Systematics of the Antarctic thornfishes of the genus Bovichtus (Bovichtidae) of the seamounts of the New Zealand Basin

Abstract

The anatomic and morphological description is given to the scaled thornfish Bovichtus psychrolutes, based on the materials from the known areas (New Zealand Plateau) and new parts of the geographic range (eastern margin of the New Zealand Basin: Ridge of Hercules and Pulkovo Ridge, Eltanin-Heezen Fault System). The type specimens of several species of Bovichtus from the collections in London and Wellington museums have been revised. B. oculus is synonymized with B. psychrolutes. The geographic range of B. psychrolutes covers the Pacific sector of notal waters and partly Antarctic waters of the Southern Ocean in the circumglobal ring of the forms of the species of Bovichtus; its range lies between the ranges of B. variegatus (southern New Zealand down to Auckland Islands, New Zealand Plateau) and B. chilensis (southern South America down to Antarctic Peninsula).