BULLETIN OF MARINE SCIENCE, 27(3); 53()'-543,1977 EIGHT NEW SPECIES AND A NEW GENUS OF CONGRID EELS FROM THE WESTERN NORTH ATLANTIC WITH REDESCRIPTIONS OF ARIOSOMA ANALIS, HILDEBRANDIA GUPPYI, AND RHECHIAS VIC/NALlS David G. Smith and Robert H. Kanazawa ABSTRACT Eight new species of eels belonging to the family Congridae are described, based largely on material collected over the past 25 years by research vessels of the National Marine Fisheries Service and the University of Miami in the western North Atlantic. Parabathymyrus oregoni n. sp. extends the range of the genus from the western Pacific to the western Atlantic. Ariosoma coquettei n. sp. is described from the coast of the Guianas, South America. Three new species of Gnathophis Kaup, are described from the Gulf of Mexico, the Straits of Florida, and the coast of Georgia and South Carolina: G. bracheatopos, G. bathytopos, and G. tritos. The genus has not been known previously from the western Atlantic. Two new species of Rhechias Jordan are described, R. bu/lisi and R. polypora. It is explained that Rhechias is a senior synonym of Congrina Jordan and Hubbs. Japonoconger caribbeus n. sp. represents the second species of that genus, which was previously known from Japan. Conger analis Poey is redescribed and placed in Ariosoma. An apparently identical form occurs off tropical West Africa. Congromuraena guppyi Norman is shown to belong in the genus Hildebrandia Jordan and Evermann, and becomes the third species of the genus in the western Atlantic. The problem of the identification of the type of guppyi with one of the three species of Hildebrandia is discussed. Uroconger vicinalis Garman is rede- scribed and assigned to Rhechias. The genus Lemkea Kotthaus is synonymized with Gnathophis Kaup. A new genus, Acromycter, is established to house Ariosoma perturbator Parr, Promyl- lantor alcocki Gilbert and Cramer, and Promyllantor nezumi Asano. A. perturbator is designated as the type species. It is pointed out that Promyllantor sehmilli Hildebrand is a synonym of Pseudophichthys latedorsalis Roule. The past 25 years have seen a great in- of additional material and are assigned to crease in our knowledge of the offshore their proper genera. In addition, we erect shelf and upper slope fishes of the tropical a new genus to contain Ariosoma perturba- western Atlantic. Exploratory fishing by re- tor Parr and two closely related species search vessels of the National Marine Fish- which do not fit into any of the recognized eries Service, especially the OREGONand genera of congrid eels. SILVERBAY, and by the University of Mi- ami's GERDA and PILLSBURYhave added METHODSANDMATERIALS many previously undescribed species to the faunal list. The eels of the family Congridae Preanal length is measured from the tip are a good example of this. Of the approxi- of the snout to the posterior margin of the mately 30 species known to occur in this anus. Head length is measured from the tip area, between a quarter and a third of them of the snout to the upper comer of the pec- are undescribed. toral-fin base. Eye diameter is measured In this paper we describe eight new spe- horizontally across the clear "spectacle" cov- cies of congrid eels. Three other poorly ering the eye socket. The gill aperture is known species are redescribed on the basis measured from corner to corner. Inter- 530 SMITH AND KANAZAWA: EELS OF THE FAMILY CONGRIDAE 531 50~-------:-----:--~5r;---------- present in all congrid eels. In addition, some lL species have a fourth pore anterior to the c-:: 0, posterior nostril, a fifth pore near the an- .,\' ~"O '" n""--"-........... .- terior margin of the eye, and a sixth pore " near the posterior part of the eye. The latter two will be referred to as interorbital pores. POM The supratemporal commissure (ST) can Figure 1. Diagrammatic view of sensory pores have from zero to five pores. and canals on the head of a congrid eel. Myorhabdoi, as termed by Asano (1962), are the intermuscular bones located above branchial distance is measured across the the epineurals and below the epipleurals. isthmus between the lower corners of the They are present only in Bathymyrus, Para- gill opening. Body depth is measured at the bathymyrus, and some species of Ariosoma. anus. The number of lateral-line (LL) pores The frequency of damaged and regener- given are those anterior to a vertical line ated tails in some species makes it necessary drawn through the anterior edge of the anus. to express proportional measurements in per- TotaL vertebrae include the hypura1. The cent of preanal length rather than total number in parentheses following the verte- length. braLnumber shows how many specimens had The following abbreviations are used for that particular count. the various museums. ANSP: Academy of Figure 1 shows a diagrammatic view of the Natural Sciences of Philadelphia; MCZ: arrangement of sensory canals and pores on Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard the head of congrid eels. The preoperculo- University; RMNH: Rijksmuseum van Na- mandibular (POM) canal usually contains tuurlijke Historie, Leiden; UMML: Rosen- 10 or 11 pores. Of these, six are usually stieL School of Marine and Atmospheric found anterior to the rictus. The infraorbital Science, University of Miami; USNM: (IO) canal always contains four pores along United States National Museum of Natural the upper jaw, and another one in line with History; MBI: Marine Biomedical Institute. these but behind the rictus. In addition, some species have two or three pores in the Genus Parabathymyrus Kamohara section of the infraorbital canal that comes Kamohara (1938) established this genus up behind the eye. These will be referred to to contain a new species, P. macrophthal- as postorbital pores. The genera Conger and mus, from Taiwan. Parabathymyrus was Paraconger also have an extra pore at the originally distinguished from Bathymyrus Al- anterior-most extremity of the canal, near its cock by the fact that the premaxillary teeth junction with the supraorbital canal. In this did not extend out to form a prominent ex- paper we express the infraorbital pores as tra-oral patch on the tip of the wout. Since the number along the upper jaw plus the then, however, other species of Bathymyrus number behind the rictus plus the number in have been discovered and this character now the postorbital section, for example "4 1 + appears to form a graded series among the + 3." For taxonomic purposes, we include species of the two genera. The only remain- the two pores on the underside of the an- ing character that separates them seems to terior extremity of the snout in the supraor- bitaL (SO) canal, although the first one prop- be the nature of the posterior nostril, cov- erly belongs to a separate ethmoidal canal ered by a flap in Parabathymyrus and ex- and the second one appears to belong jointly posed in Bathymyrus. Although this seems a to the ethmoidal and supraorbital canals trivial character upon which to separate (Allis, 1903). The first three pores in what genera, we refrain from synonymizing them we are calling the supraorbital series are without further study. 532 BULLETIN OF MARINE SCIENCE, VOL. 27, NO.3, 1977 In addition to the type species and the new species described below, we have de- ~~"'" ~ . termined that Arisoma [sic] brachyrhynchus ~ C,- . Fowler, 1934 is also a species of Parabathy- myrus. CS;.~~- ~.~..~.. :.~~ . Pllrllbathymyrus oregoni new species Figure 2 Figure 2. Parabathymyrus oregoni n. sp., 252 mm Material eXlImined.-Holotype: USNM 158900 TL. ANSP 126974. (female, 322 mm TL), OREGON 2022, 7°15'N, 53°25'W, 115 fm (210 m), 9 November 1957. Paratypes: USNM 158883 (3 :290-307), same data as holotype. USNM 158898 (4:274-330), OREGON 11, 10, 4 + 1 + 0, SO 4, ST O. Total verte- 2021, 7°18/N, 53°32'W, 100 fm (183 m), 8 No- brae 149. vember 1957. USNM 158899 (1:261), OREGON 1987, 9°36'N, 59°44'W, 80 fm (146 m), 4 Novem- Diagnosis.-Parabathymyrus oregoni has ber 1957. USNM 190466 (1:280), OREGON2656, more lateral-line pores than P. macrophthal- 18°26.5'N, 67°12'W, 200 fm (366 m), 6 October 1959. ANSP 126974 (1:252, illustrated), PILLS- mus Kamohara (39) and fewer than P. BURY 783, 11°20'N, 73°48.5'W, to 11°22'N, 73° brachyrhynchus (Fowler) (50-52). It has 44'W, 78-95 fm (143-174 m), 31 July 1968. ANSP 134335 (1:214), same data as ANSP more vertebrae than macrophthalmus (133) 126974. UMML 22298 (2:115-153), PILLSBURY and fewer than brachyrhynchus (166-168). 403, 8°48.7'N, 77° 12.7/W to 8°47.6'N, 77°14.2'W, P. oregoni has a single row of lateral teeth in 53-54 fm (97-99 m), 17 July 1966. UMML 29594 (3: 111-156), PILLSBURY425, 9°38.9'N, 79°15.3/W the upper jaw whereas the other species have to 9°40.2'N, 79°17.4'W, 35-38 fm (64-70 m), 19 two. July 1966. UMML 29600 (1:241), PILLSBURY838, 10032'N, 60023'W, 93-115 m, 30 June 1969. Distribution.- The southern Gulf of Mexico, UMML 29603 (2: 168-250), PILLSBURY 671, Caribbean and south to Surinam in 58- 7°07'N, 55°08'W to 7°07'N, 55°05'W, 35 fm (64 m), 11 July 1968. UMML 29697 (1:289), 366 m. PILLSBURY 617, 15°47.2'N, 88°12.6'W to 15° 45.2'N, 88°11.2'W, 58-65 fm (106-119 m), 19 Etymology.-Named for the National Ma- March 1968. RMNH 27394 (1 :257) 7°22.7'N, rine Fisheries Service Research Vessel ORE- 56°38'W, 4 April 1969.