105: CERATIIDAE (SEADEVILS)
Genus Ceratias Krbyer, 1845
Bony support for fishing apparatus bearing a slender,
elongate illicium with a globular or pear-shaped esca, simple in smaller specimens. Skin of juveniles covered with
minute, close-set dermal spines; adults covered with large ,
conical, dermal spines, each with a broad, rounded base.
Two or 3 species; possibly 2 in our area.
KEY TO SPECIES
la Esca with 1 main (branched or simple) filament .. ........ C. holboelli
Ib Esca with 2 distal appendages, each simple or
divided into 2-8 filaments ................................... C. tentaculatus
105.1 Ceratias holboelli
Kroyer,1845
Ceratias holboelli Kroyer, 1845: 638 (southern Greenland); Bertelsen,
1951 : 133* ; Bertelsen & Pietsch , 1984 *.
D 1,4 (rarely 3); A 4; P 16-19; C 9 (lowermost C ray reduced, closely
associated with 8th ray and totally embedded in skin) .
Attains 145 cm. In our area, known from a single specimen (without escal filament) taken off Cape Town at
34°12'S, 16°35'E. Nearly cosmopolitan in the world oceans.
A
105.1 Ceratias holboelli: 104 em female with parasitic male (drawn by R. Nielsen); eseae of: A. 3 em SL; B. 6.5 em SL; C. 59 em SL (after Bertelsen &
Pietseh,1984).
374
105.2 Ceratias tentaculatus
(Norman, 1930)
Mancalias tentaculatus Norman, 1930: 355, Fig. 45 (Southern Ocean,
52°25'S, 09°50'E). Ceratias holboelli tentaculatus: Bertelsen, 1951: 133
(footnote) . Ceratias holboelli (non Kroyer) : Penrith , 1967: 185. Ceratias
tentaculatus: Bertelsen & Pietsch, 1984: 45*.
D 1,4; A.4; P 16-19; C 9 (as in C. holboelli).
Attains 88 cm. Known from one specimen from off Delagoa Bay, one off southern Natal and a third off Saldanha
Bay; throughout southern oceans.
F
105.2 Ceratias tentaeulatus: top: 11 em holotype and esea (after Norman, 1930);
middle: 76.5 em, probably C. tentaeulatus, esea missing (off Saldanha
Bay); eseae of: A. 0.6 em SL; B. 1.5 em SL; C. 7.5 em SL; D. 8 em SL
holotype; E. 9 em SL; F. 12 em SL; G. 26.5 em SL; H. 36.5 em SL (B & D
after Clarke, 1950; C after Bertelsen , 1951, remainder after Bertelsen &
Pietsch, 1984); scale = 0.1 em.
Genus Cryptopsaras Gill, 1883
A single species.
Genus Ceratias Krbyer, 1845
Bony support for fishing apparatus bearing a slender,
elongate illicium with a globular or pear-shaped esca, simple in smaller specimens. Skin of juveniles covered with
minute, close-set dermal spines; adults covered with large ,
conical, dermal spines, each with a broad, rounded base.
Two or 3 species; possibly 2 in our area.
KEY TO SPECIES
la Esca with 1 main (branched or simple) filament .. ........ C. holboelli
Ib Esca with 2 distal appendages, each simple or
divided into 2-8 filaments ................................... C. tentaculatus
105.1 Ceratias holboelli
Kroyer,1845
Ceratias holboelli Kroyer, 1845: 638 (southern Greenland); Bertelsen,
1951 : 133* ; Bertelsen & Pietsch , 1984 *.
D 1,4 (rarely 3); A 4; P 16-19; C 9 (lowermost C ray reduced, closely
associated with 8th ray and totally embedded in skin) .
Attains 145 cm. In our area, known from a single specimen (without escal filament) taken off Cape Town at
34°12'S, 16°35'E. Nearly cosmopolitan in the world oceans.
A
105.1 Ceratias holboelli: 104 em female with parasitic male (drawn by R. Nielsen); eseae of: A. 3 em SL; B. 6.5 em SL; C. 59 em SL (after Bertelsen &
Pietseh,1984).
374
105.2 Ceratias tentaculatus
(Norman, 1930)
Mancalias tentaculatus Norman, 1930: 355, Fig. 45 (Southern Ocean,
52°25'S, 09°50'E). Ceratias holboelli tentaculatus: Bertelsen, 1951: 133
(footnote) . Ceratias holboelli (non Kroyer) : Penrith , 1967: 185. Ceratias
tentaculatus: Bertelsen & Pietsch, 1984: 45*.
D 1,4; A.4; P 16-19; C 9 (as in C. holboelli).
Attains 88 cm. Known from one specimen from off Delagoa Bay, one off southern Natal and a third off Saldanha
Bay; throughout southern oceans.
F
105.2 Ceratias tentaeulatus: top: 11 em holotype and esea (after Norman, 1930);
middle: 76.5 em, probably C. tentaeulatus, esea missing (off Saldanha
Bay); eseae of: A. 0.6 em SL; B. 1.5 em SL; C. 7.5 em SL; D. 8 em SL
holotype; E. 9 em SL; F. 12 em SL; G. 26.5 em SL; H. 36.5 em SL (B & D
after Clarke, 1950; C after Bertelsen , 1951, remainder after Bertelsen &
Pietsch, 1984); scale = 0.1 em.
Genus Cryptopsaras Gill, 1883
A single species.