Halicmetus ruber

Taxonavigation

Taxonavigation: Ogcocephalioidea

Superregnum: Eukaryota Cladus: Unikonta Cladus: Opisthokonta Cladus: Holozoa Regnum: Animalia Subregnum: Eumetazoa Cladus: Bilateria Cladus: Nephrozoa Superphylum: Deuterostomia Phylum: Chordata Subphylum: Vertebrata Infraphylum: Gnathostomata Megaclassis: Osteichthyes Superclassis/Classis: Actinopterygii Classis/Subclassis: Actinopteri Subclassis/Infraclassis: Neopterygii Infraclassis: Teleostei Megacohors: Osteoglossocephalai Supercohors: Clupeocephala Cohors: Euteleosteomorpha Subcohors: Neoteleostei Infracohors: Eurypterygia Sectio: Ctenosquamata Subsectio: Acanthomorphata Divisio/Superordo: Acanthopterygii Subdivisio: Percomorphaceae Series: Eupercaria Ordo: Lophiiformes Subordo: Ogcocephalioidei Superfamilia: Ogcocephalioidea

Familia: Ogcocephalidae
Genus: Halicmetus
Species: Halicmetus ruber

Name

• Halicmetus ruber Alcock in Wood-Mason & Alcock, 1891

• Type locality: Andaman Sea, 11°31'40"N, 92°46'06"E, Investigator station 115, depth 188-220 fathoms.

• Diagnosis. A species of Halicmetus distinguished by the following combination of characters: body disk relatively narrow, 63–75% SL; orbit large, 8.8–10.5% SL; interorbital very narrow, 5.1–6.4% SL; illicial trough opening moderately high; mid-dorsal disk with small scattered bucklers, robust and multicuspid spinules and scattered tiny tubercles, the later imperceptible without magnification; belly covered with relatively widely spaced, robust, simple and bifurcate spinules, larger tubercles and bucklers absent; dorsal-fin rays absent in adult; pectoral fin rays 12–13; fresh colour unknown, uniformly creamy white when preserved; peritoneal membrane with dense coverage of melanophores (visible from ventral surface); distal parts of pectoral, pelvic and anal fins blackish.

• Distribution: Indian Ocean and western Pacific Ocean.

• Etymology. From the reddish body color when fresh.

Primary references

• Ho, H.-C., H. Endo and K. Sakamaki. 2008. A new species of Halicmetus (Lophiiformes: Ogcocephalidae) from the western Pacific, with comments on congeners. Zoological Studies v. 47 (no. 6): 767-773.
• 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. 
• Wood-Mason, J. & Alcock, A. 1891a. Natural history notes from H.M. Indian marine survey steamer ‘Investigator,’ Commander R. F. Hoskyn, R.N., commanding.—Series II., No. 1. On the results of deep-sea dredging during the season 1890–91. Annals and magazine of natural history. (6)8(43): 16–34, pls. 7–8. BHL. Reference page.