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Redescription and designation of a neotype for Aphthalmichthys kuro Kuroda 1947, and its placement in Callechelys (Anguilliformes: Ophichthidae)

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An Erratum to this article was published on 29 July 2011

Abstract

Aphthalmichthys kuro, described by Kuroda (1947) based on a specimen from Suruga Bay, Japan, is referred to Callechelys (family Ophichthidae, subfamily Ophichthinae). It differs from its congeners in its vertebral number (142–146), tail length (2.0–2.1 in TL), and coloration (brownish black). The holotype is lost; we herein designate a neotype and redescribe and illustrate the species based on 5 specimens from Japan and 2 from Taiwan.

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Acknowledgments

We sincerely thank: William Eschmeyer (California Academy of Sciences) for his advice concerning the designation of neotypes; Ai Nonaka (Smithsonian Institution) for her translation of Kuroda’s original description; Kwang-Tsao Shao (Biodiversity Research Institute, Academica Sinica) for making Wei-Li Chen’s master’s thesis available to us; Jon Fong (California Academy of Sciences) for the preparation of Figs. 1 and 2; Seishi Kimura (FRLM) for the loan of a specimen; Tomonori Hirata for the use of his superb underwater photographs; Osamu Okamura, Yoshihiko Machida and Kunio Sasaki (BSKU) for their assistance; Zenji Imoto, the captain of R/V Toyohata-maru (Usa Marine Biological Institute, Kochi University); and the 1993 crew of the R/V Toyohata-maru.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, CA, 94118, USA

    John E. McCosker

  2. Osaka Museum of Natural History, 1-23 Nagai Park, Higashi-Sumiyoshi, Osaka, 546-0034, Japan

    Kiyotaka Hatooka

  3. Department of Bioenvironmental Design, Kyoto Gakuen University, 1-1 Nanjyo Otani, Sogabe-cho, Kameoka, Kyoto, 621-8555, Japan

    Nobuhiro Ohnishi

  4. Laboratory of Marine Biology, Faculty of Science, Kochi University, 2-5-1 Akebono-cho, Kochi, 780-8520, Japan

    Hiromatsu Endo

Authors
  1. John E. McCosker
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  2. Kiyotaka Hatooka
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  3. Nobuhiro Ohnishi
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  4. Hiromatsu Endo
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to John E. McCosker.

Additional information

An erratum to this article can be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10228-011-0238-y

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McCosker, J.E., Hatooka, K., Ohnishi, N. et al. Redescription and designation of a neotype for Aphthalmichthys kuro Kuroda 1947, and its placement in Callechelys (Anguilliformes: Ophichthidae). Ichthyol Res 58, 272–277 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10228-011-0233-3

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