Japanese records of the thickspine roughy Hoplostethus robustispinus (Trachichthyiformes: Trachichthyidae)

Abstract

Although Japanese records of Hoplostethus robustispinus Moore and Dodd, 2010 have been reported, presumably based on two specimens from the East China Sea, neither a morphological description nor a basis for the identification of the specimens have been provided. Five trachichthyid specimens collected from the East China Sea and the Pacific coast of Iwate and Aichi prefectures, Japan, were identified as H. robustispinus based on the following characters: remarkably thickened spines of the dorsal, anal and pelvic fins; 58 or 59 pyloric caeca; body bright red when fresh; and oral cavity almost entirely black. The specimens therefore represent the first reliable records from Japanese waters for the species. The new standard Japanese name “Togebuto-hiuchi” is proposed for the species.