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| Branchiostegus sanae Huang, Chen, Ke & Zhang, 2025 A) B. ablus B) B. argentatus C) B. auratus D) B. biendong E) B. japonicus. |
Abstract
A new species of deepwater tilefish, Branchiostegus sanae sp. nov., is described based on five specimens collected from the area between the Xisha Islands and Hainan Island, China. This species can be distinguished from congeners by its unique cheek marker and a combination of characteristics. Among the tilefish species known to be distributed in the South China Sea, this species is the only one with vertical stripes on the body. Based on the COI, CytB, and 12S sequences, a maximum-likelihood phylogenetic tree shows that the B. sanae sp. nov. forms a separate clade and is the sister group to the clade consisting of B. sawakinensis, B. albus, B. argentatus, B. biendong, B. japonicus, B. auratus, and B. okinawaensis. A key to the genus Branchiostegus is also compiled.
Key words: Bottom fish, Hainan, Malacanthidae, phylogeny, taxonomy
Branchiostegus sanae sp. nov.
New standard Chinese common name: 幽灵方头鱼
New English common name: Mononoke tilefish
Diagnosis. The species can be distinguished from its congeners in having the following combination of characteristics: a unique white-red bar between the orbit and upper jaw; distal end of upper jaw vertical reaching or exceeding midpoint of orbit; yellow predorsal ridge with dark rim; dorsal fin membrane translucent greyish, with spines darker; dorsal fin spines grey and soft rays yellow; about 16 dark vertical stripes on each side; longest dorsal fin soft ray long, 20.6–22.7% in SL; no black spots on base of scales; and caudal fin nearly truncated, upper part pale orange mixed with yellow stripes, and lower part dark grey with inconspicuous yellow blotch near base.
Etymology: The name sanae refers to the heroine’s name, San in Hayao Miyazaki’s film Princess Mononoke, who has similar red under-eye stripes to this species and symbolizes the ideas and appeals of harmonious coexistence between man and nature that we want to share (Miyazaki 1997).
Common name: Both the Chinese and English common names of this species are derived from the title of the film and align with the common name used by Chinese fishermen, “鬼马头鱼” (Ghost horsehead fish), due to the unusual cheek patterns of this species.
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| Species of the genus Branchiostegus in Chinese waters except B. sanae A) B. ablus B) B. argentatus C) B. auratus D) B. biendong E) B. japonicus. |
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| Branchiostegus sanae at a seafood market. photo: Jiangyuan Chen |
Haochen Huang, Jingxuan Chen, Zhixin Ke and Chi Zhang. 2025. Branchiostegus sanae, A New Species of Deepwater Tilefish (Eupercaria, Branchiostegidae) from the South China Sea. ZooKeys 1227: 129-142. DOI: doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1227.130512
