Taxonavigation

Familia: Ogcocephalidae
Genus: Halicmetus
Species: Halicmetus westraliensis

Name

• Halicmetus westraliensis H.-C. Ho & Last, 2018

• Type locality: SW of Imperieuse Reef, Rowley Shoals, Western Australia, 18°07’S, 118°09’E, 400–404 meters.

• Diagnosis. A species of Halicmetus distinguished by the following combination of characters: disk moderately broad, 66–74% SL; orbit small, 7.2–8.9% SL; interorbit narrow, 6.3–8.3% SL; illicial trough opening low; middorsal disk covered with mixed simple and bifurcated spinules; tiny bucklers evenly distributed on dorsal surface, imperceptible without magnification; belly covered with closely spaced, simple spinules and slightly larger, scattered multicuspid tubercles; dorsal-fin rays usually present; pectoral-fin rays 11–12 (modally 12); dorsal surface pale pink, covered with a dense pattern of faint dusky blotches when fresh, uniformly creamy white when preserved; peritoneal membrane pale with sparse melanophores; distal parts of pectoral, pelvic and anal fins pale.

• Distribution: Known from specimens collected from off the west coast of Australia, between 12°S and 20°S, the bathymetric range 389–423 m.

• Etymology. The name westraliensis is a reference to the type locality, Western Australia.

Primary references

• Ho, H-C. & Last, P.R. 2018. Review of the batfish genus Halicmetus Alcock, 1891 from Australian waters, with descriptions of two new species (Lophiiformes: Ogcocephalidae). Zootaxa 4508(2): 179–196. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4508.2.2 pdf Reference page.