First record of the Deepsea pigfish Congiopodus coriaceus (Scorpaeniformes: Congiopodidae) in the Great Australian Bight with new data on morphology

Abstract

The Deepsea pigfish Congiopodus coriaceus Paulin et Moreland, 1979 is recorded from the waters off the southern coast of Australia, Great Australian Bight for the first time, based on a juvenile specimen SL 64 mm collected in 1966. This is the westernmost known locality of the species, 3500 km from the type locality off New Zealand. The lack of published data after the original description of the species revealed the need to clarify a number of meristic and morphometric parameters. Based on x-ray images of 28 ZIN specimens of C. coriaceus from New Zealand, the range of individual variability in the number of vertebrae, the number of rays of the dorsal and anal fins is shown. The number of procurrent and principal rays in the caudal fin has been clarified. In some cases, the range of morphometric parameters published in the original description has been expanded, for example, the maximum body height and head length. The original description was supplemented with 16 new measurements. For the first time, data on the lengths of the ventral and caudal fins, the length and height of the caudal peduncle, and the interorbital distance were published. Because of contradictory published data on the number of gill rakers on the first branchial arch, their number was clarified; the diagnostic value of this parameter was confirmed.