Diagnoses and distribution of fifteen species recognized in genus Maurolicus Cocco (Sternoptychidae, Stomiiformes) with a key to their identification

Parin N.V., Kobyliansky S.G.

Date de parution: avril 1996
Volume: 20
Number: 2
Pagination: 185-195
Editeur: Société Française d'Ichtyologie
doi: https://doi.org/10.26028/cybium/1996-202-004
Résumé

According to the recent revision (Parin and Kobyliansky, 1993), the genus Maurolicus contains fifteen allopatric species differing in combination of a few characters of which number of vertebrae, gill rakers and pectoral fin rays, head length, eye diameter, body depth and pigmentation of stomach and intestine are most important. M. muelleri (Gmelin) occurs only in the eastern North Atlantic. All other species also have restricted ranges in the Mediterranean Sea and adjacent Atlantic Ocean (M. amethystinopunctatus Cocco), western North and equatorial Atlantic (M. weitzmani Parin & Kobyliansky), western South Atlantic (M. stehmanni Parin & Kobyliansky), central South Atlantic at Discovery seamount (M. inventionis Parin & Kobyliansky), eastern South Atlantic and western South Indian Ocean (M. walvisensis Parin & Kobyliansky), western tropical Indian Ocean at Saya de Malha Bank (M. kornilovorum Parin & Kobyliansky), Red Sea (M. mucronatus Klunzinger), eastern tropical Indian Ocean and Coral Sea (M. javanicus Parin & Kobyliansky), western North Pacific and Sea of Japan (M. japonicus Ishikawa), central North Pacific at seamounts of North-western and Hawaiian ridges (M. imperatorius Parin & Kobyliansky), western South Pacific (M. australis Hector), eastern South Pacific (M. parvipinnis Vaillant), eastern South Pacific at seamounts of Nazca ridge (M. rudjakovi Parin & Kobyliansky), and eastern equatorial Pacific (M. breviculus Parin & Kobyliansky). Maximum body length of the species varies from 30 mm SL in M. kornilovorum to 65 mm SL in M. muelleri. All species of Maurolicus are benthopelagic fishes most abundant over upper continental slopes and submarine rises.

Mots-clés: Deep Sea fishes - distribution - Maurolicus - Stemoptychidae - Taxonomy
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