Smooth Bandfish, Owstonia psilos Smith-Vaniz & Johnson 2016


Paratype of the Smooth Bandfish, Owstonia psilos, from north of the Dampier Peninsula, Western Australia, depth ~400 m, NMV A.29664–004, 64 mm SL. Source: Martin F. Gomon / Museums Victoria. License: CC by Attribution

Summary:
A reddish bandfish with a prominent black blotch on the anterior part of the dorsal fin and dorsal-fin base, reddish dorsal, anal, caudal and pectoral fins with white margins, white pelvic fins, a pale maxilla, cheek, belly, shoulder girdle and chest, a dark red gill cover, throat and top of head, and a golden iris.

Cite this page as:
Bray, D.J. 2022, Owstonia psilos in Fishes of Australia, accessed 30 Mar 2024, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/Home/species/5381

Smooth Bandfish, Owstonia psilos Smith-Vaniz & Johnson 2016

More Info


Distribution

Endemic to north Western Australia, from north of Glomar Shoal (18°46'27"S, 116°54'45"E) to south-east of Cartier Island (12°36'07"S, 123°25'23"E).

Features

Dorsal fin III, 21; Anal fin I, 14; Lateral line ends below dorsal-fin soft rays 14‒20; oblique body scale rows in mid-lateral series about 32; total gill rakers 36‒40.
Premaxillary stripe absent, with a few scattered melanophores or with an incomplete brown stripe; dorsal fin anteriorly with interradial membranes of spine 3 to soft rays 4‒5 black at least distally.

Etymology

The specific name is from the Greek psilos (= bare, smooth, naked), in reference to the smooth lower margin of the preopercle, and the numerous missing scales of the holotype due to trawl abrasion.

Species Citation

Owstonia psilos Smith-Vaniz & Johnson 2016, Zootaxa 4187(1): 74, figs 64-66. Type locality: Western Australia, 17°21'30"S, 118°57'19"E - 17°20'53"S, 118°56'48"E, depth 437-446 m

Author

Bray, D.J. 2022

Resources

Atlas of Living Australia

Smooth Bandfish, Owstonia psilos Smith-Vaniz & Johnson 2016

References


Smith-Vaniz, W.F. & Johnson, G.D. 2016. Hidden diversity in deep-water bandfishes: review of Owstonia with descriptions of twenty-one new species (Teleostei: Cepolidae: Owstoniinae). Zootaxa 4187(1): 1–103 http://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4187.1.1

Quick Facts


CAAB Code:37380015

Depth:360-446 m

Habitat:Reef associated

Max Size:18 cm SL

Native:Endemic

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Species Maps

CAAB distribution map