Halieutaea stellata Vahl 1797

Halieutaea stellata (Vahl, 1797)

Minipizza batfish, round batfish Fig. 7

Lophius stellatus Vahl, 1797: 214, Pl. 3, Figs. 3–4 (No types known; type locality: China).

Halieutaea maoria Powell, 1937: 81, Fig. 2. (Holotype: AIM Ps.427.1 [now AIM 435]; type locality: off White Island, Bay of Plenty, NZ, depth 55–73 m). Whitley, 1956: 413; Whitley, 1968: 89; Ayling & Cox, 1982: 157; Paulin & Stewart, 1985: 27; Paulin et al., 1989: 256; Paulin et al., 1989: 136; Lindberg et al., 1997: 236 as maoriae; Roberts et al., 2009: 532

Material examined. AIM 435, holotype of Halieutaea maoria Powell, 1937, Off White Island, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand, depth 30–40 fathoms [54.9–73.2 m]. NMNZ P.005880 (1, 230), 37ºS, 176ºE, between Alderman Islands and Slipper Island, South Auckland, 110–128 m, 25 Apr. 1972, coll. C. Hart. NMNZ P.005983 (1, 180), 37º35'S, 176º50'E, between Plate Island and White Island, South Auckland, 128–229 m, May 1974, coll. F. V. Normandy. NMNZ P. 031982 (1, 199), 37º35'S, 176º41'E, Motiti Ledge, Bay of Plenty, South Auckland, 238 m, May 1995, coll. S. Stevenson. NMNZ P.036918 (1, 220), 36º58'S, 176º5'E, off Alderman Islands, western Bay of Plenty, South Auckland, 165 m, Apr 1999, coll. C. Keith. NMNZ P.038477 (1, 174), 35º19.1333'S, 175º26.2833'E, SE of the Poor Knights Islands, North Auckland, 13 Jun. 2002, coll. T. Boyd. NMNZ P.038481 (1, 198), 37º2'S, 176º5'E, between Penguin Shoal and Putney Rocks, Bay of Plenty, South Auckland, 80 m, Aug. 2002, coll. N. Gwillam. NMNZ P. 041210 (1, 163), 37ºS, 176º39.60'E, 30 miles NE off Mayor Island, Bay of Plenty, 450 m, 17 Dec. 2004, coll. R. McDonald. Outside EEZ of NZ: NMNZ P. 040678 (1, 146), 28º32.2'S, 172º57.55'E, northern Three Kings Ridge, 390 m, 20 Jan. 2003, coll. F. V. Clarabelle, S. Beatson.

Diagnosis. Body dicc rounded, slightly wider than long; strongly pointed tubercles on dorsal surface and body margins; interspaces of entire body covered by tine spinules; body reddish with short vermiculate pattern on dorsal surface.

Description. D. 4–5; A. 4; P. 12–14. Disc shape rounded in outline; illicial trough an acute triangle, width less than eye; esca with tri-lobes, lower two fringed with cirri on margin, upper one tongue-like; a blunt blackish appendage on dorsal surface of illicium behind the esca; tail stout and slightly depressed, tapering posteriorly; tubercles present, on edge of body enlarged with 3–4 sharply spines, on dorsal surface simple and needle-like; ventral surface rough, entire body covered with tiny spinules except for eye and fins; teeth absent from vomer and palatines; gills 2 1/2 [holobranch on 2nd and 3rd gill arch and hemibranch on 4th gill arch]. Colour reddish orange with irregular mottled darker patches dorsally, pinkish ventrally in life. Olive gray to pale with the same dark mark dorsally, paler ventrally in preserved. Peritoneum dark brown. Maximum size of adults about 220 mm SL.

Morphometrics (based on 10 specimens, including holotype of H. maoria, 137–200 mm): skull length 29.1–30.3 % SL; head depth 17.0–19.4; eye diameter 10.2–12.3;interorbit width 9.4–11.0; mouth width 31.3–36.8; length from premaxillary symphysis to dorsal fin origin 70.6–75.6, to anal fin origin 40.4–47.6; dorsal fin length 8.4–14.4; pectoral fin length 22.0–25.3; anal fin length 10.1–14.6; caudal peduncle length (post anus) 36.0–39.8.

Distribution. Known from Indo-west Pacific Ocean.

Remark. Eight or more species within this genus and most are uncertain. Lindberg et al. (1997) considered H. maoria a junior synonym of H. stellata which is confirmed by us. It differs from the Australian species, H. brevicauda, in having strong needle-like tubercles dorsally and ventral surface rough. Although H. stellata is recorded as widespread in the Indo-west Pacific Ocean, the record from the western Indian Ocean is represented by an undescribed species (Ho, unpublished data). The confirmed range for H. stellata is from western Australia to French Polynesia and from southern Japan to northern New Zealand.