Melanostigma meteori sp. n. (Zoarcidae): A New Pelagic Eelpout Species from the Meteor Bank (Southeastern Atlantic), with Remarks on the Polymerization of the Lateral Line in the Family

Abstract

A new species, Melanostigma meteori sp. n., is described from the Meteor Bank (southeastern Atlantic Ocean). The specimens of the new species were caught during the AtlantNIRO research expedition (1981) at the depths of 950–1000 m. The new species differs from other species of the Melanostigma genus by unique biological amplification of the lateral line of the body, which has four series of neuromasts (predorsal, dorsolateral, mediolateral, and ventral), and original combination of the features in the structure of the head canals of the lateral line, the axial skeleton, and coloration. The phenomenon of the lateral line polymerization, which is observed in a number of groups of higher Teleostei, including the Zoarcidae family, is considered in detail.