A deep-sea eelpout Pachycara matallanasi (Perciformes: Zoarcidae: Lycodinae) from the Eastern North Pacific Ocean

Abstract

The zoarcid genus Pachycara Zugmayer, 1911 comprising 27 deep-sea eelpouts, all inhabiting the upper bathyal to abyssal zone, 13 species in the Pacific Ocean and 14 species in the Atlantic, Indian and/or Antarctic Oceans. And then type specimens of 27 species were collected between 300 m and 4,450 m depth. Considerable systematic confusion exists in the genus Pachycara and various reviews have tried to establish diagnostic characters. The Pachycara is defined by a combination of the following characters: body robust flesh firm pelvic fins, scales, lateral line(s) and pseudobranch filaments present or absent suborbital pores 5-7 vomerine and palatine teeth present mental crest absent suborbital bones 6-8 parasphenoid wing below mid-height of trigeminofacialis foramen platopterygoid series well developed pyloric caeca present total vertebrae 92-125. A deep-sea eelpout Pachycara matallanasi Corbella and Møller, 2014 was described from the Solomon Sea, Western South Pacific at 7°49′4″S, 156°02′8″E, December 2006, around 4,400 m depth. And, three specimens of P. matallanasi were additionally collected from the Eastern North Pacific at 10°32′4″N, 131°55′4″W during the Korea Deep Ocean Study (KODOS) of KIOST, R/V ONNURI, February 2014, by a Bait-trap Lander, around 5,100 m depth. Until now, only known from a single type locality in the Solomon Sea, and from the locality to the sampling site of this stimens of 27 species were collected between 300 m and 4,450 m depth. Considerable systematic confusion exists in the genus Pachycara and various reviews have tried to establish diagnostic characters. The Pachycara is defined by a combination of the following characters: body robust flesh firm pelvic fins, scales, lateral line(s) and pseudobranch filaments present or absent suborbital pores 5-7 vomerine and palatine teeth present mental crest absent suborbital bones 6-8 parasphenoid wing below mid-height of trigeminofacialis foramen platopterygoid series well developed pyloric caeca present total vertebrae 92-125. A deep-sea eelpout Pachycara matallanasi Corbella and Møller, 2014 was described from the Solomon Sea, Western South Pacific at 7°49′4″S, 156°02′8″E, December 2006, around 4,400 m depth. And, three specimens of P. matallanasi were additionally collected from the Eastern North Pacific at 10°32′4″N, 131°55′4″W during the Korea Deep Ocean Study (KODOS) of KIOST, R/V ONNURI, February 2014, by a Bait-trap Lander, around 5,100 m depth. Until now, only known from a single type locality in the Solomon Sea, and from the locality to the sampling site of this st