Harutaka Hata

A new species of anchovy, Encrasicholina macrocephala (Clupeiformes: Engraulidae), from the northwestern Indian Ocean.

A new species of anchovy, Encrasicholina macrocephala, is described on the basis of 17 specimens collected from the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea. The species is closely related to E. devisi in that both species have three unbranched rays in the dorsal and anal fins, and a long upper jaw (posterior tip extending beyond posterior margin of preopercle). However, the new species is distinguished from E. devisi in having lower counts of total pectoral-fin rays (11-14 vs. 13-15) and pseudobranchial filaments (15-18 vs. 18-22), longer head length (29.5-31.7% of standard length vs. 25.4-28.9% in the latter), upper-jaw length (21.3-23.5% vs. 14.6-21.3%), and lower-jaw length (19.5-21.2% vs. 14.2-19.5%), and a shorter distance between the dorsal-fin origin to the pectoral-fin insertion (83.2-95.2% of head length vs. 97.6-126.1%).

Stolephorus continentalis, a new anchovy from the northwestern South China Sea, and redescription of Stolephorus chinensis (Günther 1880) (Clupeiformes: Engraulidae)

Stolephorus continentalis sp. nov. is described from 36 specimens from Hong Kong and northern Vietnam. The new species is closely related to the endemic Chinese anchovy S. chinensis (Günther 1880), which is redescribed with a lectotype designated, with both species having a long upper jaw with the posterior tip just reaching to the posterior border of the preopercle; no predorsal scute; the posterior preopercular border rounded, convex; the posterior tip of the depressed pelvic fin not reaching to vertical through dorsal-fin origin; a pair of dark patches behind the occiput without a following pair of dark lines; and no black spots below the eye and lower-jaw tip. However, the new species is distinguished from S. chinensis in having higher total gill-raker counts on the first, second, third, and fourth gill arches (43–48, 33–40, 23–26, and 18–21, respectively vs. 35–41, 29–34, 19–24, and 16–19), and longer pectoral (16.5–19.2 % SL vs. 15.8–16.4 %) and pelvic fins (9.1–11.6 % SL vs. 8.2–8.3 %). Examination of the specimens previously considered as S. chinensis from Southeast Asia revealed that they differed from true S. chinensis and S. continentalis in having eight transverse scales (vs. 10 in the latter two species). The applicable scientific name for the Southeast Asian species is suggested here as Stolephorus oceanicus Hardenberg 1933.

Review of the fish genus Epinnula Poey (Perciformes: Gempylidae), with description of a new species from the Pacific Ocean

The gempylid fish genus Epinnula is reviewed and two species are recognized. The type species E. magistralis is considered restricted to the western Atlantic Ocean and a new species from the Pacific Ocean is described. The new species, Epinnula pacifica sp. nov., can be distinguished from E. magistralis by 17 or 18 dorsal-fin rays (vs. 15 or 16 in E. magistralis), 15 or 16 anal-fin rays (vs. 13 or 14), 247-268 total scales on lower lateral line (vs. 285-330), a deeper body, relatively high dorsal fin as reflected by the relatively long fin spines and rays, longer dorsal-fin and anal-fin bases, longer pectoral fin, and longer pelvic fin and pelvic spine.