Two New Species of Paraulopus (Osteichthyes : Aulopiformes) from New Zealand and Eastern Australia, and comparisons with P. nigripinnis

Abstract

Two new paraulopid fishes, Paraulopus okamurai sp. nov. and P. novaeseelandiae sp. nov., are described on the basis of specimens collected from 235-553 m depth in eastern Australian and New Zealand waters. Within Paraulopus, the two new species are most similar to P. nigripinnis (Gunther, 1878) in having a supraocular ridge, 4.5-5.5 transverse scale rows above the lateral line, and a large body size. Paraulopus okamurai, P. novaeseelandiae, and P. nigripinnis differ from one another in the following characters: caudal-fin coloration (black with a transverse white band on the upper lobe and a white tip on the lower lobe in P. okamurai; white with a black posterior margin on the upper lobe and a short, dark, oblique band on the lower lobe in P. novaeseelandiae; white with a black posterior margin on both lobes in P. nigripinnis), counts of pectoral-fin rays (modally 17 in P. okamurai, 18 in P. novaeseelandiae, and 16 in P. nigripinnis), and predorsal scales (modally 17 in P. okamurai, 18 in P. novaeseelandiae, and 14 in P. nigripinnis).