Table 33. Numbers of Vertebrae of the Lampanyctus achirus Species Complex from 

 THE Eastern Pacific Ocean and from Near South Africa. 



Vertebrae 



33 34 35 36 37 



Southeastern 

 Pacific 

 64°-46'' S* 

 34°-03° S* 

 Northeastern 

 Pacific 

 19° -32° N, 

 118°-133° W 

 19°-26° N, 

 ca 155° W 

 Near South 



Africa — — 6 15 



*Counts include those of Bussing (1965). 



Pectoral fins usually absent, or when present are reduced to a few extremely vestigial 

 rays. PLO and VLO two or three of their diameters below lateral line. PLO well forward of a 

 line through the two vertically arranged PVO. PVO,.o interspace from 0.75 to 1.0 in vertical 

 diameter of orbit; the highly elevated PO4 and upper PVO about on same level. P04 on or 

 slightly behind vertical from PO,^ SAO series in obtuse angle of about 140°, SAI, on or a little 

 above level of SAO^,, the latter over or slightly before origin of anal fin or variously father back 

 to over bases of second to fifth anal rays (see Discussion). SAO1.2 interspace from 1.5 to 2.0 

 times that of SAOl,.,]. Upper Pol and SAO.) on or very near lateral line. Prc4 about on or slightly 

 above lateral line and on, before, or behind vertical from Prca (see Discussion ). 



Supracaudal luminous gland short (2 to 5 scales); infracaudal gland variable in numbers 

 of scales, with 7 to 10 in far southern waters but only 3 to 5 off Chile and Peru (34° to 03° S) and 

 in northeastern Pacific. 



Size: To about 155 mm in the southeastern, to about 70 mm in the northeastern, Pacific 

 Ocean. 



Least depth of capture: To about 300 m at night in northeastern area. All captures in 

 southeastern area, and off South Africa, were from tows with open nets to deeper than 300 m. 



Distribution: Probably circumglobal in far southern seas. Andriashev's type material of L. 

 achirus (12 specimens) was taken in an area of the southeastern Pacific and southwestern 

 Atlantic Ocean from 58° to 64° S, 61° to 135° W. Specimens conforming well to the diagnosis of 

 L. achirus have been taken off Chile and Peru and in the northeastern Pacific between 19° and 

 32° N, 118° and 133° W, and in the north-central Pacific between 19° and 27° N, along about 155° 

 W. The species also occurs off South Africa and in the southeastern Atlantic at about 30° S, 05° 

 W. There are no records of capture in the eastern Pacific between about 03° S and 19° N; also no 

 captures are recorded from between the two northeastern areas. 

 Discussion 



In the eastern Pacific Ocean throughout the nearly 5800-mile south-to-north range of 

 these fishes without pectoral fins there are some interesting variations in meristic characters 

 and body proportions that may indicate possible speciation. Meristic characters are invariably 

 somewhat higher in far southern waters but grade more or less smoothly to lower in the north; 

 this is apparent in numbers of dorsal and anal fin rays (Table 30), AO photophores (Table 31), 

 gill rakers (Table 32), and vertebrae (Table 33). Variability also occurs in the general robust- 

 ness of the body; specimens from between 64° and 46° S, and from the northeastern Pacific, 

 have a somewhat more slender body form than those from between 34° S and 03° S, as illus- 

 trated by Bussing (1965, p. 204, fig. 7). This difference in body form between the Peruvian and 

 northeastern specimens is also shown in Figures 165 and 166, above. 



179 



