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| Myroconger pietschi Espíndola, Caires, Tighe, De Pinna & De Melo, 2021 |
Abstract
The family Myrocongridae comprises some of the rarest and least known benthopelagic eel species. It is composed of a single genus, Myroconger Günther, 1870, and five valid species: M. compressus Günther, 1870, from the Atlantic Ocean; M. gracilis Castle, 1991, M. prolixus Castle & Béarez, 1995, and M. nigrodentatus Castle & Béarez, 1995, from the Pacific Ocean; and M. seychellensis Karmovskaya, 2006, from the Indian Ocean. Herein, we report on an additional species from the Atlantic Ocean, Myroconger pietschi n. sp., based on a specimen obtained on the Aracati Bank, North Brazilian ridge, off Ceará State, western South Atlantic. Myroconger pietschi can be diagnosed by having 190 anal-fin rays, a short pectoral fin (16.6% HL), the posterior portion of the ethmovomerine teeth arranged in a single row, teeth on lower and upper pharyngeal tooth plate 24 and 27, and 10 branchiostegal rays.
Keywords: Pisces, CT-Scan, Deep Sea, Elopomorpha, North Brazilian ridge, Northeastern Brazil
Myroconger pietschi n. sp.
Vinicius C. Espíndola, Rodrigo A. Caires, Kenneth A. Tighe, Mario C. C. De Pinna and Marcelo R. S. De Melo. 2021. A New Species of the Rare Genus Myroconger Günther, 1870 (Anguilliformes: Myrocongridae) from Brazilian Waters, Tropical western Atlantic. Zootaxa. 4965(3); 529–540. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4965.3.7
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