Matsubaraea fusiformis

Five M. fusiformis samples were collected from the offshore waters of Changhua County. One sample (sample code: F18T1S1004) was caught between 2 and 3 AM. The trawling route was from 24°0.351'N and 119°47.718'E to 24°2.184'N and 119°49.704'E, the sampling area depth was approximately 35.9–49.6 m, and the water temperature was 28.5° C. The other four samples (sample codes: UN19T3S1012-1 – UN19T3S1012-4) were caught between 3:30 and 4:30 AM. The trawling route was from 24°0.279'N and 119°49.610'E to 24°2.328'N and 119°51.329'E, the sampling area depth was approximately 35.3–47.9 m, and the water temperature was 29°C. Morphological characteristics Table 1 presents the meristic and morphometric data of the five M. fusiformis samples. A fresh sample of M. fusiformis (code: UN19T3S1012-1) is depicted in Figure 2. The samples’ wet weight ranged from 0.4347 to 1.1649 g. The standard length (SL) and total length were 42.01–55.59 mm and 50.83–65.44 mm, respectively. Of the five samples, three were female fish, one was a male fish, and the remaining one (smallest sample) was unknown. The length is presented in millimeters (mm), and the weight is presented in grams (g). Each fish had a cylindrical head and body, two closely spaced eyes, a large mouth, a protruding snout, a gape extending behind the eyes, a lower jaw not protruding beyond the upper jaw, two dorsal fins, and one anal fin. The second dorsal fin exhibited a concave center and crotched-tip rays, except for the first ray. The fin rays were distributed as follows: II–III+16–17. The anal fin rays (total number: 26) had crotched tips. The pectoral fin had 16 rays, and the pelvic fin had I+5 rays. The lateral line scales (2.5 scales above and 3.5 scales below the line) had 35 or 36 pores. The average morphometric measurements were as follows: body depth, 4.57–7.32 mm (SL: 10.88%–13.76%); head length, 9.37–14.9 mm (SL: 22.3%–28.43%); snout length, 2.76–3.44 mm (SL: 6.19%–6.6%); orbit diameter, 2.26–2.76 mm (SL: 4.91%–5.38%); predorsal length, 16.04–22.84 mm (SL: 37.76%–41.68%); dorsal fin base (first and second) length, 23.2–31.84 mm (SL: 52.79%–57.28%); first dorsal spine length (measured excluding the samples with a broken dorsal spine), 2.3–3.84 mm (SL: 5.47%–8.51%); second dorsal spine length, 2.69– 3.79 mm (SL: 5.9%–8.19%); third dorsal spine length (measured excluding UN19T3S1012-4), 2.64–3.6 mm (SL: 4.75%–7.62%); preanal length, 17.59–24.09 mm (SL: 39.32%–43.72%); anal fin base length, 23.63–29.51 mm (SL: 52.37%–57.33%); pectoral fin length, 8.69–10.39 mm (SL: 18.69%–20.69%); caudal peduncle depth, 1.97–2.97 mm (SL: 4.69%–5.78%); and caudal peduncle length, 0.79–1.99 mm (SL: 1.88%–3.58%). The caudal fin was convex in shape. The tips of the pelvic fins did not reach the anus. The fresh fish samples were milky white, particularly in the ventral region. A dark-brown netted pattern was observed on the dorsal body and each side (above the lateral line), extending till the caudal peduncle. A brown longitudinal band was observed below the lateral line. Dark-brown spots were noted on the head and the upper and lower jaws. A golden spot was observed at the end of the operculum. The pelvic fins were white. The dorsal, anal, and caudal fins had multiple interlaced brown and white spots. Furthermore, irregular brown spots were noted on the upper side of the pectoral fin rays (but not on the fin membrane). All fin membranes were transparent.