PROCEEDINGS OF THE BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON 111(4):936-941. 1998. A new species of the genus Bellator (Pisces: Triglidae), with comments on the trigloids of the Galapagos Islands William J. Richards and John E. McCosker (W.J.R.) NOAA Fisheries, Southeast Fisheries Science Center, 75 Virginia Beach Drive, Miami, Florida 33149, U.S.A.; (J.E.McC.) California Academy of Sciences, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, California 94118, U.S.A. Abstract. — A new, endemic species, Bellator farrago, is described from the Galapagos Islands. It differs from its congeners by a combination of characters including absence of a supplemental preopercular spine, short first dorsal fin spine, produced rostral spines, and lack of scales on the breast and interpelvic area. The Galapagos trigloid fauna comprises: B. farrago, Prionotus miles, Pr. stephanophrys, and Peristedion crustosum. The fishes of the New World genus Bel-lator were revised by Miller & Richards (1991); they treated four Atlantic species and three eastern Pacific species. Recent collecting in and around the Galapagos by the submersible Johnson Sea-Link revealed the presence of an undescribed species. The submersible captured one specimen and an-other was found in the California Academy of Sciences Fish Collection. Prior to this study only one Bellator was known from the Galapagos based on Gruchy (1970), who added Prionotus loxias {= Bellator lox-ias) to the Galapagos fauna. A re-exami-nation of the Gruchy specimens reveals that they also are this undescribed species and not B. loxias. This new species is diagnosed and described, and details of its habitat are provided based on observations made from the submersible. The submersible also cap-tured three specimens of Peristedion crus-tosum Garman which is a new record of this species from the Galapagos. Methods. — Counts and measurements follow Miller & Richards (1991). Bellator farrago, new species (Figs. 1-3, Tables 1-3) [non] Prionotus loxias: Gruchy 1970:526 (misidentification). Miller & Richards 1991:646 (distribution, following Gruchy 1970). Bussing 1995:1646 (distribution). Material examined. — Holotype: CAS 54562 (103.9 mm SL), southeastern Pacific, Ecuador, Galapagos Islands, Isla Santa Cruz, Academy Bay, RA^ Te Vega Field No. TV24-VIII-68. 24 Aug 1968. Para-types: CAS 86564 (96.2 mm SL), south-eastern Pacific Ocean, Ecuador, Galapagos Islands, Isla Genovesa (Tower). 0°21.8'S, 89°58.2'W, JSL dive 3974, 462 m, coll. J. E. McCosker et al., 24 Nov 1995. NMC 69-78, 2 (75.5-112.4 mm SL), southeastern Pacific Ocean, Ecuador, Galapagos Islands, Isla Isabella, mouth of Tagus Cove, coll. Ban-et al. 8 Mar 1968. Diagnosis. — A species of Bellator with opercular spine short, breast and interpelvic area lacking scales, belly scaled, first dorsal spine shorter than second, supplementary preopercular spine weak or absent, anal rays 11, pored lateral line scales 50-52. Description. — Morphometric data are in Table 1, meristic data in Table 2, and com-parison with other eastern Pacific Bellator in Table 3. Head moderate with produced rostrum with small spines on distal edge; small spines on lateral edge of first, second, and third infraorbital bones; no nasal spine.
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