New eastern Pacific Ocean record of the rare deep-water fish, Psychrolutes phrictus (Scorpaeniformes: Psychrolutidae)

Abstract

Psychrolutes phrictus is a benthic deep sea fish known from the eastern North Pacific. On 30 March 2008, a specimen of the blob sculpin P. phrictus (297 mm LT) was caught off the Guerrero coast, Mexico (17°45'24"N, 101°59'04"W). The blob sculpin was taken at a depth of 1,100 m within a temperature range of 3.88–4.25 °C, where hypoxic (0.57–0.39 mg/l) conditions prevailed; the specimen was captured over a muddy bottom using a benthic sledge. Representatives of this species had never been reported off the Mexican Pacific coast; our new record extends the known southern most range by 1,733 km, from 33°19'N to 17°45'N for the American coast. Although high variations in morphometric and meristic values are known for the 4 species of the genus Psychrolutes (P. paradoxus, P. phrictus, P. sigalutes, and P. sio) from the eastern Pacific Ocean, a combination of traits and species distribution allow us to identity this specimen as P. phrictus.

Keywords

• Blob sculpin
• Benthic
• Mexican Pacific coast
• Hypoxic conditions
• Morphometrics
• Meristics