12 



G.J. HOWES 



















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Fig. 1. Melanonus zugmayeri specimen BMNH 1991.7.9:729-30, 200mm SL, lateral view. 



Schwarzhans (1980; 1984) combined the Melanonidae and 

 Moridae (produced as a cladogram in Patterson & Rosen, 

 1989) and Cohen (1984) and Fahay & Markle (1984) also 

 suggested a relationship with the Moridae, again based on the 

 primitive arrangement of the caudal fin skeleton. Markle 

 (1989) revised his earlier views and placed the Melanonidae 

 near the base of his cladogram making it (with the exception 

 of the Ranicipitidae) the sister group of all other gadiforms. 

 Nolf & Steurbaut (1989) placed Melanonidae as an unre- 

 solved polychotomy with the Euclichthyidae, Macrouridae, 

 Moridae and other gadoids. Okamura (1989) omitted the 

 family from his gadoid classification but implied (p. 137) on 

 the basis of similar anterior rib structure that Melanonus is 

 closely related to Merluccius. Howes (1989; 1990) also placed 

 Melanonidae in an unresolved polychotymy, with Stein- 

 dachneriidae, Bathygadidae and other gadoids. According to 

 Howes (1990, 1991a & b) the majority of gadoid families 

 form a monophyletic assemblage termed 'supragadoids', 

 characterized by complete fusion of the upper hypurals into a 

 single plate. The Macruronidae represent the plesiomorphic 

 lineage of this assemblage with the Gadidae and Merlucciidae 

 being the most derived families. The Melanonidae was 

 assigned with the Bathygadidae, Steindachneriidae, Moridae 

 and Euclichthyidae to the 'infragadoids' and in one scheme 

 (Howes, 1991b) in alternative positions, one as the sister 

 group to all gadoids excluding the Bathygadidae and Stein- 

 dachneriidae, the other as also excluding the Moridae. The 

 characters on which these phylogenetic positions were based 

 are, however, ambiguous (see Discussion) and like all previ- 

 ous studies have suffered from lack of anatomical information 

 about Melanonus. The following is an account of the osteol- 

 ogy and other soft anatomical features of Melanonus. 



MATERIALS AND METHODS 



Specimens used for anatomical descriptions (all from BMNH 

 collections): Melanonus zugmayeri Uncat. 230mm, 'Discov- 

 ery' Stn 11550, 10.VII.1987, 20°25.5'N, 19°39.5'W, 

 775-825m; 1991.7.9:729-730, 220mm, 95mm SL, 

 20°25.8'N-31.4'N, 19° 39.8'W-38.0'W, 800-875m; 

 1991.7.9:731-733, cleared & stained, 66, 100, 130mm SL, 

 17°1.2'N, 19°57.8'W, 400-495m; 1987.1.21:595-596, 215mm 



SL, dry skull prepared from 190mm SL, 49°21.9'N, 11°51'W, 

 1090-llOOm; 1987.1.21:597, 168mm SL, S.W. Bantry, 

 960-920m; 1981.3.16:377, 173mm SL, West Great Sole 

 Banks; 1987.1.21:598-601, 175, 187, 193mm SL, one speci- 

 men, 165mm SL (cleared and stained), 50°02'N, 11°22'W, 

 910-980m; 1930.1.12:943 (Holotype) 13°58'S, 11°43'E. Mel- 

 anonus gracilis 1887.12.7:22 (Holotype) 147mm SL, Antarc- 

 tic; 1930.1.12:934-936, 97, 140, 150mm SL, 46°56'S, 

 46°03'W; 1988.11.4:13-20, 45, 49mm SL (cleared and 

 stained), 35°13'-34°57'S, 17°50'-17° 48'E; 1988.11.4:2, 

 145mm SL, 50°17.7'S, 18°40.9'E, 300-150m; Percopsis omis- 

 comayus 1973.3.20:46-8, 52mm (cleared and stained), 62mm 

 SL, Lac Henry, Quebec, Canada; Bregmaceros sp. 

 1957.12.2:5-12, 54mm SL (cleared and stained) Senegal; 

 Gaidropsarus mediterraneus Uncat. 122, 145mm (cleared and 

 stained), Seaton Point, England. 



In addition, material listed in Howes (1988, 1992) and 

 Howes & Crimmen (1990) was re-examined. 



Abbreviations used in the figures 



aa 



anguloarticular 



aap 



premaxillary articular process 



ac 



actinost 



afc 



anterior frontal crest 



ap 



premaxillary ascending process 



ar 



anterior ('chopstick-like') ribs 



ard 



anal fin radial 



asp 



autosphenotic 



bb 



basibranchial (numbered) 



bh 



basihyal 



bl 



Baudelot's ligament 



bo 



basioccipital 



boc 



basioccipital condyle 



br 



branchiostegal ray 



cb 



ceratobranchial (numbered) 



cc 



cerebellar corpus 



ccr 



cerebellar crest 



cfc 



central frontal crest 



cl 



cleithrum 



cm 



coronomeckelian bone 



CO 



coracoid 



de 



dentary 



dex 



dorsal section of epaxialis muscle 



dhy 



dorsohyal 



dr 



dorsal fin ray 



