In the Pacific Ocean, the rare Bigeye Sand Tiger shark Odontaspis noronhai has only been recorded twice, once from its central and once from its eastern part. Here we report the first record of this species from the northwestern Pacific. This specimen measuring 312 cm total length (TL) was captured off northeastern Taiwan (25°25’N, 124°10’E) from a depth of 100 m (in waters over 2100 m deep) in mid-December 2019, and was retrieved on 27 December 2019 when landed in port. Photo of the fresh specimen along with morphometric and meristic data and DNA information are provided herein. Dentition of the specimen is different from all other specimens by having two cusplets on at least one side of cusps on most of the teeth (vs. only one cusplet per side), and lower total tooth count (29/29 vs. 34–38/37–46). This record documents an extended distribution (about 7864 km westward from the central Pacific Ocean), and provides strong evidence for the wide distribution and mesopelagic characteristic of this poorly known species.
A new species of Okamejei is described based on two adult males collected from deep waters in the South China Sea. The new species, Okamejei picta sp. nov., is readily distinguished from most other congeners in having densely scattered black spots on dorsal disc. Okamejei hollandi and O. mengae is quite similar to the new species by their spot patterns on dorsal disc, but the new species differs from the former by a combination of characters: a yellowish brown dorsal surface densely covered with small, circular to irregular-shaped black spots; blotches on dorsal disc indistinct; posterior ocellus absent; ventral disc white; disc length 45.0–47.7% TL; distance between cloaca to caudal-fin tip 53.6–55.1% TL; trunk centra 31; total basal radials 73–76, morphology of clasper terminal skeleton, and lacking component funnel at the clasper end.
The longnose houndshark, Iago garricki Fourmanoir & Rivaton 1979, was described based on five specimens collected from Vanuatu. Five additional specimens were recently collected from the waters off Dongsha Atoll, South China Sea. A redescription of this species is provided based on the holotype, non-types collected near the type locality and off Dongsha Atoll. The species is characterized by eye length larger than gill slit height; first dorsal-fin origin not reaching a vertical line through pectoral-fin base; head length 20.2–22.2% TL; preoral length 7.2–8.3% TL; upper labial furrow 2.2–3.4% TL; lateral teeth with 1–3 small cusplets on lateral side basally; diplospondylous centra 53–61; precaudal centra 94–102; and total centra 149–157. The specimens collected from the South China Sea represent the northernmost distributional record of this species.
The milk-eye catshark Apristurus nakayai Iglésias, 2012 was known from three specimens in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. Six specimens were recently collected from the South China Sea. It belongs to the brunneus group, and superficially resembles A. platyrhynchus Tanaka, 1909. Apristurus nakayai differs from A. platyrhynchus by the following characters: iris shiny white when fresh; body brownish black to black; second dorsal-fin insertion above or slightly in front of the anal-fin insertion; denticles absent inside mouth; and maturing at about 400 mm TL in both sexes. The occurrence of Apristurus nakayai from the South China Sea represents the first record in the northern Hemisphere, and a substantial distributional range extension (ca. 4665 km).
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