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Gymnothorax phalarus, a new eastern Pacific moray eel (Pisces: Muraenidae)

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Gymnothorax phalarus is described from 23 individuals taken in trawl and dredge collections made on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. The new species is nearly always syntopic with a similar species, Gymnothorax equatorialis. The new moray is distinguished by its white-spotted pattern, uniserial, slightly serrated teeth in adults, four infraorbital pores and mean vertebral formula of 6-58-140. Of the total of 21 valid species of morays recorded from the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, only the new species and G. equatorialis form part of the trawl fishery as the remainder are almost entirely restricted to nearshore rocky habitats. The known range of G. phalarus is from Baja California to Peru.
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   

 
 1
           
  
 
   
                 
            

 
      

   
      





     
     
    
      
     


      
 
  
     

     
     
     
     

    
     

   
  


 
   
   
  
   n. mm    
     

    
 
     
  



    
  
   
      

    

   


 
      
   

     


      
     
 

 
  
   


     
    
     
  
 
 


  
 

   
      
       
      

   
     
     
     
       
     
 

   
        
     


  
 
 
  
 
    
   
   
   
   
   


 
   
   
   
 

 


   

 
     
  
   
      
 

        
      

     
        
 
    
  
    


      
   
      
     
  
 
      
     
     


  

 
  
  
  
       
     
     
      
     
   
      

    
     
 
   
   
 
    
     
    
 





    
      
 
      

    
    
    








    
     
     

            
     
    
A B
                
    
    
  
    
 
    
      
     

 
     
       
       
     a
      
     

        

    
      

   

      
    
 
    
   


 
       


   

   
     

       
        
  
     

 
    
    
        
   

    
  
      
     


      

      
     
       
     


      
 
      
     
      
       
      
 
     
  
     




     
  
    
      
 
  
 


       
    
   
  
      
     
    
    
   
     
      

      
      
    






      
      

    
      
      
      
     
     
     


      
     

  
   


 

  

 
  
       
      
  
        
      
    

       
      
 
   
 
         
  
  
     
     
     
 
        

 
... Two adult individuals of the U. versutus were observed in northern Baja California in 2007, roughly 1000 km north of their previously reported range limit of the very southern point of the Baja California Peninsula. The type specimen for U. versutus, as reported by Bussing (1991), is an adult of 432 mm TL collected in Costa Rica. Thus, based on the holotype length, the maximum recorded size for the species (560 mm TL; McCosker and Rosenblatt 1995), and the development of the gonads, we believe these individuals to be adults. ...
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Under the influence of climate stressors, species distributions of fishes in the eastern Pacific are shifting, with many species moving poleward. Moray eels (family Muraenidae) are ecologically important predators inhabiting coastal reefs. Due to their cryptic nature and lack of commercial importance, the species distributions of muraenids in the tropical and subtropical eastern Pacific are poorly understood. Here, we document the geographic range size of 33 muraenid species in the eastern Pacific and also report a shift in the established population range of Muraena argus based on recent trapping efforts. We found that 17 species demonstrated shifts in geographic range size, including sampled-range expansions and new occurrences at offshore islands. Eleven species were observed in new biogeographic provinces, primarily in the northward direction to the San Diegan province. Trapping data and local knowledge gathered from fishing cooperatives suggest that M. argus has established populations at least 300 km further north than previously reported. Both the yearly number of reported observations and geographic extent of sampling have increased over time, but the number of recorded extensions has not. These results highlight the importance of compiling data from diverse sources (including museum records, local ecological knowledge, and the non-English scientific literature) as well as the continued value of biodiversity surveys in the eastern Pacific.
... Some other white-spotted morays with serrated teeth are G. elegans Bliss, 1883, G. nudivomer (Günther, 1867, G. moluccensis (Bleeker, 1864), G. phalarus Bussing, 1998 andG. sokotrensis Kotthaus, 1968. ...
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A new species of white-spotted moray eel Gymnothorax smithi sp. nov. is described based on three specimens collected from the southeastern Arabian Sea, India. This is the first deep water report of a moray eel from Indian waters from 200 m depth. This new species is distinguishable from its congeners by the following combination of characters: greyish brown body overlain with white spots of irregular shape, dorsal-fin origin anterior to gill opening, anus positioned slightly behind the mid-point of the body, serrated teeth and a unique vertebral count 3–5 /57/130–132. [Zoobank URL: urn:lsid: zoobank.org:act:9554CE07-E9E7-4B4F-95CD-54F2BB26FF28]
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A new estuarine moray eel, Uropterygius hadessp. nov., is described based on 14 specimens from Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines, southern Indonesia, and Fiji. It is a small-bodied, slender, uniformly dark-brown moray separated from congeners within the U. concolor species complex. The new species can be distinguished from congeners by the anteriorly positioned small eyes (5.0–7.2% of head length), absence of branchial pores, and extended inner rows of teeth which reach the posterior end of the jaws. Uropterygius hadessp. nov. represents a rare species of moray eel that inhabits turbid estuarine environments, preferring soft, muddy substrates, and burrowing and hiding among rocks or in fallen mangrove leaves. Additionally, Uropterygius mactanensis Huang, Balisco, Evacitas & Liao, another species recently separated from the U. concolor species complex, is reported for the first time from Iriomote Island in the Ryukyu Archipelago based on two specimens; this new record expands the geographic range of U. mactanensis from the central Philippines to southern Japan.
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Uropterygius concolor Rüppell, the type species of the genus Uropterygius, is a small, uniformly brown moray considered to be widely distributed in the Indo‐Pacific region. However, a recent study indicated that the real U. concolor is currently known only from the type locality in the Red Sea, and species recorded outside the Red Sea may represent a species complex that comprises several species. In this study, we assess the genetic and morphological variations of this species complex based on available data. Analyses of cytochrome c oxidase subunit I sequences revealed at least six distinct genetic lineages recognized under ‘U. concolor’. After carefully comparing the morphologies, one of the lineages is described herein as a new species, Uropterygius mactanensis sp. nov., based on 21 specimens collected from Mactan Island, Cebu, Philippines. Another distinct lineage is considered to be a possibly undescribed species based on diagnostic morphological characters. Although the taxonomic status of junior synonyms of U. concolor and some lineages still remain unresolved, this study provides informative morphological characters (i.e., tail length, trunk length, vertebrae number, and arrangement of teeth) that can be used in future studies on this species complex.
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Gymnothorax aurocephalus sp. nov. is described herein based on 4 specimens. Three were collected from off Swaraj Dweep Island of Andaman and Nicobar Islands (A&N Islands) from a depth of 125–130 m and one specimen off Interview Island, A&N Islands at a depth of 90 m. This new species is distinguishable from its congeners by the following combination of characters: chocolate brown color overlain with small irregular white spots, golden skin shadings close to rictus; anus slightly before midbody; pointed and serrated jaw teeth; uniserial teeth in jaws and vomer; vertebral formula 7/61/148–149. The species is compared to all its congeners with white spots.
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A checklist of the currently recognized species of moray eels (Muraenidae) is presented. One hundred ninety seven speciesare considered to be valid, in 15 genera, and two subfamilies. The account for each valid species contains bibliographicinformation for that species and all synonyms, including primary type specimens and type locality. Also given for eachspecies is the number of vertebrae, the mean vertebral formula (MVF), the general geographic distribution, and any ex-planatory remarks that may be needed. A list of nominal genera and species is given, with the current status of each. Separate lists are provided for names that cannot be assigned to known species (incertae sedis) and those that are unavailable.
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An annotated and photographically illustrated checklist with DNA barcodes of the species of bony fishes collected during a month-long research cruise of the Spanish Research vessel B/O Miguel Oliver is presented. The vessel made trawls on the continental shelf of the Pacific coast of Central America, in November-December 2010, at depths of 108–1625 m. This list, based on 707 specimens (of a total of 876 specimens collected during the whole expedition), includes 129 species belonging to 15 orders, 61 families, and 97 genera. New information is presented on the geographical distributions of more than a third of those species, with 29 species (22.4%) representing new records from Central American waters and 17 species (13.2%) having expanded latitudinal ranges. Data on capture depths demonstrate increased depth ranges due to new minimum and/or maximum known depths for 31 species, i.e. 24% of those captured. Tissue samples from frozen specimens were used to obtain DNA barcodes of 682 (96.5%) individuals belonging to 118 species (91.4% of those recorded here), which have been made publically available in Genbank. Those data include barcodes for 84 species (65.1% of the total collected, and 77.1% of those for which barcodes were obtained) and 30 genera (30.9% of those collected) for which no species barcodes have been previously published. Barcodes of 54 species represent the first genetic sequences of any type published for those species. The abundance of new data indicate that there is still much to learn about the composition and geographical and depth distributions of the fish fauna of the shelf edge and continental slope of this region.
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Scaling patterns of tooth morphology can provide insights on prey capture strategy and dietary patterns as species grow through ontogeny. We report the scaling of dentition and diet and how it relates to body size in the California moray, Gymnothorax mordax. We sampled lengths, widths, and curvature for teeth lining five distinct regions of the oral jaws across 21 G. mordax individuals ranging from 383 to 1110 mm total length. Absolute tooth length in relation to moray size shows positive allometry only for the outer maxillary teeth, while teeth lining the inner maxilla display positive allometry in tooth base width. All other regions exhibit isometric growth in both length and width relative to moray size. Similar to previous descriptions of other moray species, the longest teeth in the oral jaws are the median intermaxillary teeth. This series of three teeth are depressible and rooted in the center of the ethmovomer, the bone that forms the roof of the rostrum. We hypothesize that caudal mobility of the median intermaxillary teeth aids in prey transport by enabling the pharyngeal jaws to remove pierced prey without requiring full abduction of the oral jaws. The predominantly isometric tooth growth in G. mordax suggests that the oral teeth grow proportionately as individuals increase in size. Stomach contents from the field suggest that G. mordax is highly piscivorous. While a strong positively allometric relationship between vertical gape and head length supports the expectation that moray increase relative prey size over ontogeny, we found no relationship between prey standard length and moray size. This suggests that while larger individuals are capable of consuming larger prey, individual G. mordax are opportunistic predators that do not specialize on prey of a specific size over ontogeny.
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Se presenta a continuación el primer catálogo de material tipo depositado en la colección ictiológica del Museo de Zoología de la Universidad de Costa Rica (UCR). Esta colección incluye un total de 469 lotes y 7,418 especímenes tipo, la gran mayoría de los cuales son Paratipos (7,417), representando un total de 84 especies en 27 familias. Para cada especie, ordenadas alfabéticamente, se menciona: estatus nomenclaturial (nombre válido), sinonimia, referencias literarias, localidad tipo y ubicación del Holotipo. Para cada lote, se menciona: número de registro, número de especímenes examinados y totales, así como estado de preservación y tipo nomenclaturial.
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A list is presented of 242 species of fishes taken in the Golfo de Nicoya, Golfo Dulce and on the Pacific continental shelf of Costa Rica. The specimens were collected using dredges and bottom trawls during December 1993 and February 1994. The Golfo Dulce revealed the lowest diversity with only 75 species represented; 118 species were collected in the Golfo de Nicoya and 129 species in offshore waters. It is presumed that low fish diversity in Golfo Dulce is due to the deep, unproductive waters in that embayment. The checklist includes presence-absence data for each locality.
A collection of fishes from Talara
  • S F Hildebrand
Hildebrand, S.F. 1949. A collection of fishes from Talara, Perú. Smithsonian Mise. Coll. 111: 1-36.
The moray eels (Pisces: Muraenidae) of the Galapagos Islands, with new records and synonymies of extralimital species
  • J.E. McCosker
  • R.H. Rosenblatt
Vertebral formulae for type specimens of eels (Pisces: Anguilliformes).
  • E.B. Böhlke
Peces demersales y pelágicos costeros del Pacífico de Centro América meridional
  • Wa M I Bussing
  • López
Bussing, WA. & M.I. López. 1993. Peces demersales y pelágicos costeros del Pacífico de Centro América meridional. Guia ilustrada (SpanlEnglish) Special Pub. Rev. Biol. Trop. 164 p.