Common Name
Kukuev's Ridgehead
Year Described
Kotlyar, 2008
Identification
Dorsal Fin: III, 11
Anal Fin: I, 8
Pectoral Fin: 13-14
Pelvic Fin: I, 7
Caudal Fin: 9-10 branched, 2-4 procurrent rays
Lateral Scale Rows: 29
Gill Rakers: 26-32
Vertebrae: 26-27
Head with heavy bony ridging and pitting. A conspicuous anterior spine in front of eye and bony crest present on top of head (characteristic of Poromitra). Rear margin of mouth extends beyond orbit. Eye moderate in size. Preopercle with spination continuous along entire posterior and ventral edge. Anterior preopercular margin with ridges at an acute angle. Opercle with serrated upper margin. Anal fin origin under dorsal ray 3 or 4. Pectoral fin extends to rear dorsal fin base. Pelvic fin origin anterior to pectoral fin base. Three scales on cheek.
Color
Body uniformly dark brown.
Size
Maximum size to 95mm SL
Habitat
Mesopelagic from 480-1762m
Range
Known from specimens taken off of N.E. and S.E. Brazil.
References
Kotlyar, A. N. 2008. Revision of the genus Poromitra (Melamphaeidae): Part 2. New species of the group P. crassiceps. Journal of Ichthyology v. 48 (no. 8): 553-564.
Mincarone, M. M., F. Di Dario and P. A. S. Costa. 2014. Deep-sea bigscales, pricklefishes, gibberfishes and whalefishes (Teleostei: Stephanoberycoidei) off Brazil: new records, range extensions for the south-western Atlantic Ocean and remarks on the taxonomy of Poromitra. Journal of Fish Biology v. 85: 1546-1570.
Other Notes
This species is part of the Poromitra crassiceps complex and is closest to P. crassiceps itself. These are the only Atlantic representative of the complex (Kotlyar, 2008).
The unpublished dissertation by Keene (1987) describes Poromitra gibbsi from the north Atlantic and off Brazil which overlaps considerably with P. kukuevi and is probably the same species. Given the latter name is officially published, it would get priority.
The Poromitra sp. in Mincarone et al. (2014) is this species.