Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand abstracts
A new deepwater species of worm‑eel, Scolecenchelys
castlei (Anguilliformes: Ophichthidae), from New Zealand and
Australia, with comments on S. breviceps and S.
macroptera
John E. McCosker
California
Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, California 94118, USA.
jmccosker@calacademy.org
Abstract A new deepwater
species of worm-eel (Ophichthidae, subfamily Myrophinae), Scolecenchelys
castlei, is described from 34 specimens trawled
at 425–820 m off the coasts of New Zealand and
Australia. It is the deepest capture of any known Scolecenchelys. The new species is distinguished from
its closest relative, S.
breviceps Günther, by having
more vertebrae and a larger eye, in other body proportions, and in its
coloration. The synonymies of S.
breviceps and S.
macroptera are reviewed.
Keywords taxonomy;
Ophichthidae; Scolecenchelys castlei sp. nov; S.
breviceps; S. macroptera; deepwater
big‑eyed worm eel; New Zealand; Australia
R05010 Received 18 August 2005; accepted 13 December 2005;
Online publication date 17 March 2006
Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand
Volume 36, Number
1, March, 2006, pp 17–26
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