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Pegasus nanhaiensis Zhang, Wang & Lin, sp. nov. English name: Humpback sea moth Figure 1 Holotype. TMBC 030695, 61.7 mm SL, Yangjiang, northern South China Sea, China, sta. 21��27'21''N, 112��28'22''E, 20 m depth, local bottom trawl, 20 July 2019. Paratypes. TMBC030696 ��� TMBC030698 (3 specimens, 47.1���55.2 mm SL), same data as for the holotype. TMBC030699 ��� TMBC030703 (5 specimens, 53.8���62.3 mm SL), Yangjiang, northern South China Sea, sta. 21��25'38''N, 112��9'42''E, 23 m depth, bottom trawl, 20 July 2019. TMBC030704 ��� TMBC030707 (4 specimens, 53.3���61.5 mm SL), Beihai, northern South China Sea, sta. 21��11'41''N, 109��12'8''E, 17 m depth, bottom trawl, 28 July 2019. TMCN030708 ��� TMBC030711 (4 specimens, 52.6���58.0 mm SL), Beihai, northern South China Sea, sta. 21��18'2''N, 108��44'32''E, 19 m depth, bottom trawl, 1 August 2019. Diagnosis. The size and general appearance of P. nanhaiensis are similar to those of P. laternarius (Fig. 2). However, P. nanhaiensis is readily distinguished from all other species of the genus Pegasus by the following combination of characteristics: A rounded hump-like tubercle on each of dorsal plates I, II, and III (Fig. 3A); clear hexagonal patterns in surface dorsal plate with a clear boundary; and two paired caudolateral plates overlapping the junctions between tail rings II and III, and IV and V (Fig. 3C). In comparison, P. laternarius has a pointed, roughly triangular tubercle on each of dorsal plates I, II, and III (Fig. 3B), and three paired caudolateral plates overlapping the junctions between tail rings II and III, III and IV, and IV and V (Fig. 3D). In P. nanhaiensis, we also observed the formation of a bulge at the margin of the ventral plate that connected to the paired pelvic fins, and four strong rounded tubercles in the concave margin of the occipital. Description. Morphometric data of 17 Pegasus nanhaiensis and 17 Pegasus laternarius are provided in Table 1. A large male with intact body was designated as the holotype (TMBC030695, SL 61.7 mm). Sexual dimorphism in rostrum length (longer in males) was commonly found in P. laternarius, E. papilio (Palsson & Pietsch, 1989), and E. draconis (Jungersen, 1915). In this study, the morphological characteristics of male and female species were measured separately. Pegasus nanhaiensis: Body depth 16.5���20.9% SL (male), body depth 16.1���20.0% SL (female). Rostrum of male club-shaped, surface with denticle-bearing ridges, length 13.9���17.4% SL, rostrum width at tip 3.0���4.3% SL. Rostrum of female short, tetragonal, denticle-bearing ridges meeting anteriorly to form a sharp point, length 4.8���6.3% SL, rostrum width at tip 1.0���1.6% SL. Sexual dimorphism in rostrum length of P. nanhaiensis is very obvious, which is also found in P. laternarius (Palsson & Pietsch, 1989). Carapace length 48.6���53.2% SL, prepectoral width 40.3���46.0% SL, interpectoral width 29.7���34.9% SL, carapace width 28.8���34.7% SL, tail length 46.7���52.8% SL (male). Carapace length 51.4���54.5%SL, prepectoral width 44.4���47.5% SL, interpectoral width 34.0���36.3% SL, carapace width 34.8���37.0% SL, tail length 45.1���49.8 % SL (female). Orbit length 9.2���11.3% SL, interorbital width 9.1���11.2% SL, head width 26.7���31.8% SL (male). Orbit length 9.7���10.8% SL, interorbital width 8.7���10.7% SL, head width 30.2���32.4% SL (female). The body is depressed and encased in bony plates. Dorsolateral carapace plates each with a weak, posteriorly directed tubercle; ventrolateral plates with weak tubercles on lateral edges. The eyes are not visible in ventral view. Two rows of humps are arranged on the dorsal plate. Bone staining showed that the carapace osteological structure of P. nanhaiensis was the same as that of P. laternarius. The carapace comprises three paired dorsal plates and four paired dorsolateral plates (Fig. 3A, B). Carapace surface with 3 paired, rounded hump-like tubercles on each of dorsal plates I, II, and III. The tail has 11 rings with bulges on both sides, 9th and 10th rings fused together, anteriormost 8 rings can swing freely. The dorsal and anal fins are short and opposite one another, each with 5 unbranched soft rays, located on caudal rings II���IV. The wing-like pectoral fins are relatively large and horizontal, composed of 11 spinous rays, and the fifth ray is thicker compared to adjacent rays. A pair of finger-like pelvic fins is present, each with 1 spine and 2 rays. The caudal fin consists of eight rays. Last tail ring without spine on dorsal surface. Coloration. In the dry state, dorsal and lateral body surfaces dark brown; clear hexagonal patterns visible on the carapace with distinct boundaries; ventral surface light brown. The first four segments of the tail rings are darker in color than the ones that follow. Pectoral fins with several, irregular rows of brown spots. On the head, small dark spots are scattered between the interorbit and the tip of the rostrum (Fig. 4). In lateral view, the black spots extend from the rostrum to the fourth caudal ring. In life, the surface of the body is glossy, some individuals have brown spots on the dorsal carapaces. Etymology. The specific name, nanhaiensis, refers to the South China Sea, where the holotype of this species was collected. Distribution. Known from the holotype and paratypes, trawled from mud bottoms at 17���23 m depth off the coastal waters of Yangjiang and Beihai, northern South China Sea (Fig. 5). Geometric Morphometry. An assessment of the shape of the carapace and the tubercle was conducted on specimens taken from the five sites in the South China Sea using a geometric morphometric approach. A total of 18 landmarks were selected from the dorsal contour and ridgeline (Fig. 6A, B). The scores of the first and second principal components (PCs) of 103 individuals of P. laternarius and P. nanhaiensis were extracted and plotted. PCA results showed that the specimens collected in Yangjiang and Beihai were significantly different from those collected in Shantou, Wailingding, and Sanya in morphological variation of the dorsal carapace (Fig. 6A, B). The raw data for principal component analysis are presented in Table S1. Molecular analysis. Two partial gene fragments (533 bp of 16S rDNA and 585 bp of COI) were successfully obtained from 31 P. laternarius individuals and 17 P. nanhaiensis individuals. The phylogenetic relationships of P. nanhaiensis, P. laternarius, P. volitans, and P. tetrabelos were reconstructed using the Bayesian method based on the combined 16S rDNA and COI partial gene fragments (Fig. 7). To correspond the genetic data to the individuals of each species, the 16S rDNA GenBank accession number of each individual was displayed in the phylogenetic tree. Eurypegasus draconis was selected as an outgroup due to its close relationship with Pegasus (Herold & Clark, 1993). All P. nanhaiensis clustered within a group supported by 100% Bayesian posterior probabilities. It formed a sister group to a group containing all specimens of P. laternarius indicating that P. nanhaiensis is an independent lineage (Fig. 7). The average intraspecific genetic distance estimated between different populations of P. laternarius and P. nanhaiensis ranged from 0.0002 ���0.0005, whereas the average interspecific genetic distance estimated between P. nanhaiensis and P. laternarius ranged from 0.0351 ���0.0353 (Table 2), which suggested a distinct interspecies differentiation between P. laternarius and P. nanhaiensis., Published as part of Zhang, Rongrong, Wang, Xin, Wan, Shiming, Ma, Shaobo & Lin, Qiang, 2020, A new species of Pegasus (Syngnathiformes: Pegasidae) from the South China Sea, pp. 521-534 in Zootaxa 4894 (4) on pages 523-529, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4894.4.2, http://zenodo.org/record/4316675, {"references":["Palsson, W. A. & Pietsch, T. W. (1989) Revision of the acanthopterygian fish family Pegasidae (order Gasterosteiformes). Indo- Pacific Fishes, 18, 1 - 38.","Jungersen, H. F. E. (1915) Some facts regarding the anatomy of the genus Pegasus. Report of the Eighty-Fourth Meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, 1914, 420 - 422.","Herold, D. & Clark, E. (1993) Monogamy, spawning and skin-shedding of the sea moth, Eurypegasus draconis (Pisces: Pegasidae). Environmental Biology of Fishes, 37 (3), 219 - 236. https: // doi. org / 10.1007 / BF 00004630"]}

A new fish species from the South China Sea, Pegasus nanhaiensis sp. nov., is described herein. The new species is readily distinguished from all other species of the genus Pegasus with the following characteristics: A rounded hump-like tubercle on each of dorsal plates I, II, and III. Noticeable hexagonal patterns on the dorsal carapace with a clear boundary, and two paired caudolateral plates overlapping the junctions between tail rings II and III, and between tail rings IV and V. The integrated evidence from both morphological and genetic studies indicates that P. nanhaiensis represents an independent lineage within the genus Pegasus.

We provide information about the morphology and new findings of 15 rare fish species from the families Bathyclupeidae, Callionymidae, Champsodontidae, Cottidae, Gobiidae, Lophichthyidae, Melanostomiidae, Moridae, Oneirodidae, Paralepididae, Pegasidae, Platycephalidae, and Uranoscopidae. Two new species are described: Thysanophrys haploblepharis sp. n. (Platycephalidae) from the Western Indian Ocean and Vanderhorstia stegauchenia sp. n. (Gobiidae) from the South China Sea. The new synonymy is established: Cottus dybowskii Hilgendorf, 1879 = Myoxocephalus brandtii.

Eurypegasus draconis (Linnaeus 1766) —Dragon sea moth Status at New Ireland. New record, based on NTUM 11413 (1 specimen, 32.2 mm SL, St. KD 45, north Limus Island, Kavieng District, 02°36.370’S 150°39.289’E, 50–60 m depth, 22 June 2014). Distribution and habitat. New Ireland: 2.—General distribution: Red Sea and East Africa east to Marshall and Marquesas islands, north to southern Japan, south to northern Australia. Found on sand or rubble bottoms, 0– 90 m depth. Marine., Published as part of Andréfouët, Serge, Chen, Wei-Jen, Kinch, Jeff, Mana, Ralph, Russell, Barry C., Tully, Dean & White, William T., 2019, Checklist of the marine and estuarine fishes of New Ireland Province, Papua New Guinea, western Pacific Ocean, with 810 new records, pp. 1-360 in Zootaxa 4588 (1) on page 88, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4588.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/2988163

Andréfouët, Serge, Chen, Wei-Jen, Kinch, Jeff, Mana, Ralph, Russell, Barry C., Tully, Dean, White, William T. (2019): Checklist of the marine and estuarine fishes of New Ireland Province, Papua New Guinea, western Pacific Ocean, with 810 new records. Zootaxa 4588 (1): 1-360, DOI: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4588.1.1

PEGASIDAE Eurypegasus draconis (Linnaeus 1766) Gulf of Suez: �� Gulf of Aqaba: Egypt (Palsson & Pietsch 1989), Israel (Steinitz & Ben-Tuvia 1955, as Pegasus draconis), Jordan (Khalaf & Disi 1997). Red Sea main basin: Sudan (Palsson & Pietsch 1989). General distribution: Red Sea, Indo-West Pacific: East Africa east to Marshall and Marquesas islands., Published as part of Golani, Daniel & Fricke, Ronald, 2018, Checklist of the Red Sea Fishes with delineation of the Gulf of Suez, Gulf of Aqaba, endemism and Lessepsian migrants, pp. 1-215 in Zootaxa 4509 (1) on page 60, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4509.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/2607566, {"references":["Palsson, W. A. & Pietsch, T. W. (1989) Revision of the acanthopterygian fish family Pegasidae (Order Gasterosteiformes). Indo- Pacific Fishes, 18, 1 - 38, pl. 1.","Steinitz, H. & Ben-Tuvia, A. (1955) Fishes from Eylath (Gulf of Aqaba), Red Sea. Bulletin of the Sea Fisheries Research Station, 11, 1 - 15.","Khalaf, M. A &. Disi, A. M. (1997) Fishes of the Gulf of Aqaba. Publications of the Marine Science Station, Aqaba, 8, 1 - 252."]}

The current checklist provides for each species of the Red Sea its records in the Gulf of Suez, Gulf of Aqaba, Red Sea main basin and its general distribution.This new checklist of Red Sea fishes enumerates 1207 species, representing 164 families. Of these, 797 species were recorded from the Gulf of Aqaba and 339 from the Gulf of Suez. The number of species from the Gulf of Suez is evidently lower than the actual number not including 27 Lessepsian (Red Sea) migrants to the Mediterranean that most likely occur in the Gulf. The current list includes 73 species that were newly described for science since the last checklist of 2010. The most specious Osteichthyes families are: Gobiidae (134 species), Labridae (66), Apogonidae (59), Serranidae (including Anthiadinae) (44), Blenniidae (42), Carangidae (38), Muraenidae (36), Pomacentridae (35), Syngnathidae (34), Scorpaenidae (24) and Lutjanidae (23). Among the families of Chondrichthyes, the most specious families are the Carcharhinidae (18 species) and Dasyatidae (11). The total number of endemic species in the Red Sea is 174 species, of these, 34 species are endemic to the Gulf of Aqaba and 8 to the Gulf of Suez.

Three specimens of Eurypegasus draconis Linnaeus, 1766 were collected in seagrass beds of Samama Island, East Kalimantan, in June 2006. It was the first record of this uncommon species that widely distributes in Indian and Pacific waters. The species was characterized by 8-9 tail rings and a spine on the dorsal side of last tail ring.

Fricke, Ronald, Allen, Gerald R., Andréfouët, Serge, Chen, Wei-Jen, Hamel, Mélanie A., Laboute, Pierre, Mana, Ralph, Hui, Tan Heok, Uyeno, Daisuke (2014): Checklist of the marine and estuarine fishes of Madang District, Papua New Guinea, western Pacific Ocean, with 820 new records. Zootaxa 3832 (1): 1-247, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3832.1.1

Pegasidae Pegasus volitans Linnaeus, 1758 ���Slender sea moth STATUS AT MADANG. New record from Madang, based on a specimen collected by W.-J. Chen. NTUM material (NTUM 10149). DISTRIBUTION AND HABITAT. East Africa and Persian Gulf east to Philippines and New Guinea, north to southern Japan, south to northern Australia. Found on sand or rubble bottoms, 0��� 73 m. Marine., Published as part of Fricke, Ronald, Allen, Gerald R., Andr��fou��t, Serge, Chen, Wei-Jen, Hamel, M��lanie A., Laboute, Pierre, Mana, Ralph, Hui, Tan Heok & Uyeno, Daisuke, 2014, Checklist of the marine and estuarine fishes of Madang District, Papua New Guinea, western Pacific Ocean, with 820 new records, pp. 1-247 in Zootaxa 3832 (1) on page 43, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3832.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/250559

Laan, Richard Van Der, Eschmeyer, William N., Fricke, Ronald (2014): Family-group names of Recent fishes. Zootaxa 3882 (2): 1-230, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3882.1.1, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3882.1.1

Family Pegasidae Bonaparte 1831 Eleutheropomi Jarocki 1822:396 [ref. 4984] (family)? Pegasus [no stem of the type genus, not available, Article 11.7.1.1] Hypostomides Latreille 1825:117 [ref. 31889] (family) Pegasus [no stem of the type genus, not available, Article 11.7.1.1] Pegasini Bonaparte 1831:163, 185 [ref. 4978] (subfamily) Pegasus, Published as part of Laan, Richard Van Der, Eschmeyer, William N. & Fricke, Ronald, 2014, Family-group names of Recent fishes, pp. 1-230 in Zootaxa 3882 (2) on page 80, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3882.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/7047777, {"references":["Bonaparte, C. L. (1831) Saggio di una distribuzione metodica degli animali vertebrati, (1831), Roma, 78 pp. Saggio d'una distribuzione .. vertebrati a sangue freddo, (1832), Roma, 86 pp. also in Giornale Arcadico di Scienze Lettere ed Arti, 52 (1831), 155 - 189. Saggio di una distribuzione metodica deglianimali vertebrati (1832), 89 - 123. [pagination in all 4 works differs. We give those in`Giornale Arcadico' 52, often cited but perhaps not earliest] [ref. 4978]","Jarocki, F. P. (1822) Zoologiia czyli zwierzetopismo ogolne podlug naynowszego systematu, volume 4. Drusarni Laukiewicza, Warszawie (Warsaw), 464 + xxvii pp.","Latreille, P. A. (1825) Familles naturelles du regne animal, exposees succinctement et dans un ordre analitique, avec l'indication de leurs genres. J. - B. Bailliere, Paris, 570 pp. [ref. 31889] http: // dx. doi. org / 10.5962 / bhl. title. 16094"]}

Sea moths (family Pegasidae) are little-studied benthic fish, found throughout the Indo-Pacific. Two species of sea moths, Pegasus volitans and Eurypegasus draconis, are caught incidentally in illegal trawl gear in the Philippines and sold into the dried fish trade. Approximately 130,000–620,000 P. volitans and 130,000 E. draconis were landed off north-western Bohol alone in 1996. An additional 43,000–62,000 sea moths (predominantly P. volitans) were caught live for the aquarium trade. Catch per unit effort for P. volitans was double that of E. draconis, probably because of its occurrence in shallower waters where fishing effort was concentrated. Sea moths may be unsuited for heavy exploitation as they occur at low densities. Moreover, a female-biased catch could lower the effective population size, given the reported monogamy amongst sea moths. No population data were available for a complete conservation assessment, although divers surveyed did report declines in their abundance.

In India Pegasus draconis L. had been described just one time by Day (1889)-it came from Port Blair of South Andamans archipelago. Presently the authors report second case of its catch on the reefs surrounding Kavaretti Island (Laccadive Islands).

Pegasus volitans [spec. nov.] Pegasus. Mus. Ad. Fr. 2. p... @/D. 5. P. 10. V. 2. A. 5. C. 7. Gron. mus. 1. n. 146. Pisciculus amboinensis volans osseo tuberculosus, proboscide serrata. @/D. 4. P. 10. V. 1. A. 5. C. - - Ruysch. thes. t. 7. f. 2. D. Habitat in Amboina. Quis, nisi vidisser, pisces habitare sub unda, crederet? CLASSIS V., Published as part of Linnaeus, Carolus, 1758, Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae: secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis, Stockholm :Laurentius Salvius on pages 338-339, DOI: 10.5962/bhl.title.542, http://zenodo.org/record/3922206

Pegasus [gen. nov.] Caput: Os proboscide retractili; maxilla superiore denticulata, sub Rostro ensiformi, lineari, utrinque serrato. Apertura branchiarum ante pinnas pectorales. Corpus articulatum osseis incisuris, cataphractum. Pinnae ventrales abdominales., Published as part of Linnaeus, Carolus, 1758, Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae: secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis, Stockholm :Laurentius Salvius on page 338, DOI: 10.5962/bhl.title.542, http://zenodo.org/record/3922206

Members of the currently recognized acanthopterygian order Pegasiformes have an unusual feeding mechanism in which enlarged maxillovomerine cartilages are closely associated with the maxillae, premaxillae and dentaries forming a highly protrusible mouth. This is a unique mechanism among living teleosts, but apparently present in the Lower Eocene Ramphosidae, currently placed among the aulostomoid gasterosteiforms. This and other evidence support a gasterosteiform ancestry for the Pegasidae. The Pegasiformes are synonymized with the Gasterosteiformes. The fossil Ramphosidae are resurrected from the synonymy of the Macrorhamphosidae and placed with the Pegasidae in a new superfamily, the Pegasoidea. The Pegasoidea are proposed as the primitive sister-group of the Solenostomidae and Syngnathidae. The Solenostomidae and Syngnathidae are included in a new superfamily, the Syngnathoidea, which together with the Pegasoidea form the primitive sister-group of the Macrorhamphosidae, Centriscidae, Aulostomidae and Fistulariidae.