2020 Volume 2020 Issue 49 Pages 1-6
Two specimens (116.0–119.1 mm SL) of an epigonid fish, Epigonus fragilis (Jordan & Jordan, 1922), were caught by set net (ca. 40 m depth) from Sagami Bay, Japan. These specimens represent the first records of the species from the bay and the second report from Japan. The species has been previously reported mainly from deep-water around the seamounts in the central North Pacific. Its occurrence in coastal waters, including the present study, is considered to be rare. One specimen (119.1 mm SL) of was female with a great number of mature eggs, indicating that E. fragilis spawns off the Pacific coast of Japan. The species has been known as a member of the Epigonus pandionis group and characterized by the following combination of characters: dorsal fin rays VII-I, 10; pectoral fin rays 17 or rarely 18; gill rakers 25–27; vertebrae 10 + 15; pyloric caeca 7 or 8; pored lateralline scales 46–49 + 3 or 4; pungent opercular spine absent; maxillary mustache-like process absent; lingual teeth absent; small conical teeth on lower jaw; pair of ribs present on last abdominal vertebra; tubercle on inner symphysis of lower jaw absent; orbital diameter 13.0–15.2% SL; and pectoral-fin length 22.8–26.1% SL.
