Two New Hemerocoetine Trichonotidae Fishes 
(Teleostei, Perciformes) from the Philippines 
Tomio Iwamoto 
Section of Ichthyology’, California Academy of Sciences, 55 Music Concourse Drive, 
San Francisco, California 94118; Email: tiwamoto@calacademy.org. 
The California Academy of Sciences Hearst Philippine Expedition of 2011 included a deep- 
sea phase aboard the 60-m long Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources research 
ship M/V DA-BFAR. Beam trawls, otter trawls, and fish ti-aps were used during this phase to col¬ 
lect in off-shore waters between the islands of Luzon and Mindoro in the Verde Island and Calavite 
passages, around the Lubang Islands, and out to the continental shelf of the South China Sea. At 
station HEPD-026 northeast of Lubang Island, a highly successful drag was made with the beam 
trawl in 82-86 m over a sandy-rocky bottom. Among the many fishes collected were 12 small spec¬ 
imens of trichonotid fishes belonging to an enigmatic gi*oup, the '"Pteropsaron-Mko" Hemerocoeti- 
nae, as defined by Smith and Jolmson (2007). One of the collected specimens was identified as 
Pteropsaron springeri Smith and Johnson, 2007. The others could not be readily categorized into 
a genus because they displayed characters that appeared to bridge the gap between genera. Three 
of the specimens were brightly colored males of what appear to be representatives of either Pterop¬ 
saron ox Acanthaphritis Gunther, 1880. 
Acanthaphritis Gunther, 1880 is represented by four species (Suzuki and Nakabo 1996) and 
is distinguished from other Pteropsaron-VIkQ hemerocoetines by having scaled cheeks, short dorsal 
spines, well-developed maxillary spines, and a fleshy barbel at the tip of the snout. The three 
brightly colored HEPD specimens have greatly elongated dorsal spines, no scales on cheeks, strong 
maxillary spines, and a snout barbel. The other eight specimens appear to be most similar to 
Pteropsaron natalensis (Nelson, 1982) in morphometry and meristic values, but their cheeks are 
scaled, the relative lengths of their dorsal spines and rays are slightly shorter, and the upper jaw 
extends to below the posterior margin of the pupil (vs. below posterior margin of orbit). Based on 
the character mix in these newly collected specimens, it is apparent that this distinctive group of 
Hemerocoetinae is greatly in need of revision. As stated by Smith and Johnson (2007:370), “A 
definitive solution to the generic placement of these species will require further morphological and 
phylogenetic analysis.” For the purposes of this paper, the two new species are placed in the genus 
Pteropsaron, 
Material and methods 
Specimens are deposited in the ichthyology collections of the California Academy of Sciences 
(CAS). In addition to the type specimens of the two new species, the following specimens of other 
hemerocoetine Trichonotidae were examined for comparison: Pteropsaron evolans Jordan and 
Snyder (CAS 1017158, 2 paratypes, 57.0-59.9 mm SL, Owari Bay, Japan); P incisum Gilbert 
(CAS 120166, paratype, 30.5 mm SL; Laysan L, Philippines); Spinapsaron barbatus Okamura and 
Kishida (CAS 88795, 3 spec., 81.0-91.2 mm SL; San Bernardino Strait, e. coast Luzon L, Philip¬ 
pines, 382-376 m); Matsubaraea setouchiensis Taki ([as recorded in Iwamoto 1980] CAS 32846, 
10 spec., 50.8-66.7 mm SL; CAS 34695, 4, 54.4-67.4 SL; Gulf of Thailand; CAS 35531, 3 
paratypes, 46.1-55.5 mm SL; Takamatsu Fish Market, Japan). 
The reader is referred to Eschmeyer’s Catalog of Fishes website for complete reference to gen¬ 
era and species names used here: httpf/research.calacademy.org/research/ichthyology/catalog/ 
fishcatmain.asp 
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