A new species of notothenioid fish,
Pogonophryne bellingshausenensis n. sp., is described from the Bellingshausen Sea, Antarctica. The new species belongs to the dorsally-spotted “mentella”
group of the genus and is characterized by having a short (about 13% SL) mental barbel with a short (about 16% of barbel length),
narrow (barely wider than the stalk), and relatively inconspicuous terminal expansion composed of short, irregular, fingerlike
processes. Compared to most other dorsally-spotted species of
Pogonophryne (“barsukovi”, “marmorata”, and “mentella” groups),
P.
bellingshausenensis has a relatively wide (about 7% SL) interorbital region. An unspotted patch on the median dorsal surface of the head, posterior
to the posttemporal ridges and anterior to the first dorsal fin, has not been observed previously in any dorsally-spotted
species. The holotype was collected at 1,947 m, one of the deepest records for any species of
Pogonophryne. A revised key to the ten species of the “mentella” group of
Pogonophryne is also provided.
Keywords Taxonomy - Notothenioidei - “Mentella” group - Mental barbel