76: CHLOROPHTHALMIDAE (GREENEYES)
Genus Bathysauropsis Regan, 1911
Three species; 1 in our area.
76.7 Bathysauropsis gracilis
(Gunther, 1878)
PLATE 11
Chlorophthalmus gracilis Giinther, 1878: 182 (off Juan Fernandez Ids.,
2515 m); Giinther, 1887: 194*. Bathysauropsis gracilis: Smith , SFSA No.
185*; Golovan, 1976:302; Shcherbachev, 1981: 51.
D 10-11 ; A 11; P22-24; V 8-9; LL58-60; GR 6+20; vertebrae 58. Head
28, predorsal distance 40, and preanal distance 77 %SL. Maxilla extending beyond eye. Interorbital space wide, equal to or exceeding vertical eye
diameter. Adipose fin opposite A.
Body and head uniform purplish to brownish black, fins
lighter. Attains 32 cm. Off Cape Point (1 055 - 2 835 m) and
south of Madagascar; circumglobal in southern oceans.
Genus Bathytyphlops Nybelin, 1957
Two species; B. sewelli (Norman, 1939), known from
very deep water of the Arabian Sea, may occur in our area;
it has 16 A rays, 11-13 D and 8 P rays and 68-70 LL scales.
76.8 Bathytyphlops marionae
Mead,1959
Bathytyphlops marionae Mead , 1959: 370, Fig. 4 (Caribbean Sea, off
Honduras, 1 006 m); Mead, 1966: 157*; Nielsen, 1966: 71*; Sulak, 1974:
570; Shcherbachev, Levitsky & Portsev, 1978: 187; Merrett, 1980: 101 ;
Shcherbachev,1981 : 65 .
D 12-13; A 12-14; P 12-15 ; V 8; C principal rays 19; LL 64-66; GR
(6-7)+(13-15) 1 elongate raker at angle, others rudimentary; vertebrae
62-65 . Head 22-23, depth 11-16, Dbase 12-13, A base 12-14, and length of
elongate GR 3.3-4.2 %SL. Body elongate, but fairly robust. Top and sides
of head completely scaled. Eyes vestigial, covered over by skin and scales
in large fish.
Body grey to brown; scale pocket outlines darker. Head
dark. Attains 38 cm . Off Beira (21°18'S, 36°18'E), Durban
and Agulhas Bank; circumglobal, but not in eastern Pacific.
Depth range 869 -1 920 m. Distinctive "Macristiella" larval
stage (Okiyama, 1972).
76.8 Bathytyphlops marionae: 18 em SL.
264
Genus Chlorophthalmus Bonaparte, 1840
About 17 named species; 1 in our area. The status of
nominal species of Chlorophthalmus, including C.
punctatus, is uncertain . Many of the nominal forms are
doubtfully distinct (Mead, 1966); they comprise a complex
for which C. agassizii Bonaparte, 1840 is the oldest available name. For the present, however, it would seem
advisable to refer to the South African greeneye as C.
punctatus. C. atlanticus Poll, 1953 is the species reported in
the eastern Atlantic from just north of our area to Sierra
Leone (Poll, 1953; Maurin et al., 1977) .
76.9 Chlorophthalmus punctatus
Gilchrist, 1904
Chlorophthalmus punctatus Gilchrist , 1904: 15, PI. 35 (off Cape Point ,
282 m); Mead, 1966: 165 ; Shcherbachev , 1981: 48. C. agassizi: Smith ,
SFSA No. 184*.
D 11-12; A 9-10; P 15-17; V 9; LL 50-55; GR 5 + 18; vertebrae 47-49.
Head 27 , depth 15 %SL. Interorbital space equal to about Yz of vertical eye
diameter. Adipose fin opposite A. Scales ctenoid.
Body yellow-brown with irregular darker blotching.
Attains 20 cm. Occurs in deep outer shelf and upper slope
water (282 - 439 m) along both coasts of South Africa.
C. punctatus unreported elsewhere; but other species in the
C. agassizii complex are circumglobal in warm seas.
76.9 Chlorophthalmus punctatus: 12 em SL.
Genus Ipnops Gunther, 1878
Three very similar species: I. murrayi Gunther, 1878; I.
agassizii and /. meadi Nielsen, 1966. I. murrayi is known
from numerous Atlantic localities, all west of the MidAtlantic Ridge in 1 206 - 3 475 m. I. agassizii is the eastern
Atlantic and Indo-Pacific counterpart of I. murrayi, occurring in 1 392 - 4 163 m. I. meadi occurs at abyssal depths
(3310 - 4 940 m) in the Indo-Pacific and may occur in our
area; it has 11-13 A rays , 17-20 total GR, 49-53 LL scales,
and 51-55 vertebrae .
76.10 Ipnops agassizii
Garman, 1899
/pnops agassizii Garman, 1899: 259 , PI. H, Fig. 2 (off Galapagos Ids.,
2487 m) ; Mead, 1966: 151; Nielsen , 1966: 56* ; Shcherbachev, 1981 : 52.
Genus Bathysauropsis Regan, 1911
Three species; 1 in our area.
76.7 Bathysauropsis gracilis
(Gunther, 1878)
PLATE 11
Chlorophthalmus gracilis Giinther, 1878: 182 (off Juan Fernandez Ids.,
2515 m); Giinther, 1887: 194*. Bathysauropsis gracilis: Smith , SFSA No.
185*; Golovan, 1976:302; Shcherbachev, 1981: 51.
D 10-11 ; A 11; P22-24; V 8-9; LL58-60; GR 6+20; vertebrae 58. Head
28, predorsal distance 40, and preanal distance 77 %SL. Maxilla extending beyond eye. Interorbital space wide, equal to or exceeding vertical eye
diameter. Adipose fin opposite A.
Body and head uniform purplish to brownish black, fins
lighter. Attains 32 cm. Off Cape Point (1 055 - 2 835 m) and
south of Madagascar; circumglobal in southern oceans.
Genus Bathytyphlops Nybelin, 1957
Two species; B. sewelli (Norman, 1939), known from
very deep water of the Arabian Sea, may occur in our area;
it has 16 A rays, 11-13 D and 8 P rays and 68-70 LL scales.
76.8 Bathytyphlops marionae
Mead,1959
Bathytyphlops marionae Mead , 1959: 370, Fig. 4 (Caribbean Sea, off
Honduras, 1 006 m); Mead, 1966: 157*; Nielsen, 1966: 71*; Sulak, 1974:
570; Shcherbachev, Levitsky & Portsev, 1978: 187; Merrett, 1980: 101 ;
Shcherbachev,1981 : 65 .
D 12-13; A 12-14; P 12-15 ; V 8; C principal rays 19; LL 64-66; GR
(6-7)+(13-15) 1 elongate raker at angle, others rudimentary; vertebrae
62-65 . Head 22-23, depth 11-16, Dbase 12-13, A base 12-14, and length of
elongate GR 3.3-4.2 %SL. Body elongate, but fairly robust. Top and sides
of head completely scaled. Eyes vestigial, covered over by skin and scales
in large fish.
Body grey to brown; scale pocket outlines darker. Head
dark. Attains 38 cm . Off Beira (21°18'S, 36°18'E), Durban
and Agulhas Bank; circumglobal, but not in eastern Pacific.
Depth range 869 -1 920 m. Distinctive "Macristiella" larval
stage (Okiyama, 1972).
76.8 Bathytyphlops marionae: 18 em SL.
264
Genus Chlorophthalmus Bonaparte, 1840
About 17 named species; 1 in our area. The status of
nominal species of Chlorophthalmus, including C.
punctatus, is uncertain . Many of the nominal forms are
doubtfully distinct (Mead, 1966); they comprise a complex
for which C. agassizii Bonaparte, 1840 is the oldest available name. For the present, however, it would seem
advisable to refer to the South African greeneye as C.
punctatus. C. atlanticus Poll, 1953 is the species reported in
the eastern Atlantic from just north of our area to Sierra
Leone (Poll, 1953; Maurin et al., 1977) .
76.9 Chlorophthalmus punctatus
Gilchrist, 1904
Chlorophthalmus punctatus Gilchrist , 1904: 15, PI. 35 (off Cape Point ,
282 m); Mead, 1966: 165 ; Shcherbachev , 1981: 48. C. agassizi: Smith ,
SFSA No. 184*.
D 11-12; A 9-10; P 15-17; V 9; LL 50-55; GR 5 + 18; vertebrae 47-49.
Head 27 , depth 15 %SL. Interorbital space equal to about Yz of vertical eye
diameter. Adipose fin opposite A. Scales ctenoid.
Body yellow-brown with irregular darker blotching.
Attains 20 cm. Occurs in deep outer shelf and upper slope
water (282 - 439 m) along both coasts of South Africa.
C. punctatus unreported elsewhere; but other species in the
C. agassizii complex are circumglobal in warm seas.
76.9 Chlorophthalmus punctatus: 12 em SL.
Genus Ipnops Gunther, 1878
Three very similar species: I. murrayi Gunther, 1878; I.
agassizii and /. meadi Nielsen, 1966. I. murrayi is known
from numerous Atlantic localities, all west of the MidAtlantic Ridge in 1 206 - 3 475 m. I. agassizii is the eastern
Atlantic and Indo-Pacific counterpart of I. murrayi, occurring in 1 392 - 4 163 m. I. meadi occurs at abyssal depths
(3310 - 4 940 m) in the Indo-Pacific and may occur in our
area; it has 11-13 A rays , 17-20 total GR, 49-53 LL scales,
and 51-55 vertebrae .
76.10 Ipnops agassizii
Garman, 1899
/pnops agassizii Garman, 1899: 259 , PI. H, Fig. 2 (off Galapagos Ids.,
2487 m) ; Mead, 1966: 151; Nielsen , 1966: 56* ; Shcherbachev, 1981 : 52.