Stolephorus waitei

Stolephorus waitei Jordan & Seale, 1926 [English name: Waite’s Anchovy] Figure 5; Tables 1, 2 Stolephorus waitei Jordan & Seale, 1926: 379 (type locality: Queensland, Australia); Whitehead et al. 1988: 419, unnumbered fig. (in part: Queensland, Australia); Wongratana et al. 1999: 1742, unnumbered fig. (in part: Queensland, Australia); Paxton et al. 2006: 315 (Queensland, Australia); Hata et al. 2019: 37, fig. 20 (south of Cooktown, Queensland, Australia; Queensland, Australia). Anchoviella waitei: Fowler 1941: 702 (Queensland, Australia). Stolephorus Species A: Whitehead et al. 1988: 420, unnumbered fig. (south of Cooktown, Queensland, Australia). Materials examined. 23 specimens, 63.2–129.6 mm SL, all specimens collected from Australia. Holotype. MCZ 18254, holotype of Stolephorus waitei, 87.6 mm SL, Queensland. Nontype specimens. AMS I. 20907-026, 3 specimens, 77.3–85.7 mm SL, AMNH 56134, 3 specimens, 81.6– 94.6 mm SL, south of Cooktown, Queensland (16°01′S, 145°29′E), 0–20 m depth, trawl; ANSP 122439, 101.7 mm SL, Townsville, Queensland; CSIRO H 6715-03 (tissue code: BW-A17752; BOLD accession number: FOAQ1054- 24), 105.0 mm SL, approx. 11 km east of Keppel Sands, Queensland (23°20′S, 150°54′E), 13 m depth; CSIRO H 7023-05, 63.2 mm SL, north of Hinchinbrook Island, Queensland (18°12′S, 146°16′E), 8 m depth; CSIRO H 8762- 32 (BW-A16633, FOAQ666-21), 74.9 mm SL, Gulf of Carpentaria, south of Groote Eylandt, Northern Territory (14°28′S, 136°38′E), 29 m depth; CSIRO H 8965-01 (BW-A17753; FOAQ1053 -24), 110.0 mm SL, approx. 18 km northwest of Marrett River, Queensland (14°16′S, 144°03′E), 15 m depth; NTM S.11898-014, 4 of 14 specimens, 99.6–108.7 mm SL, approx. 85 km north of Marchinbar Island (10°18′S, 136°30′E); NTM S.12935-014, 122.6 mm SL, north of Croker Island, Northern Territory (10°44′20.4″S 132°31′48.0″E); NTM S.12989-004, 6 specimens, 117.1–129.6 mm SL, North of Cape Don, Northern Territory (11°04′01.2″S, 131°40′01.2″E). Materials for distributional records (morphometric and meristic data not collected; COI sequence of one specimen determined; 23 specimens: 43–125 mm SL). CSIRO A 2866, 93 mm SL, CSIRO A 2867, 87 mm SL, CSIRO A 2868, 88 mm SL, CSIRO A 2869, 99 mm SL, south of Mornington Island, Gulf of Carpentaria, Queensland, Australia (17°27′42.0″S, 139°56′48.0″E), 7 m depth; CSIRO A 2899, 82 mm SL, Gulf of Carpentaria, Queensland, Australia (17°30.6′S, 140°32.6′E), 4 m depth; CSIRO A 3046, 100 mm SL, Kerema Bay, Gulf of Papua, Papua New Guinea (07°57′S, 145°46′E); CSIRO B 354, 43 mm SL, mouth of Norman River, Gulf of Carpentaria, Queensland, Australia (17°27′S, 140°50′E); CSIRO C 3714, 123 mm SL, northeast of Gove, Northern Territory, Australia (12°00′S, 137°30′E), 55 m depth; CSIRO CA 2310, 125 mm SL; CSIRO CA 2311, 127 mm SL, northeast of Cape Talbot, Western Australia, Australia (13°16′S, 127°05′E), 90–95 m depth; CSIRO H 3630-01, 84 mm SL; CSIRO H 3630-02, 3 specimens: 60–83 mm SL, west-northwest of Weipa, Gulf of Carpentaria, Queensland, Australia (12°29′06″S, 141°31′36″E), 18 m depth; CSIRO H 6548-10, 72.7 mm SL, north of Bundaberg, Queensland, Australia (24°26′17.4″S, 152°04′30.0″E), 14 m depth; CSIRO H 6715-04, 3 specimens, 97–122 mm SL, Keppel Bay, Queensland, Australia (23°19′30.6″S, 150°54′58.8″E), 13 m depth; CSIRO H 6933-08, 110.0 mm SL, Keppel Bay, Queensland, Australia (23°20′19.2″S, 150°51′47.4″E), 9 m depth; CSIRO H 7023-06, 3 specimens, 60–68 mm SL, north of Hinchinbrook Island, Queensland, Australia (18°12′20.4″S, 146°15′59.4″E), 8 m depth; CSIRO H 8850-01 (BW-A16960, FOAQ796-22), 58 mm SL, off Cape Blackwood, Gulf of Papua, Papua New Guinea (08°00.78′S, 144°41.48′E), 19–21 m depth. Diagnosis. A species of Stolephorus with the following combination of characters: 1UGR 17–19 (modally 18), 1LGR 23–26 (24), 1TGR 41–44 (42); 2UGR 11–13 (13), 2LGR 21–23 (22), 2TGR 32–35 (35); 3UGR 9–12 (11), 3LGR 11–13 (12), 3TGR 21–25 (23); 4UGR 8–11 (9), 4LGR 9–11 (11), 4TGR 17–22 (20); prepelvic scutes 4–6 (6); scale rows in longitudinal series 36–41 (41); transverse scales 8; pseudobranchial filaments 24–36 (28); vertebrae 41; paired dark patches on parietal and occipital regions; no double lines on dorsum; a few black spots on suborbital area and tip of lower jaw; predorsal scute absent; no spine on pelvic scute; posterior margin of preopercle rounded, not indented; maxilla comparatively short, 17.9–20.4% of SL (mean 19.2%), its posterior tip not reaching to posterior margin of preopercle; lower jaw comparatively short, 15.1–17.5% of SL (16.6%); short anal-fin base 12.9–16.9% of SL (14.9%); long caudal peduncle, 20.3–23.4% of SL (21.8%). Description. Body elongated, subcylindrical, deepest at dorsal-fin origin. Dorsal profile gently elevated from snout tip to dorsal-fin origin, thereafter, gradually descending to dorsal contour of central part of caudal peduncle. Ventral profile gently descending from tip of lower jaw to insertion of pelvic fin, thereafter nearly straight (parallel to body axis) to origin of anal fin, subsequently ascending along anal-fin base. Ventral contour of caudal peduncle nearly straight and parallel to body axis. Abdomen rounded, covered with four to six prepelvic scutes. Prepelvic scutes spine-like, retrorse, hard. No scutes on abdomen posterior to pelvic scute. No spine on pelvic scute. Predorsal scute absent. Snout projecting, rounded, positioned lower than upper margin of eye. Orbit elliptical, entirely covered with eyelid. Eye longer than snout, positioned above pectoral-fin insertion. Iris round. Interorbital space flat, narrower than eye diameter. Nostrils positioned close to each other, just anterior to orbit. Mouth large, inferior, almost parallel to body axis, extending to posterior margin of orbit. Maxilla rather short, not reaching to posterior margin of preopercle. Lower jaw slender. Mandibular joint located posterior to posterior margin of eye. Uniserial small conical teeth on both jaws. Several rows of conical teeth on palatines. Several conical teeth present on vomer. Teeth patch formed by fine, densely packed teeth present on pterygoids. Several rows of conical teeth on upper edges of basihyal. Dorsal surface of hyoid arch entirely smooth. Posterior margins of preopercle, subopercle, and opercle rounded (not indented), smooth, without serrations. Pseudobranchial filaments present on inner side of opercle and exposed, not covered with skin (visible without dissection); length of longest filament less than eye diameter. Gill arch four pairs, gill rakers present on anterior surfaces of all gill arches and posterior surface of third gill arch. Gill rakers slender, rough, visible from side of head when mouth opened. Gill filaments present on all gill arches. Isthmus muscle long, anteriorly reaching to posterior margin of gill membranes. Urohyal embedded in isthmus muscle, not visible without dissection. Gill membranes on both sides joined distally, most of isthmus muscle exposed (not covered by gill membrane). Branchiostegal rays elongated, entirely covered with gill membrane. Anus situated just before anal-fin origin. Pectoral fin triangular, posterior tip pointed, dorsal, posterior, and ventral margins almost straight; fin insertion slightly posterior to posterior margin of opercle, lower than snout tip; posterior tip not reaching to pelvic-fin insertion; uppermost ray unbranched, others branched. Pelvic fin almost triangular, outer contours almost straight; posterior tip of depressed fin not reaching to vertical through dorsal-fin origin; anteriormost fin ray unbranched, others branched. Dorsal fin nearly triangular, anterior and dorsal profile nearly straight; fin origin located slightly anterior to middle of body; anterior three fin rays unbranched, others branched; first ray tiny. Anal-fin origin located just below 11th to 14th dorsal-fin ray origin; anterior three fin rays unbranched, others branched; first ray tiny; posterior tip of depressed fin not reaching to caudal-fin base. Caudal fin forked, posterior tips of both lobes pointed; anterior and posterior margins of both lobes nearly straight. Head without scales. Fins scaleless, except for broad triangular sheath of scales on caudal fin and elongated sheath of scales on bases of dorsal and anal fins. Body scales completely lost, except for prepelvic scutes. Coloration of fresh specimens. Based on CSIRO H 6715-03, CSIRO H 7023-05, and CSIRO H 8965-01, frozen for 19 years before photography (Fig. 5A, B). Body milky-white, a silver longitudinal band (width slightly narrower than eye diameter) running through middle part of body. Silver band with narrow black margin dorsally. Cheek, opercle, and pectoral-fin axillary scale silver. Snout, maxilla, and pelvic-fin axillary scale transparent. Melanophores densely scattered on tips of snout and lower jaw, occipital area, dorsal margin of gill opening, middle of caudal-fin base, and dorsal surface of caudal peduncle. Scale pockets on dorsum posteriorly margined black. Melanophores scattered along fin rays of dorsal and caudal fins. No melanophores on lower margin of caudal fin. Posterior margin of caudal fin broadly black. Pectoral, pelvic, and anal fins translucent, without melanophores. Iris silver, pupil black. Coloration of preserved specimens. Body uniformly pale, longitudinal band brownish (sometimes remaining silver) and dorsally margined black. Melanophores scattered on lateral surface of head (just above eye, upper margin of gill opening, and tips of maxilla and lower jaw). Pairs of dark patches on parietal and occipital regions. Few melanophores scattered on suborbital area and maxilla. Melanophores scattered along fin rays of dorsal and caudal fins. No melanophores on pectoral, pelvic, and anal fins, and lower margin of caudal fin. Scale pockets on dorsum margined black. Distribution. Stolephorus waitei is known from the southeastern coast of New Guinea (Gulf of Papua) and the northern and northeastern coasts of Australia from off Cape Talbot, Wester