Mephisto albomaculosus, the white spotted spikefish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Triacanthodidae, the spikefishes. This species is found in the Indian Ocean.
| Mephisto albomaculosus | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Tetraodontiformes |
| Family: | Triacanthodidae |
| Genus: | Mephisto |
| Species: | M. albomaculosus
|
| Binomial name | |
| Mephisto albomaculosus | |
Taxonomy
editMephisto albomaculosus was first formally described in 2018 by Keiichi Matsuura, Peter N. Psomadakis and Mya Than Tun with its type locality given as off the Tanintharyi coast of Myanmar in the Andaman Sea at 10°21.85'N, 96°44.83'E form a depth between 376 and 379 m (1,234 and 1,243 ft). It was the second species to be described in the genus Mephisto.[1] Mephisto is classified in the nominate subfamily of the family Triacanthodidae, the Triacanthodinae.[2] The 5th edition of Fishes of the World classifies the family Triacanthodidae in the suborder Triacanthoidei in the order Tetraodontiformes.[3]
Etymology
editMephisto albomaculosus is classified within the genus Mephisto, this is the name of a demon, the Mephistopheles of the Faustian tales of German folklore. This name refres to the reddish exterior, black interior and horn-like spikes of the type species. The specific name albomaculosus means white spotted", a reference to the may whote spots on the ehad and body.[4]
Description
editMephisto albomaculosus is distinguished from its only known congener, M. fraserbrunneri by the pinkish-red body being marked with many clear round white spots, approximately the same size of the eye. These spots are distributed over the lower half of the head and body. The holotype of M. albomaculosus had a standard length of 94.4 mm (3.72 in).[5]
Distribution and habitat
editMephisto albomaculosus has been recorded twice, the holotype from the Andaman Sea off Myanmar taken from a deoth between 376 and 379 m (1,234 and 1,243 ft), and a photograph referred to as M. cf albomaculosus taken at a depth of 75 m (246 ft) in the Bay of Bengal.[5]
References
edit- ^ Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Mephisto". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
- ^ Franceso Santini; James C. Tyler (2003). "A phylogeny of the families of fossil and extant tetraodontiform fishes (Acanthomorpha, Tetraodontiformes), Upper Cretaceous to Recent". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 139 (4): 565–617. doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.2003.00088.x.
- ^ Nelson, J.S.; Grande, T.C.; Wilson, M.V.H. (2016). Fishes of the World (5th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. pp. 518–526. doi:10.1002/9781119174844. ISBN 978-1-118-34233-6. LCCN 2015037522. OCLC 951899884. OL 25909650M.
- ^ Christopher Scharpf (27 August 2024). "Order TETRAODONTIFORMES: Families TRIODONTIDAE, TRIACANTHIDAE, TRIACANTHODIDAE, DIODONTIDAE and TETRAODONTIDAE". Christopher Scharpf. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
- ^ a b Katherine E. Bemis; James C. Tyler; Peter N. Psomadakis; Laren Newell Ferriss & Appukuttannair Biju Kumar (2020). "Review of the Indian Ocean spikefish genus Mephisto (Tetraodontiformes:Triacanthodidae)". Zootaxa. 4802 (1): 082–098. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4802.1.5.