300 
THE CORAL TRIANGLE: HEARST BIODIVERSITY EXPEDITION 
well within the range of P. japonicus as listed by Masuda et al, but less than the counts of P. curtorhyn- 
chos (D 11,33-36, A 30-32, and P 11-13) listed by Allen and Erdman. 
?Pervagor sp. 
Material.— CAS 236492 (2, 37^3 nam SL); HEPD-006, otter trawl in 45A457 m. 
Remarks.— Presuming that these are Pervagor, we are unaware of any species in that genus with a barred 
tail pattern such as seen in these specimens. 
Thamnacornus tesselatus (Gunther, 1880)? (Fig. 160) 
Material.— CAS 235682 (45.0 mm SL); HEPD-022, otter trawl in 115-144 m. CAS 236406 (146 mm SL, 
DC-1536); HEPD-032, beam trawl in 223-369 m. 
Remarks. — The morphological and meristic characters (29 anal fin rays) are correct for the species, but these 
specimens lack die facial spots. Maxiniiun size about 28 cm. Distributed from Japan to the Philippines and 
off northwestern and northeastern coasts of Australia, in Indonesia, and New Caledonia. Depth range 
between 120 and 236 m. 
Tetraodontidae (Puffers) 
Arothron immaculatus (Bloch and Schneider, 1801) (Fig. 161) 
Material examined.— CAS 236559 (25.1 mm SL); HEPD-022, otter trawl in 115-144 m. 
Remarks. — This juvenile Immaculate puffer, like several of its congenera, is often melanistic at this size {in 
lift. Keiichi Matsuura, October 2013). It has the appropriate morphometric, features (small spinules on head 
and body except around eyes, gill openings, fins, and posterior C peduncle) and counts (D 10, A 10, P 17) 
of tills species. Arothron immaculatus lives above silt bottoms near reefs in 3-30 m from East Africa and 
the Red Sea to the Philippines (Allen and Erdman 2012: 1087). If our specimen was collected by the net 
when it was on the bottom (115-144 m) rather tlian during the descent or ascent of the trawl, it would rep¬ 
resent a deeper capture tlian has been previously reported for the species. 
Sphoeroides pachygaster (Muller and Troschel, 1848) (Fig. 162) 
Material.— CAS 235459 (147 mm SL, DC-1270); HEPD-003, beam trawl in 272-291 m. 
Remarks.— Widespread in tropical to subtropical waters. 
Tylerius spinosissimus (Regan, 1908) 
Material.— CAS 236500 (41.4 mm SL); HEPD-026, beam trawl in 82-86 m. 
Remarks.— Widespread in the Indo-West Pacific. It is the only species in the genus, which is characterized 
in part by D 8-9, A 7-8, small spinules over all of head and body except the C peduncle, no lateral line 
ventrolaterally on the C peduncle, and a mouth situated below the level of the upper edge of the P base. 
