Pelagic Juveniles of Two Morids (Teleostei: Gadiformes: Moridae), Antimora microlepis and Physiculus japonicus, from the Western North Pacific

Descriptive morphology of pelagic juvenile of Lepidion inosimae (Gadiformes: Moridae) collected from off northeastern Japan

“…Savin (1993) reported that Laemonema longipes (Schmidt 1938) spawns off the Izu Islands near the southeastern coast of Japan from January to May. Okamoto et al (2007) suggested that Physiculus japonicus spawns in waters deeper than the continental shelf off northeastern Japan, based on pelagic juveniles of the species (Fig. 2c) collected with the present specimen of L. inosimae (Fig.…”

“…The pelagic juveniles of L. inosimae and Physiculus japonicus were collected in the 0-20 m layer off Miyagi Prefecture, northeastern Japan, and pelagic juveniles of Antimora microlepis were also collected at the same shallow layer from near the sampling site, off Iwate Prefecture (Okamoto et al 2007). However, pelagic juveniles of other morids are reported from various depths, e.g., a pelagic juvenile of Halargyreus johnsonii was collected by larva net towed at 90-200 m from Suruga Bay, central Japan (Fukui et al 2003), and pelagic juveniles of Physiculus fulvus Bean 1884 were found at depth of 200-245 m on continental slopes in western central North Atlantic (Comyns and Bond 2005).…”

“…On 18 May 1989, seven pelagic juvenile morids were collected off northeastern Japan by midwater trawl. Six of those were identified as Physiculus japonicus Hilgendorf 1879, and reported by Okamoto et al (2007), but the single remaining specimen differed from the other in lacking a ventral luminous organ and other characters. The pelagic juvenile was subsequently identified as Lepidion inosimae Günther 1887 because it had a chin barbel and no ventral luminous, and meristic characters.…”

New data on Lepidion schmidti (Gadiformes: Moridae) from the north-east Atlantic Ocean

“…The family Moridae currently comprises 18 genera and c . 110 species (Okamoto et al , 2007). The genus Lepidion Swainson 1838, contains nine benthopelagic species living on the continental slope and lower rise of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and the Mediterranean Sea.…”

First record of a specimen of Lepidion guentheri (Giglioli, 1880) (Gadiformes: Moridae) with melanistic coloration

“…The family Moridae at present comprises 18 genera and about 110 species (Okamoto et al., 2007). The genus Lepidion Swainson, 1838, contains nine benthopelagic fishes living on the continental slope and lower rise of the Atlantic, Pacific and Mediterranean.…”