A Revision of the Deep-Sea Anglerfish Genus Spiniphryne Bertelsen (Lophiiformes: Ceratioidei: Oneirodidae), with Description of a New Species from the Central and Eastern North Pacific Ocean

The deep-sea ceratioid anglerfish genus Spiniphryne Bertelsen, 1951 (family Oneirodidae), diagnosed and described on the basis of new material recently collected from all three major oceans of the world, contains two species: the type species, Spiniphryne gladisfenae (Beebe, 1932), now represented by 21 specimens collected from the Western Pacific and Western Indian oceans, and from both sides of the Atlantic; and a new species, Spiniphryne duhameli, described here on the basis of two females from the Central and Eastern North Pacific. The new species differs from S. gladisfenae in having three pairs of long, slender, lateral escal filaments on each side and a greater number of teeth on the dentary (51–52 vs. 21–45). Diagnoses and descriptions are given for both taxa and a key to the species is provided.

Figure 1

Holotype of Spiniphryne duhameli, new species, SIO 60-239, female, 117 mm.

Figure 2

Spiniphryne gladisfenae, ISH 2734/71, 63 mm (after Bertelsen and Pietsch, 1975; drawn by Elisabeth Anne Hoxie).

Figure 3

Esca of Spiniphryne duhameli, new species, holotype, SIO 60-239, female, 117 mm: (A) Lateral view, paired lateral escal filaments of right side not shown; (B) Posterior view. Bar = 1 mm.

Figure 4

Escae of Spiniphryne gladisfenae, left lateral views: (A) BMNH 2004.8.24.7, 12.8 mm; (B) ISH 2131/71, 49 mm; (C) ISH 2734/71, 63 mm. Bars = 1 mm.

Figure 5

Relationship between standard length and number of lower-jaw teeth in species of Spiniphryne.

Figure 6

Spiniphryne sp., 10.8-mm adolescent female, BMNH 2004.8.24.6, with stomach greatly expanded by a relatively large specimen of what appears to represent the platytroctid genus Maulisia, 11.3 mm, consumed prior to capture (broken through body wall, but still encapsulated within transparent, extremely thin-walled stomach).

Figure 7

Geographic distribution of species of Spiniphryne: S. duhameli, new species, Central and Eastern North Pacific; S. gladisfenae, Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans; S. species, Eastern North Atlantic. A single symbol may represent more than one capture.

Contributor Notes

School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, College of Ocean and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington, Campus Box 355020, Seattle, Washington 98195-5020. E-mail: (TWP) twp@u.washington.edu; and (ZHB) zbaldy@u.washington.edu. Send reprint requests to TWP.

Received: 29 Dec 2005

Accepted: 04 Apr 2006