Alectrias markevichi sp. nov. — a new species of cockscombs (Perciformes: Stichaeidae: Alectriinae) from the sublittoral of the Sea of Japan and adjacent waters

Abstract

A new species of cockscombs, Alectrias markevichi sp. nov., is described from 46 individuals from the sublittoral of Peter the Great Bay and Moneron Island (the Sea of Japan), South Kuril Strait, southern Hokkaido, and northeastern Honshu (the northwestern Pacific). A. markevichi sp. nov. differs from all the known species of the genus in the presence of only three pores in the occipital commissure (no pores near crest base and no medial tubule), only four pores in the preopercular canal, only one shortened spine at the end of dorsal fin, and 11–18 preural vertebrae with wide neural processes.

Full text

ISSN 00329452, Journal of Ichthyology, 2012, Vol. 52, No. 5, pp. 308–320. © Pleiades Publishing, Ltd., 2012.
Original Russian Text © B.A. Sheiko, 2012, published in Voprosy Ikhtiologii, 2012, Vol. 52, No. 3, pp. 295–308.
308
The genus
Alectrias
Jordan et Evermann, 1898,
belongs to the subfamily Alectriinae separated by
Makushok (1958) in the family Stichaeidae. From the
remaining genera of the subfamily (
Alectridium
Gil
bert et Burke, 1912,
Anoplarchus
Gill, 1861, and
Pseu
dalectrias
Lindberg, 1938), its species differ in the fol
lowing set of characters: no coronal pore, presence of
teeth at palatine bones and scales in the posterior part
of the body, and fused gill membranes forming a free
fold across the isthmus (Jordan and Snyder, 1902;
Lindberg, 1938; Shiogaki, 1985). In the genus
Alec
trias
, five species of cockscombs were known: brown
A. alectrolophus
(Pallas, 1814), spiny
A. benjamini
(Jordan et Snyder, 1902), ciliate
A. cirratus
(Lindberg,
1838), shaggy
A. gallinus
(Lindberg, 1938), and maned
A. mutsuensis
Shiogaki, 1985 (common names for
A. benjamini
,
A. cirratus
, and
A. mutsuensis
, as well as
for
A. markevichi
sp. nova in the Russian version of the
paper are suggested for the first time and are based on
diagnostic and the most pronounced external charac
ters of fish).
During identification and cataloging of collections
of cockscombs from the Sea of Japan delivered
recently to Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of
Sciences, material of ZIN nos. 43054, 43060, and
43061 from the Moneron Island determined by Pin
chuk in 1974 as
Alectrias
sp. was also studied. The
investigation of characters of these fish led to the con
clusion of the existence in the region of the sixth,
undescribed species. Unfortunately, sizes and state of
preservation of this material did not allow to make a
fullvalue description. It was made after receiving
additional material. This paper concerns the descrip
tion of the new species.
MATERIAL AND METHODS
Material for the present study included the stock
collection of the Laboratory of Ichthyology of the
Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences
(ZIN RAN, St. Petersburg), specimens from the col
lection of Hokkaido Museum of Zoology (HUMZ,
Hakodate, Hokkaido, Japan), and color photographs.
Data on individual specimens are listed in the descrip
tion of a species.
Comparative material.
Alectrias alectrolophus
(41 specimen): ZIN no. 18066—one specimen,
SL
73 mm, Sea of Japan, Preobrazheniya Bay,
42
°
53
′
N,
133
°
55
′
E, depth 5–7 m, October 19, 1908; ZIN
no. 19141—five specimens,
SL
63–103 mm, Sea of
Japan, De Castry Bay, at low sea under stones, June 23,
1913; ZIN no. 29034—15 specimens,
SL
25–86 mm,
Bering Island, inlet reef, littoral pool, October 6, 1930;
ZIN no. 40312—four specimens*
1
,
SL
67–90 mm,
Shikotan Island, Anama Bight, August 1, 1949; ZIN
no. 42238—15 specimens,
SL
63–94 mm, Tatar
Strait, DeCastry Bay, Ustrichnyi Island, littoral
pools, August 17, 1974; ZIN no. 52827—one speci
men,
SL
90 mm, Tatar Strait, Chikhachev Bay, depth
0–3 m, stones, gravel, temperature of
9
°
C
, drag seine,
September 17, 2002.
1
“*” denotes specimens in which elements of inner skeleton are
studied and rays in fins are counted using Xrays.
Alectrias markevichi
sp. nov.—A New Species of Cockscombs
(Perciformes: Stichaeidae: Alectriinae) from the Sublittoral
of the Sea of Japan and Adjacent Waters
B. A. Sheiko
Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences (ZIN), Universitetskaya nab. 1, St. Petersburg, 199034 Russia
email: bsheiko@mail.ru
Received July 21, 2011
Abstract
—A new species of cockscombs,
Alectrias markevichi
sp. nov., is described from 46 individuals from
the sublittoral of Peter the Great Bay and Moneron Island (the Sea of Japan), South Kuril Strait, southern
Hokkaido, and northeastern Honshu (the northwestern Pacific).
A. markevichi
sp. nov. differs from all the
known species of the genus in the presence of only three pores in the occipital commissure (no pores near
crest base and no medial tubule), only four pores in the preopercular canal, only one shortened spine at the
end of dorsal fin, and 11–18 preural vertebrae with wide neural processes.
DOI:
10.1134/S0032945212030083
Keywords: Alectrias markevichi
sp. nov., Sea of Japan, Sea of Okhotsk, northwestern Pacific, taxonomy, Per
ciformes, Zoarcoidei, Stichaeidae, Alectriinae, sublittoral.

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Alectrias markevichi
sp. nov.—A NEW SPECIES OF COCKSCOMBS 309
Alectrias benjamini
(four specimens): ZIN
no. 20472—one specimen*,
SL
75 mm, Amur Bay,
near Yankovskii Peninsula, July 19, 1898; ZIN
no. 25 973—one specimen*,
SL
56 mm, southern Pri
mor’ye, in rhizoids of laminarias, October 7, 1934;
ZIN no. 34340—one specimen*,
SL
98 mm, Sea of
Japan, Sakhalin Island, Shirokaya Pad’, littoral,
August 20, 1933; ZIN no. 55121—one specimen*,
SL
74 mm, Peter the Great Bay, Bol’shoi Pelis Island,
bight on the northern coast, depth 1 m, stones, net,
August 27, 2009.
Alectrias cirratus
(12 specimens): ZIN no. 18851—
five specimens*,
SL
51–74 mm (paratypes of
Alectrid
ium cirratum
Lindberg, 1938), Peter the Great Bay,
Slavyanskii Bay, depth 9 m, sand, beam trawl, October 23,
1912, DVE, stn. 207; ZIN no. 35188—three speci
mens,
SL
64–70 mm, Slavyanskii Bay, October 23,
1912, DVE, stn. 207; ZIN no. 45453—one specimen,
SL
67 mm, Peter the Great Bay, Bol’shoi Pelis Island,
net, August 26, 1978; ZIN no. 47940—one specimen,
SL
53 mm, Peter the Great Bay, Bol’shoi Pelis Island,
depth 8 m, September 6, 1985; ZIN no. 55122—one
specimen*,
SL
73 mm, Peter the Great Bay, Popov
Island, Stark Strait, depth 3.5 m, stones, net, Decem
ber 9, 2008; ZIN no. 55123—one specimen*,
SL
78 mm, Peter the Great Bay, Bol’shoi Pelis Island,
bight on the northern coast, depth 0.6 m, stones, net,
August 25, 2009.
Alectrias gallinus
(seven specimens): ZIN no. 40358—
two specimens*,
SL
90 and 91 mm, Sea of Okhotsk,
Ter p en iya B ay,
48
°
46
′
N,
144
°
36
′
E, depth 14 m,
stones, sand, temperature of
6.4
°
C
, dredge, Septem
ber 8, 1947, sidetrawler
Toporok
, stn. 79; ZIN
no. 40554—two specimens,
SL
33+ and 62* mm, to
the east of Shikotan Island,
43
°
53
′
N,
146
°
54
′
E,
depth 50 m, coquina, gravel,
12.7
°
C
, bottomgrab,
September 10, 1949, sidetrawler
Toporok
, stn. 79;
ZIN no. 44515—one specimen,
SL
40 mm, Sea of
Okhotsk, Ayan Bay, near northwestern cape, depth 25 m,
gravel, diving collecting, July 26, 1978, large refrigerator
trawler
Poseidon
, stn. 119; ZIN no. 48855—one speci
men,
SL
78 mm, Sea of Okhotsk, Iturup Island, Pros
tor Bay, depth 50–100 m, August 28, 1987; ZIN
no. 52834—one specimen,
SL
108 mm, Sea of
Okhotsk, Taui Bay, Spafariev Island, Bering Bight,
59
°
09
′
N,
149
°
00
′
E, depth 15 m, July 23, 2002.
Alectrias mutsuensis
(16 specimens): ZIN no. 40395—
three specimens,
SL
76–87 mm, Shikotan Island,
Matsuba Bight, littoral pool, August 22, 1949; ZIN
no. 40556—three specimens,
SL
70–94 mm, Shiko
tan Island, Anama Bight, depth 2.5 m, Rass trawl,
August 15, 1949; HUMZ no. 190052—one specimen,
SL
43 mm, southern coast of Hokkaido Island, near
Usujiri,
41
°
56
′
N,
140
°
58
′
E, depth 10 m; HUMZ
no. 198172—one specimen*,
SL
93 mm, eastern coast of
Hokkaido Island, near Dikokujima Island,
42
°
57
′
N,
144
°
53
′
E, December 23, 2006; HUMZ no. 198457—
one specimen,
SL
39 mm, near Usujiri, depth 9.7 m;
HUMZ no. 201314—one specimen*,
SL
62 mm,
near Usujiri, depth 10 m, February 7, 2008; HUMZ
no. 206316—one specimen,
SL
51 mm, northern coast
of Honshu Island, Aomori Prefecture, Mutsu Bay, near
Kominato, July 24, 1984; HUMZ no. 206318—two
specimens*,
SL
46 and 57 mm, Aomori Prefecture,
Mutsu Bay, near Yomogita, November 6, 1984; HUMZ
no. 206322—three specimens*,
SL
42–80 mm,
Aomori Prefecture, Mutsu Bay, near Moura, May 5,
2002.
Anoplarchus purpurescens
(five specimens): ZIN
no. 388—five specimens,
SL
66–88 mm, southeast
ern Alaska, Baranov Island, near Sitka, 1835.
Alectridium aurantiacum
(9 specimens): ZIN
no. 43063—three specimens,
SL
65–73 mm, Bering
Island, Nikolskoe village, June 25, 1972; ZIN
no. 48852—one specimen,
SL
105 mm, Kuril
Islands, near Makanrushi Island,
49
°
35
′
N,
154
°
44
′
E,
depth 100 m, coquina, dredge, August 26, 1987, large
refrigerator trawler
Tikhookeanskii
, stn. 351; ZIN
no. 48853—three specimens,
SL
51–96 mm, Kuril
Islands, near Shumshu Island,
50
°
51
′
N,
156
°
32
′
E,
depth 35 m, stones, coquina, dredge, October 13,
1987; large refrigerator trawler
Tikhookeanskii
,
stn. 470; ZIN no. 51633—one specimen,
SL
71 mm,
Kuril Islands, Fries Strait,
45
°
33
′
N,
149
°
22
′
E, depth
75 m, stones, dredge, October 6, 1987; large refrigera
tor trawler
Tikhookeanskii
, stn. 422; ZIN no. 55124—
one specimen,
SL
65 mm, Shikotan Island, Anama
Bight, August 1, 1949.
Pseudalectrias tarasovi
(10 specimens): ZIN
no. 41575—ten specimens,
SL
72–117 mm, Shiko
tan Island, Krabovaya Bight, littoral, August 26, 1973.
Body length everywhere when not indicated sepa
rately is standard one (
SL
). Temperature everywhere
indicated is demersal one. Dates of catches are con
verted to new style.
The set of the studied characters, methods of mea
surements and counts in general correspond to those
of Shiogaki (1985) with some changes and supple
ments of Chereshnev et al. (2003), Balanov et al.
(2009), and those suggested here. Ray count in fins
and the study of elements of the inner skeleton were
performed using Xrays and two total alizarine prepa
rations (paratypes ZIN no. 43061, female and male,
both 44 mm
SL
). During the count of vertebrae, fused
urostyle and the first preural vertebra (integrated ter
minal center) were taken as one—the first preural. In
species of the genus
Alectrias
, neural postzygapophyses
of all vertebrae and hemal postzygapophyses of the last
preural vertebrae grow forward and fuse with their own
neural and hemal arches, accordingly, forming vertical
medial plates, for which we suggest here names—
neurapophyseal plate (lamina neurapophysalis) and
hemapophyseal plate (lamina haemapophysalis). In
the description of the structure of the axial skeleton,
instead of the terms “pterygiophore of
D
” and “ptery
giophore of
A
”, we use morphologically more precise,
selfsufficient, and laconic terms—“interneural” and
“interhaemal”, respectively.

310
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SHEIKO
Fig. 1.
Vital coloration of holotype
A. markevichi
sp. nov. at
the day of catch.
In many publications on the group (for instance,
Chereshnev et al., 2003), it is common practice to
state that the uppermost epaxial plate represents
hypurals 4 and 5 fused together. Meanwhile, according
to a personal communication of O.S. Voskoboinikova,
in Perciformes, in case of formation of hypural 5, this
bone always remains as an independent element and
does not fuse with hypural 4. In species of the genus
Alectrias
, hypural 5 is absent.
Digital Xrays were obtained on Xray complex of
ZIN RAS (mobile Xray diagnostic unit PRDU2,
scanner Digora PCT, and computer software package
Digora for Windows 2.7.103.437).
In the text and tables, the following designations of
characters are provided:
A
—anal fin;
C
—caudal fin;
c
—head length;
crD
—distance between the anterior
margin of medial pore of
OC
and origin of
D
;
D
—dor
sal fin (number of rays is designated by Arabic numer
als);
ep
—epural;
H
—highest depth of the trunk;
H
A
—trunk depth near
A
origin;
hp
—hypural;
IO
—
infraorbital canal;
lC
—length of caudal fin from the
posterior margin of hypural;
lP
—length of pectoral fin
along greatest ray;
MN
—mandibular canal;
N
—nasal
canal;
o
—horizontal orbit diameter;
OC
—occipital
commissure;
P
—pectoral fin;
php
—parhypural;
PO
—postorbital canal;
PR
—preopercular canal;
pu
—preural vertebra;
SL
—standard body length;
SO
—supraorbital canal;
TL
—total body length;
vert
.—total vertebral number.
RESULTS
Alectrias markevichi
Sheiko,
sp.nov.—slender cockscomb
(Figs. 1, 2)
Alectrias gallinus
(non Lindberg, 1938): Lavrova,
1990, p. 48 (partim: ZIN no. 48854); Borets, 2000,
p. 129 (partim: Lavrova, 1990).
Holo t yp e. ZIN no. 55 125—mature male* TL
71 mm,
SL
66 mm, Sea of Japan, Peter the Great Bay,
Bol’shoi Pelis Island, bight on the northern coast, depth
0.5 m, stones,
20.5
°
C
, net, September 22, 2008, col
lector A.I. Markevich.
Pa r at y pe s (22 females and 23 males,
SL
26–58
and 19–60 mm), ZIN no. 43054—three females (45,
46*, 48* mm) and four males (42, 55*, 56*, 59* mm),
Sea of Japan, near Moneron Island, depth 36–45 m,
19
°
C
, dredge, August 27, 1972, expedition of IBM,
medium refrigerated sidetrawler
Maiskoe
, stn. 29;
ZIN no. 43060—one female (35 mm) and two males
(59*, 60* mm), near Moneron Island, dredge, August 27,
1972, expedition of IBM, stn. 34; ZIN no. 43061—
14 females (26–44 mm) and 15 males (19–53 mm), near
Moneron Island, depth 30–50 m, dredge, August 24,

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Alectrias markevichi
sp. nov.—A NEW SPECIES OF COCKSCOMBS 311
1972, expedition of IBM, stn. 18; ZIN no. 48854—
female (47* mm), South Kuril Strait near Shikotan
Island,
43
°
54
′
N,
146
°
49
′
E, depth 50m, stones,
coquina, July 18, 1987; large refrigerator trawler
Tikhookeanskii
, stn. 51, collector V.I. Lukin; HUMZ
nos. 198460, 198461, and 211540—one male (47* mm),
one female (48* mm) and one male (51 mm), Pacific
coast of Honshu Island, Miyagi Prefecture, Shizugava
Bay, near Aoshima,
38
°
39
′
N,
141
°
39
′
E, depth 7–9 m,
February 13, 2007, collectors N. Sato and T. Abe;
HUMZ no. 202070—female (47* mm), Sea of Japan,
Peter the Great Bay, near Bol’shoi Pelis Island,
42
°
40
′
N,
131
°
28
′
E, depth 18 m, October 27, 2007; HUMZ
no. 211590—female (58 mm), southern coast of
Hokkaido Island, near Usujiri,
41
°
56
′
N,
140
°
58
′
E,
depth 20 m, November 17, 2010, collector T. Abe.
Diag n os i s. Body is thin and elongated; its depth
is 10.2–14.1 (12.9) times in
SL
. Head is small, 6.6–8.0
(7.2) times in
SL
. Pectoral and caudal fins are small,
2.5–4.0 (3.0) and 1.9–2.7 (2.2) times in
c
, respec
tively. In occipital commissure, there are three pores
almost at the straight line; there are no pores near the
crest base and no medial tubule. In the postorbital
canal, there are usually six pores (usually pore
po
2
is
absent). In preopercular canal, there are four pores.
There is a skinny crest on the head with a smooth
upper profile; in females, it is highest in the middle,
and it is highest near the posterior margin in males.
Distance
crD
is large, 0.5–0.9 (0.7) times in
o
. There
are scales behind the second to eighth ray of
A
.
D
62–
63.
P
7–9.
Vert
. 66–68. Anterior 13–16 spines of
D
are
thin and bending. At the end of
D
, there is only one
shortened spine.
A
begins under the 19th–21st ray of
D
.
Last ray of
A
is connected by a membrane with
C
by
75–90 (85.4)% of its length. In
C
are 8–11 branched
rays. There are no branched rays on
ep
3. Preural verte
brae having wide neural processes 11–18, and those
with hemapophyseal plate 9–12. In vertebrae with
hemapophyseal plate, neural processes are noticeably
shorter than hemal ones. Head on the top is covered
with small brown spots.
Desc r ip t io n. Some diagnostic morphometric
and meristic characters are listed in Tables 1 and 2.
The text of the description is based on the holotype.
For a complete description of the variation,
11 paratypes were studied (designated above by *), and
the remaining paratypes were examined to describe
variation of the number of pores, number of last short
ened spines of
D
, the extent of fusion of
A
and
C
, vital
coloration, and number of stripes at the lower side of
the head in females. Characters of paratypes when
they differ from those of the holotype are given in
parentheses (range, average).
Fig. 2.
Holotype
A. markevichi
sp. nov. ZIN no. 55 125 after
2.5 years of preservation.

312
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SHEIKO
D
62 (62–63),
A
1, 44 (43–44),
P
9 (7–9),
C
3 + 12 +
1 = 16 (3–4 + 9–12 + 1–2 = 13–18),
vert
. 18 + 48 =
66 (19–20 + 46–49 = 66–68).
Body is elongated, relatively low, and frontally
compressed; its maximum depth is 10.0 (9.8–14.1,
12.5) times in
SL
; body depth near
A
origin is 10.6
(10.2–14.1, 12.9) times in
SL
. Caudal peduncle is rel
atively deep, and its depth is usually greater than the
depth of the greatest dorsal spine, 2.8 (2.1–2.7, 2.4)
times in
H
(Figs. 1, 2).
Head is small, 6.6 (6.6–8.0, 7.2) times in
SL
. Eye
diameter is 5.9 (3.8–4.9, 4.5) times in c; snout is short,
slightly shorter or equal to the eye diameter, 5.9 (3.8–
6.3, 5.5) times in
c
(Figs. 1 and 2). Bony interorbital
space is narrow, 1.6 (1.8–2.7, 2.2) times in
o
. Anterior
nostril is like a short tube, located slightly nearer the
orbit than the snout tip; posterior nostril is absent.
Mouth is oblique; posterior margin of upper jaw is
slightly behind the vertical of the posterior margin of
the orbit (from the vertical of the posterior margin of
the pupil to the vertical slightly behind posterior mar
gin of the orbit). Lower jaw slightly extends forward
the upper jaw. Upper lip is continuous and not sepa
rated. Lower lip is separated, halves of the right and left
sides narrowly fuse near the symphysis of the lower jaw.
Skinny crest on the head in specimens
SL
> 30 mm
is well developed, with a smooth upper margin without
serrations, and has different shape in females and
males. In immature and maturing females that were at
our disposal, it is present as a gently sloping arch with
the highest point approximately in its middle, above
the posterior margin of the orbit. In mature female
SL
58 mm (HUMZ no. 211590), according to the photo
graph, posterior margin of the crest is higher than in
immature and maturing females, but it still does not
excess its depth above the orbit. In males of all sizes,
the crest profile is more straight, gradually rising pos
teriad; its maximum point is above the upper pore of
PR
; posterior widely rounded part of the crest in males
extends backwards and hangs over the point of con
nection of the crest with the occiput (Fig. 2). Crest
depth is 0.9 (0.9–5.3, 2.3) times in
o
. This character is
very variable and depends on both sex and degree of
male maturity. For instance, in maturing females
SL
46–48 mm, crest depth (times in
o
) varies within 2.1–
5.3, averaging 3.7; that in immature males
SL
47 and
55 mm is 2.3 and 1.7, respectively, averaging 2.0; that
in maturing males
SL
56–60 mm is 0.9–1.1, averaging
1.0; and that in a mature male—holotype
SL
66 mm—
is 0.9. The base of skinny crest of moderate length is
1.6 (1.3–1.6, 1.5) times in
c
, its posterior margin does
not extend beyond the vertical of upper pore
PR
. Dis
tance between the anterior margin of medial pore
OC
and
D
origin (
crD
) is relatively large, exceeds eye
diameter, and is 0.5 (0.6–0.9, 0.7) times in
o
(Figs. 1, 2).
There is no skinny process on the eyelid or other sim
ilar skinny processes on the head.
Jaws are wide and strong. Big conical teeth are on
jaws, and smaller teeth are on the vomer and palatine
bones. Near symphyses of the upper and lower jaws,
teeth are located in three to four rows; in the posterior
part of the jaws, they are in one row. Teeth of the exter
nal row on both jaws are the biggest (two to three times
bigger than internal ones). On the vomer, there is a
horseshoeshaped row of 5 to 8 teeth. On palatine
bones, there is one row of several teeth. There is very
wide, as an orbit, palatine membrane covering vomer
ine teeth; there is a narrow mandibular membrane.
Tongue end is rounded. Gill rakers are relatively short
and tubercular, with spinules over the upper margin:
3 (2–4) on the upper arch and 7 (6–8) on the lower
arch of the inner side of the first gill arch; on the exter
nal side of the arch, no rakers were found (in the holo
type and three paratypes ZIN no. 43054—
SL
48, 55,
Table 1.
Number of pores in canals of the seismosensory system in species of the genus
Alectrias
Species Number of pores
n
NSO IO PO OC MN PR
A. alectrolophus
2
(
1
/1.4)
2
(
3
/1.4) (
4
/1.4) (
5
/1.4)
6
(
7
/2.9) (
5
/2.9)
(
6
/10.0)
7
(
8
/2.9)
1
–
1
(
0
/8.6)–
1
–
1
(
0
/2.9)–
14
(
5
/4.3)
6
35
A. benjamini
22 6 7 1
–
1
–
1
–
1
(
0
/25.0)–
14 6
4
A. cirratus
22
(
3
/4.2)
6
(
7
/4.2) (
6
/4.2)
71
–
1
–
1
–
1
–
14
(
5
/8.3)
6
12
A. gallinus
22 6
(
7
/7.1)
71
–
1
–
1
–
1
–
146
7
A. mutsuensis
22 6
(
6
/3.1)
71
–
1
(
0
/6.2)–
1
–
1
–
14
(
5
/3.1)
6
16
A. markevichi
sp. nov.
22 6
(
7
/3.0) (
5
/1.5)
6
(
7
/9.1)
1
–
0
–
1
–
0
–
144
33
Note: Canals:
IO
—infraorbital;
MN
—mandibular;
N
—nasal;
OC
—occipital commissure;
PO
—postorbital;
PR
—preopercular;
SO
—
supraorbital;
n
—number of studied specimens. Semibold type is used for the number of pores; in parentheses—rare deviation
and its frequency, %; in
OC
from the left to the right—presence (absence/%) of lateral and medial pores. In all specimens, canals
were examined on both sides of the head, and the percentage of deviations was counted on the basis of the aggregate number of
canals.

JOURNAL OF ICHTHYOLOGY
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Alectrias markevichi
sp. nov.—A NEW SPECIES OF COCKSCOMBS 313
cr oc D
po
cr
oc
mc
mc
cr
(а)
(b)
(c)
Fig. 3.
Structure of occipital commissure in different spe
cies of the genus
Alectrias
: (a)
A. markevichi
sp. nov.; (b)
A. cirratus
,
A. gallinus
, and
A. mutsuensis
; (c)
A. alectrol
ophus
and
A. benjamini
. Designations:
cr
—dermal crest;
D
—dorsal fin;
mc
—medial tubule;
oc
—pores of occipital
commissure;
po
—third and fourth pores of postorbital
canal.
and 59 mm). Pseudobranch consists of four rather big
filaments.
The origin of the gill slit is between the horizontals
of the lower margins of the pupil and the orbit and
slightly anteriorly than vertical of
D
origin (Fig. 1).
Upper corner of gill cover is rounded, siphon is dis
tinctly pronounced and is of the size of a pupil. Gill
membranes form across the isthmus a fold whose
width is smaller than eye diameter, 1.7 (1.1–2.0, 1.6)
times in
o
. Posterior margin of gill fold has a notch; its
angle is 60°–70°, and the apex of this angle is on the
vertical of the posterior end of the crest.
Dorsal fin is long and originates at the vertical of
the posterior margin of the gill cover; it is widely con
nected with the caudal fin by 90 (90–100)% of the
length of the last spine, with a very superficial notch or
without it (Fig. 2). The length of dorsal spines gradu
ally increases posteriad and drastically decreases only
near the last spine; greatest spines of
D
are the 54th–
55th (45–57, 50.7 anteriorly or 7–17, 12.8 posteri
orly); length of the greatest spine is 2.5 (2.0–4.6, 3.2)
times in
c
. Penultimate spine of
D
is hardly decreased
as compared to the previous one, and the last one is
noticeably shortened. Anterior dorsal spines are very
thin and flexible approximately up to the anus vertical,
further they rapidly become thicker and unbending.
Membrane between the tips of spines is weakly
notched.
Anal fin is low, and its depth gradually increases
posteriad; the penultimate ray is the longest, 2.5 (2.7–
3.5, 3.0) times in
c
. At the end of
A
, there is one short
ened ray, and it is noticeably shorter than the penulti
mate one and is connected by membrane with the cau
dal fin by 90 (75–90, 85.4)% of its length. Origin of
A
is located noticeably in front of the middle of the body,
under the 19th (19th–21st, 19.8) dorsal spine; antea
nal distance is 2.3 (2.3–2.7, 2.5) times in
SL
. Single
anal spine is short and thin and completely hidden in
skin. Anterior rays of
A
are unbranched, and rays of the
last 14 (0–4) rays are very weakly branched just near
tips; in juveniles, all rays are unbranched. Fin margin
is weakly notched.
Caudal fin is small, 2.0 (1.9–2.7, 2.2) times in
c
,
with a rounded posterior margin; there are 11 (8–11,
9.8) branched rays in it.
Pectoral fins are small, 3.2 (2.5–4.0, 3.0) times in
c
;
they are located low, at the level of the posterior corner
of the mouth. Middle 6 (0–6) rays are weakly
branched near tips (in juveniles, all rays are
unbranched); uppermost ray is very small and thin,
20–30% of the length of the lowermost ray; lower rays
are thickened. There are no ventral fins.
Very small, burried in skin, not overlapping, chaot
ically and unevenly located cycloid scales are present
only in the posterior part of the body, between verticals
of the seventh anteriorly (second to eighth, 4.9) and
the fourth to sixth posteriorly rays of
A
. Head, anterior
part of the body, and all fins are without scales.
Canals of the seismosensory system of the head are
well developed and wide; pores are large, single, and
easily noticeable. Number of pores in canals: two in
nasal, two in supraorbital, six in infraorbital (6–7,
6.0), six in postorbital (5–7, 6.1; all pores at the lower
side of the canal), three in occipital commissure (all
pores located on proper commissure), four in mandib
ular canal, four in preopercular (Table 1, Fig. 3a).
Number of pores, as compared to a set typical for the
genus
Alectrias
, in some canals is less: there is usually
no
po
2
in the postorbital canal (it is present only on one side
in 5 of 33 specimens) and in one case (ZIN no. 48854)
there is no
po
5
; in the preopercular canal, there are no
pr
3
and
pr
5
. In occipital commissure, there are no
common for the genus lateral pores
oc
2
and
oc
4
located
at both sides of the crest base in its posterior part, and
medial pore
oc
3
is not shifted backwards and is located
immediately after the point of connection of the crest

314
JOURNAL OF ICHTHYOLOGY
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2012
SHEIKO
Table 2.
Distinctions of
A. alectrias
sp. nov. from other species of the genus
Alectrias
Characters
A. markevichi
sp. nov.
(ZIN nos. 43054,
43060–61, 48854,
55125; HUMZ nos.
198460–61, 202070)
A. mutsuensis
(Shiogaki, 1985;
HUMZ nos. 198172,
201314, 206318,
206322)
A. cirratus
(ZIN nos. 18851,
55122–23)
A. gallinus
(Chereshnev et al.,
2003; Balanov et al.,
2009, ZIN nos. 40358,
40554)
A. alectrolophus
(ZIN no. 40312)
A. benjamini
(ZIN nos. 20472,
25973, 34340, 55121)
SL
, mm 44–66 42–93 51–78 62–91 67–90 56–98
H
A
, times in
SL
10.2–14.1 (12.9), 12
8.4
–
10.1 (9.6),
10
8.2
–
9.7 (9.0),
7 9.0–11.0 (9.8), 6
8.7
–
9.0 (8.9),
4
7.4
–
8.7 (7.8),
4
c
, times in
SL
6.6–8.0 (7.2), 12 5.4–6.6 (6.4), 10
5.9
–
6.4 (6.1),
7 5.7–6.7 (6.2), 6 6.5–6.8 (6.7), 4
5.8
–
6.1 (6.0),
4
crD
, times in
o
0.5–0.9 (0.7), 12
1.2
–
3.1 (1.5),
10
1.4
–
3.0 (2.3),
7 0.9–1.7 (1.3), 4
1.1
–
1.4 (1.2),
4
1.0
–
1.9 (1.3),
4
lP
, times in
c
2.5–4.0 (3.0), 12 2.3–2.7 (2.5), 10
2.0
–
2.3 (2.2),
7
1.9
–
2.3 (2.1),
6 2.3–2.5 (2.4), 4 2.9–3.2 (3.0), 4
lC
, times in
c
1.9–2.7 (2.2), 12 1.5–1.9 (1.7), 10
1.3
–
1.6 (1.4),
7
1.5
–
1.7 (1.6),
6 1.8–2.1 (1.9), 4 2.1–2.5 (2.2), 4
Degree of fusion of
A
and
C
, % of the length
of last ray of
A
75–90 (85.4), 44 40–85 (65.8), 7 60–75 (70.0), 6 70–95 (78.8), 4 80–95 (90.0), 4
95
–
100 (98.2),
4
Ordinal number of ray
of
A
, above which scale
cover
1
begins
2–8 (4.9), 14 –3–4 (3.2), 60 –1–3 (1.1), 7 0–5 (2.7), 6
14
–
19 (16.0),
4 4–6 (5.0), 4
Medial tubule of
OC
absent present present present present present
OC
3–3 (3.0), 33
4
–
5 (4.94),
60
5
–
5 (5.0),
12
5
–
5 (5.0),
7
4
–
5 (4.89),
35
4
–
5 (4.75),
4
PR
4–4 (4.0), 33
6
–
6 (6.0),
60
5
–
6 (5.92),
12
6
–
6 (6.0),
7
5
–
6 (5.96),
35
6
–
6 (6.0),
4
D
62–63 (62.4), 12
56
–
59 (57.5),
63
57
–
61 (59.3),
7 61–64 (62.7), 6 62–63 (62.2), 4
58
–
60 (58.8),
4
P
7–9 (8.1), 14 8–10 (8.8), 75 8–10 (8.9), 7
10
–
10 (10.0),
6
10
–
11 (10.2),
49–10 (9.1), 4
vert
. 66–68 (66.7), 12
60
–
63 (61.9),
63
61
–
65 (63.1),
7 65–67 (66.3), 6 66–67 (66.8), 4
62
–
64 (63.0),
4

JOURNAL OF ICHTHYOLOGY
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Alectrias markevichi
sp. nov.—A NEW SPECIES OF COCKSCOMBS 315
Table 2.
(Contd.)
Characters
A. markevichi
sp. nov.
(ZIN nos. 43054,
43060–61, 48854,
55125; HUMZ nos.
198460–61, 202070)
A. mutsuensis
(Shiogaki, 1985;
HUMZ nos. 198172,
201314, 206318,
206322)
A. cirratus
(ZIN nos. 18851,
55122–23)
A. gallinus
(Chereshnev et al.,
2003; Balanov et al.,
2009, ZIN nos. 40358,
40554)
A. alectrolophus
(ZIN no. 40312)
A. benjamini
(ZIN nos. 20472,
25973, 34340, 55121)
Number of
pu
—
with wide neural pro
cesses 11–18 (14.7), 12
0
–
8 (1.7),
7
0
–
9 (5.3),
7
2
–
5 (3.3),
3
0
–
3 (0.8),
4
0
–
1 (0.2),
4
—with hemapophyseal
plate 9–12 (10.8), 12 11–14 (12.6), 7 11–14 (12.0), 7
14
–
14 (14.0),
3 12–16 (14.2), 4
17
–
21 (19.5),
4
Ordinal number of verte
bra with last epipleural
2
–1–2 (1.1), 12 –2–2 (1.0), 7 –2–1 (0.6), 7 –1–5 (1.7), 6 2–3 (2.8), 4
7
–
11 (8.0),
4
Number of thin spines of
D
13–16 (14.5), 12 12–18 (16.4), 7 12–15 (13.6), 7 15–17 (15.8), 6
9
–
12 (10.5),
4
1
–
3 (1.8),
4
Ordinal number of spine of
D
under which
A
begins 19–21 (19.8), 12
16
–
18 (17.0),
60 17–19 (17.9), 7 17–20 (18.3), 6 18–19 (18.8), 4
16
–
17 (16.8),
4
Number of last shortened
spines of
D
1–1 (1.0), 33
2
–
3 (2.1),
7
2
–
3 (2.4),
7
2
–
3 (2.2),
4
3
–
3 (3.0),
4
2
–
3 (2.2),
4
Number of branched rays
of C on
ep
30–0 (0.0), 14 0–1(0.1), 7 0–1 (0.1), 7
1
–
1 (1.0),
4
1
–
3 (1.8),
40–1 (0.5), 4
Number of branched rays
of
C
8–11 (9.8), 14 10–13 (11.4), 7 10–12 (10.9), 7
13
–
13 (13.0),
4
13
–
16 (14.5),
4 11–14 (12.0), 4
Leathery appendage on
the eyelid absent absent
present
absent absent absent
Spots in a row under
D
Light Light Light Light Light
Dark
Note: Before the parentheses are limits of character variation; in parentheses is average value; after comma is number of studied specimens; semibold type is used to designate differ
ences of other species of the genus
Alectrias
from
A. markevichi
sp. nov. with chiatus or touching;
1
negative number is ordinal number of ray A above which approximately scale
cover would originate if it originates in front of A;
2
last abdominal vertebra is taken for 0. For designations of characters, see the section MATERIAL.

316
JOURNAL OF ICHTHYOLOGY
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2012
SHEIKO
with the occiput. Thus, all pores are located at almost
straight line or as a very gently sloping arch bent for
ward.
Besides pores on the head, several openly sitting
neuromasts on the snout, behind the eye, and on pre
opercle are noticeable; on the trunk they are distin
guishable only before the base of
D
. One of the most
noticeable neuromasts is at the dorsal side of the
PO
canal postdorsal to the
po
1
pore.
There is one ovary: left and fusiform, with oocytes
of two size groups; there are two symmetrical taenioid
testes.
Xray. Gill rays five. Bony vault of occipital com
missure is without traces of rings of the medial tubule.
Infraorbital canal passes in tubulate infraorbital bones
(long lacrimale and four shorter infraorbitals).
Vertebrae are unequally amphicoelous. All trunk
and caudal vertebrae have a developed neurapophyseal
plate. Hemapophyseal plate is completely developed
in 12 (9–12, 10.8) preural vertebrae. In vertebrae with
hemapophyseal plate, neural processes are noticeably
shorter than hemal ones. The first neural process is
directed dorsally (rarely postdorsal). Neural processes
of the first six (2–12, 6.6) abdominal and of the 4th–
20th (1st–4th—13th–19th, 14.7) preural vertebrae are
widened sagittally (Fig. 4). Of hemal processes, only
processes of the second to sixth (second to third–tenth,
5.1) of preural vertebrae are widened sagitally.
Epipleuralia exist on all abdominal and on two
(
⎯
1–2, 1.1) caudal vertebrae, from 1st to 20th (19–
22th) vertebra. Pleural (lower) ribs are noticeable from
3rd (3rd–4th) to the last, 18th (19–20th) abdominal
vertebra; vertebrae on 3rd–8th (3rd–4th—6–8th)
vertebrae are short and robust, they are long and thin
posteriad.
Predorsal is narrow, big, almost equal in length to
the first interneural, weakly convex forward, and three
to five times nearer the cranium than the first inter
neural. Anterior 19 (16–22, 19.2) interneurals, as
compared to the subsequent ones, are widely set apart
and thin and short, so that the first 14 (0–17, 8.6) of
them with their tips are located above neural inter
spaces rather than enter them. Tips of the first nine
(0–5, 2.9) interneurals are in the anterior part of the
interneural space; subsequent ones are in the posterior
part. The first interneural is above the neural inter
space of the first to second abdominal vertebrae; the
last one is in the neural interspace of the fifth to sixth
(fourth to seventh, 5.7) preural vertebrae. All interneu
rals are by one each located in each neural interspace.
The first and second spines of
D
are attached to the
first interneural. At the remaining interneurals, they
are by one spine. Permanent rays of the last interneural
and interhaemal are not reduced; therefore, it seems
that they bear two last rays each, of
D
and
A
, respec
tively. Anterior 14 (13–16, 14.5) spines are thin and
flexible; in holotype, they are of the same depth as
spines in the middle of the fin (in paratypes—imma
ture and maturing fish—anterior dorsal spines are
short).
The first interhaemal is thinner but not shorter than
the subsequent one, weakly convex forward (weakly
convex or straight), and before the slightly shortened
hemal process of the first caudal vertebra. The second
interhaemal is in the first hemal interspace (in the
same place or, as in 3 of 12 specimens, is present
together with the first one before the hemal process of
the first caudal vertebra). The last interhaemal is in the
hemal interspace of the fourth to fifth (fourth to sixth,
4.7) preural vertebrae. All interhaemals are located by
pu
2
ns ep
hp
4
hp
3
php
+
hp
1+2
hs
pu
1
hl
Fig. 4.
Last preural vertebrae and hypural complex of holotype of
Alectrias markevichi
sp. nov. ZIN no. 55 125. Designations:
ep
—
epurals;
hl
—hemapophyseal plate;
hp
3—epaxial hypural 3;
hp
4—epaxial hypural 4;
hs
—hemal processes;
ns
—neural pro
cesses;
php
+
hp
1 + 2—parhypural + hypaxial hypural 1 + 2;
pu
1—urostyle + the first preural vertebra;
pu
2–second preural ver
tebra.

JOURNAL OF ICHTHYOLOGY
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Alectrias markevichi
sp. nov.—A NEW SPECIES OF COCKSCOMBS 317
one each in each hemal interspace; they enter it by a
tip, always in its anterior part. The first interhaemal is
always free (its base is sometimes far set apart from the
base of the second interhaemal), so that a single spine
of
A
is fixed to the second interhaemal together with
the first segmented ray; spine is relatively long, 60–
80% of length of the subsequent segmented ray. All the
remaining interhaemals bear one segmented ray each.
In the skeleton of the caudal fin (Fig. 4), neural
processes in
pu
2–
pu
3
are not widened and are not
reduced in the holotype (widened in
pu
2–
pu
4
—5 of
14 specimens; reduced in
pu
2
—2 of 14; widened and
reduced in
pu
3–
pu
4
—1 of 14 specimens). No auton
omous neural processes were found. Hemal processes
pu
2
and
pu
3
are elongated and widened sagittally.
Hemal process
pu
2
is autonomous in holotype and in
4 of 13 examined paratypes. Epurals two (2–3, 2.8);
when there are two of them, the anterior (anterior or
posterior) is wider and bears traces of fusion. On the
first epural, anterior by position, there are no rays (0–
2, 0.2 unsegmented rays); on the second, there are
none (0–1, 0.6 unsegmented + 0–1, 0.1 segmented
unbranched); on the third, 1 unsegmented + 2 seg
mented unbranched rays (0–2, 0.5 unsegmented + 1–
2, 1.8 segmented unbranched). Epaxial hypurals two
(1–2, 1.6); when they are fused in a single plate, a
seam is seen. Attached to a wider upper hypural (
hp
4
)
are four segmented branched rays (0–2, 0.6 segmented
unbranched + 2–4, 3.2 segmented branched), a nar
rower lower hypural (
hp
3
) bears two segmented
branched rays (2–3, 2.1). On a complex hypaxial plate
(
php
+
hp
1
+ 2) there are five segmented branched +
one segmented unbranched ray (3–5, 4.5 segmented
branched + 1–2, 1.3 segmented unbranched). Hemal
process
pu
2
bears one unsegmented ray (0–1, 0.3 seg
mented unbranched + 0–2, 1.1 unsegmented). Total
number of rays of caudal fin is 16 (13–18, 16.4); of
them, the upper utmost rays 3 (3–4, 3.2); principal
rays 4 (3–4, 3.9) + 2 (2–3, 2.1) + 6 (4–6, 5.8) = 12
(9–12, 11.7); lower utmost ray 1 (1–2, 1.4). Middle
principal rays of
C
usually branch twice.
Postcleithrum one; it is narrow and bended and its
length approximately equals orbit diameter. Pelvic
bones are present, and they are 2.5 (2.3–2.9, 2.6)
times in orbit diameter.
Colo r at i on. Description of vital coloration is
given according to a color photograph of the holotype
that lived for several days after catch in an aquarium
(its blackwhite variant is on Fig. 1), as well as according
to color photographs of four paratypes made immedi
ately after the catch of two females (HUMZ nos. 198461
and 211590) and two males (HUMZ nos. 198460 and
211540).
General background of the head and trunk of the
holotype is brown–red. On the head, a milkywhite
netlike pattern is over the entire crest, upper surface
of the head, and jaws. Especially bright are two milky
white stripes on the cheek from the eye downwards
and backwards to the margin of the preopercle, as well
as on the posterior part of the lower jaw. A white stripe
on the cheek is bordered from both sides by distinct
brown stripes. The entire top of the head and anterior
parts of jaws down to the level of the upper margin of
gill opening are densely covered with brown spots,
slightly bigger than pores, integrated into this milky
white pattern. Most pores have a black edging. On the
trunk, numerous narrow brown transverse stripes
extend to
D
and
A
. The whole trunk (except abdomen)
and
D
and
A
are covered with numerous brown spots.
Along the base of
D
there is a row of 20 big white spots
resembling in shape triangles with their apex down
wards; anterior spot on the back before
D
is the biggest.
In the posterior part of the trunk above the base of
A
,
there is a row of indistinct light brown spots. Abdomen
is monotonously brown–red. At the beginning of
D
,
approximately up to the fourth ray, there is a big crim
son spot. Further on the dorsal fin, there are narrow
white vertical stripes, approximately corresponding to
white spots under the base of
D
. On
A
against the light
brown background, there is a series of narrow oblique
crimson stripes. Caudal fin is light brown with brown
spots and indistinct transverse reddish stripes. On
shoulder girdle and
P
base, there is one big white spot,
posterior part of the fin is light brown, with transverse
brown stripes.
Coloration of specimens from HUMZ is rather
diverse and apparently depends on sex, degree of
maturity, and the season; scantiness of the material
does not permit stating it with a greater certainty so far
(coloration is described further, in commas, in the
sequence of specimens listed above). Background of
the head: green–brown, scarlet, green–brown,
orange–pink. Spots on the crest: dark, dark, white,
absent. Stripe on the cheek: light green, scarlet, light
green, not seen. Upper jaw: crimson, scarlet, crimson,
white. Lower surface of the head: gray with bright
brown stripes, yellow with bright brown stripes,
monotonously olive–green, monotonously yellow.
General background of the trunk: green–brown, scar
let, dark crimson, orange–pink. Transverse stripes on
the trunk: indistinct, indistinct, indistinct, unnotice
able. Light spots under
D
: indistinct, bright, indistinct,
indistinct. Light spots in the posterior part of the
trunk: present, present, present, absent. Spot at the
beginning of
D
: not seen, not seen, black, dark gray.
Transverse stripes on
D
: present, present, present, not
seen. Transverse stripes on
A
: crimson, scarlet, crim
son, fin monotonously pink. In females, oblique
stripes at the end of
A
as triangles with an apex down
wards against a yellowish background, in male HUMZ
no. 198460, as wide oblique stripes against a grayish
background. Caudal fin: yellowish with brown trans
verse stripes, yellow with brown transverse stripes, yel
low with red–brown stripes, monotonously dark yel
low. Pectoral fin: gray with a wide transverse brown
stripe in the middle (?), brown near base with yellow
tips of rays, orange near base with cream tips of rays.

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SHEIKO
In holotype fixed in formalin and transferred upon
three months to ethanol, after 2.5 years of preservation
(Fig. 2), upper parts of the head and trunk are brown.
Occiput, cheeks, lower surface of the head and spots
along
D
base and transverse stripes on the trunk are
yellowishbrown. Spots on the top of the head are
brown. The same spots are over the entire lower jaw.
Spot at the beginning of
D
is brown, 0.8 times in
o
.
D
is
brown, with darker brown transverse stripes, spots on
it are indistinguishable.
A
is yellowish, with brown
transverse stripes. On yellowish
C
are indistinct spots
and transverse stripes; on its base, there is a narrow
light stripe. Pectoral fins are yellowishbrown and light
near tips of rays. Lining of buccal and branchial cavi
ties is dark gray, gill arches and pharyngeal teeth are
light; abdominal cavity and stomach are light.
The background of coloration of paratypes from
the M onero n Island kept i n alcoho l for a lmost 40 years
are lighter and more monotonous, yellowishbrown;
abdomen and caudal part of the trunk is lighter. Spots
on the upper surface of the head and edging of a light
stripe on cheek of all specimens
SL
> 30 mm, as well
as stripes on the lower surface of the head in the
female, are brown and clearly discernible. In young
females, five to seven brown stripes across the crest are
usually seen. Spot at the beginning of
D
in males is
black, 0.4–2.1 (0.7) times in
o
. Female
SL
42 mm
(ZIN no. 43061) is distinguished by a completely
monotonous, very light coloration (apparently,
albino). Lining of buccal, gill, and abdominal cavities
is light; stomach is light.
Sexu a l dim o rp hi s m. In the species, a drasti
cally pronounced sexual dimorphism is observed in
the coloration of the lower surface of the head, in the
shape of the crest, in the head profile, in the presence
and brightness of the spot at the beginning of
D
, and
also, apparently, in maximum size.
In females of all sizes, lower jaws, chin, and lower
part of cheeks have 6–8 transverse, narrow, inter
rupted, dark stripes (in female HUMZ no. 202070
from Peter the Great Bay the entire lower surface of
the head is evenly covered with big dark spots). In
males of all sizes, the entire lower surface of the head
is monotonously light.
Crest in females is as a gently sloping arch with the
highest point in its middle, above the posterior margin
of the orbit. In males, crest profile is straighter and
gradually rising posteriad, so that its highest point is
near the posterior margin that extends backwards and
hangs over the point of connection of crest with the
occiput.
Shape of the preorbital profile of the head: in
females, there is a more convex snout profile, and the
profile of the lower jaw in males is more convex. In
females as a whole, the preorbital part of the head is
more sharpened and lips are thinner; in males, they are
more pugdoglike and lips are thicker.
Spot at the beginning of
D
in females is indistin
guishable or difficult to distinguish, and it is always
easily noticeable in males of all sizes.
Apparently, females reach smaller maximum sizes: in
the studied material, there are no females
SL
> 58 mm
50° 140°130°
40°
Fig. 5.
Sampling sites of
Alectrias
markevichi
sp. nov.: ( )—holotype; ( )—paratypes; ( )—additional specimens of NSMTP
nos. 60935–60 944; one symbol may relate to several catches.

JOURNAL OF ICHTHYOLOGY
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No. 5
2012
Alectrias markevichi
sp. nov.—A NEW SPECIES OF COCKSCOMBS 319
while the greatest known so far specimen of the species
is male holotype
SL
66 mm.
Distribution, dispersion, and biology.
Records of
specimens of the type series and other reliable catches
of the species are shown in Fig. 5. The range of the
species completely fits in the limits of the lowboreal
Ainski subregion of the Pacific boreal region, accord
ing to the classification of Kusakin (1979). All reliable
catches of
A. markevichi
sp. nov. throughout the year occur
in the range of depths 0.5–50.0 m (ZIN no. 55125–ZIN
no. 48854), which permits classifying it with sublit
toral species.
The holotype was caught in a small bight on the
northern coast of Bol’shoi Pelis Island with a net at a
depth of 0.5 m. At the site of the catch, there is a rocky
littoral formed of slightly flattened stones, 30–60 cm,
with narrow slits, partially filled with sand, gravel, and
small stones. In the community of invertebrates, red
cortical algae
Lithothamnion phymatodeum
,
Lithophyl
lum
sp., and
Grateloupia
sp. (?), coralline alga
Bossiella
cretacea
, and kelp
Costaria costata
dominate; at the
upper side of stones, usually present are sea urchins
Strongylocentrotus nudus
and starfish
Asterina pectin
ifera
; in slits and at the lower side of stones, sitting
polychaetes Serpulidae and Spirorbidae, as well as
bryozoans and amphipods, builded houses. Of fish,
common are
Sebastes taczanowskii
and
S. schlegelii
,
Hexagrammos octogrammus
,
Ernogrammus hexagram
mus
,
Opisthocentrus ocellatus
,
O. tenuis
, and
O. zonope
;
juveniles of
Bero elegans
,
Myoxocephalus brandtii
, and
M. stelleri
.
Numerous paratypes ZIN nos. 43054, 43060, and
43061 were caught with a dredge at depths of 30–50 m
at three stations near the northeastern coast of Mon
eron Island, near southwestern Sakhalin. Dredge
catches contained many red–brown sponges and bry
ozoan
Retepora
sp.,
Lithothamnion
sp.,
Bossiella
sp.,
and hydrocorals also occurred. Water temperature in
the entire water column from the surface to the bottom
was
19
°
С
, transparency was to the very bottom.
In stomachs, small Gastropoda were found.
According to personal communication of T. Yamanaka,
divers often see fish of this species in empty shells of
Balanus
cf.
rostratus
. In the bight where the holotype
was caught, balanuses begin to occur in mass from a
depth of 8 m. Specific features of morphology (thin
body, small pectoral and caudal fins, strong jaws, sharp
sexual dimorphism), rarity of catches, and available
data on biotopes allow both of us to suggest a cryptic
mode of life of the species in different small shelters
among sponges, bryozoans, habitats of balanuses and
other epibionts.
Etym o lo g y. The species is named in honor of
Aleksandr Igorevich Markevich, worker of the Far
Eastern Marine Biosphere Reserve, Far Eastern
Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences (Vladivos
tok)—one of the best scuba diver ichthyologists, who
actively and creatively studied under rather difficult
conditions specific features of distribution, behavior,
and biology of fish in their natural environment.
Compa r at i ve re ma rk s. Some of the most sig
nificant differences of
A. markevichi
sp. nov. from
closely related species and differences of species of the
genus
Alectrias
between themselves are listed in Table 2.
Analysis of the complex of 74 characters (Shiogaki,
1985, Figs. 3, 6; our data: Fig. 3, Table 2) allows us to
suggest that five previously known species of the genus
form two natural groups—sublittoral and littoral ones.
For species of the sublittoral group (
A. cirratus
,
A. gall
inus
, and
A. mutsuensis
), some synapomorphies can be
outlined: presence of a long medial tubule in the
occipital commissure (Fig. 3b), small number of epi
pleurals on caudal vertebrae, and a great number of
pu
with wide neural processes (Table 2); in vertebrae with
a hemapophyseal plate, neural processes are short
ened, as compared to hemal ones. Synapomorphies of
species of the littoral group (
A. alectrolophus
and
A. benjamini
): firm crest with a smooth profile
(Shiogaki, 1985, Fig. 3), small pore diameter (Fig. 3c),
less pronounced medial cutting of gill membrane, ori
gin of scale cover moved backwards and a small num
ber of thin spines of
D
(Table 2), greater degree of
fusion of
A
and
C
(Shiogaki, 1985, Fig. 6; our data:
Table 2), small caudal fin.
The described species
A. markevichi
sp. nov. repre
sents a third species group in the genus
Alectrias
. It dif
fers from all the known species of the genus in the
presence of only three pores in the occipital commis
sure with a complete absence of the medial tubule
(Fig. 3a), only four pores in the preopercular canal,
presence of only one shortened spine at the end of
D
,
and maximum in the genus number of pu with wide
neural processes (Table 2, Fig. 4). In addition, it com
bines in itself different characters of both groups, so
that it is impossible to classify it with either. For
instance, in it, as in species of the sublittoral group,
there is a small number of epipleurals on caudal verte
brae (Table 2); in vertebrae with a hemapophyseal
plate, neural processes are shortened (as compared to
hemal ones). As species of the littoral group,
A. markevichi
sp. nov. has a crest with a smooth profile
and a small caudal fin. From species of the littoral
group, it also differs in a thin body, short crest, numer
ous thin spines of
D
, smaller number of rays of
P
, of
branched rays of
C
, and of
pu
with hemapophyseal
plate, and anal fin origin moved backwards (Table 2).
From the pair
A. cirratus–A. gallinus
, the described
species also differs in a smooth profile of the crest and
small pectoral and caudal fins; from
A. cirratus
, it dif
fers in a thin body, small head, short crest, absence of
leathery appendage on the eyelid, and numerous rays
of
D
and vertebrae; from
A. gallinus
, it differs in a
smal ler nu mber of r ays of
P
, sma ller n umber of pu wit h
hemapophyseal plate, absence of branched rays of
C
on
ep
3, and smaller number of branched rays of
C
;
from
A. mutsuensis
, it differs in a thin body, short crest,

320
JOURNAL OF ICHTHYOLOGY
Vol . 5 2
No. 5
2012
SHEIKO
numerous rays of
D
and vertebrae, and moved back
wards anal fin origin (Table 2).
Peden in his review of species of the genus
Anoplar
chus
, mentions in his material specimens which have
three pores in the occipital commissure, “usually six”
pores in the postorbital canal, and a complete gill fold
(Peden, 1966, pp. 341, 343), and on page 344 he writes
about the existence of still undescribed species in the
area of the CommanderAleutian insular ridge. Possi
bly, this indicates the presence in this area of the unde
scribed cryptic sublittoral species, most closely related
to
A. markevichi
sp. nov. and forming with it the same
pair of amphiPacific species (Andriashev, 1939), as,
for instance, pairs
Anoplagonus occidentalis
–
A. inermis
and
Bothragonus occidentalis–B. swanii
(Perciformes:
Agonidae).
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
A.I. Markevich (Far East Marine Biosphere
Reserve (FEMBR, Vladivostok) delivered to my dis
posal the holotype caught by him and its color photo
graph, reported data on species composition of fish in
the type locality, and submitted photographs of its
biotope. A.A. Kepel’ (FEMBR), according to photo
graphs of A.I. Markevich, identified dominant species
of invertebrates in the area of catch of the holotype.
T. Yam a na ka an d M . Ya be (H UMZ, H a kodat e , H ok 
kaido, Japan) delivered for study specimens of
A. markevichi
sp. nov
.
and
A. mutsuensis
. T. Yamanaka
also reported comprehensive data on catches of other
specimens of the new species from collections of
HUMZ and NSMT, as well as delivered color photo
graphs of specimens from HUMZ. B.V. Preobrazhen
skii (Institute of Marine Biology, Far Eastern Branch,
Russian Academy of Sciences, Vladivostok) reported
comprehensive data on communities of the shelf of
Moneron Island, in which most paratypes were
caught. E.M. Pavlova and G.A. Volkova (ZIN RAS)
constantly helped in work with stock collection of fish
of the genus
Alectrias
. M.V. Nazarkin (ZIN RAS) sup
ported specific features of structure of occipital commis
sure poorly distinguishable in juveniles of
A. markevichi
sp. nov. and made several valuable remarks on the
manuscript. Z.V. Zhidkov (candidate for a master’s
degree at Saint Petersburg State University) advised on
methods of work with an Xray complex. O.S. Vosko
boinikova (ZIN RAS) advised on preparation of
alizarine preparations and preparation of illustrations.
A.V. Balushkin (ZIN RAS) advised on specific fea
tures of structure of the seismosensory system and
axial skeleton and made several valuable remarks on
the manuscript. Constant support of E.A. Mikhailova
helped to perform work with the manuscript to a logi
cal termination. I am most grateful to all the afore
mentioned colleagues and friends.
The study was supported in part by the Program of
the Ministry for Education and Science “The Study of
Biodiversity of World Fauna with the Use of Unique
Stock Collections of the Zoological Museum of the
Russian Academy of Sciences” (State Contract
no. 16.518.11.7070), as well as subprograms of the
Division of Biology of the Russian Academy of Sci
ences and the Presidium of the Russian Academy of
Sciences “Biological Resources of Russia: Funda
mental Foundations of Rational Use” and “Biodiver
sity and Dynamics of the Gene Pool.”
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