 m; 827c of the material can be 

 accounted for by gear fished above 1,500 m, and 

 98% by gear fished above 2,100 m (see Distribu- 

 tion, p. 83). 



Comments. — Melanocetus krechi Brauer (1902) 

 was synonymized with M. johnsoni by Regan 

 (1926), resurrected by Regan and Trewavas 

 (1932), and tentatively synonymized again with 

 M. johnsoni by Bertelsen (1951). From the de- 

 scription and figure given by Brauer (1902, 1906) 



75 



