Revision of the genera Meteoria and Parasciadonus (Bythitidae) with a new Atlantic, abyssal species of Meteoria.

A revision is presented of the rare, abyssal-living former aphyonid now bythitid genera, Meteoria Nielsen, 1969 and Parasciadonus Nielsen, 1984. The type species of Meteoria, M. erythrops Nielsen, 1969 was based on a female and a juvenile specimen. Additionally, a ripe male of M. erythrops have been caught and furthermore two Meteoria specimens that vary so much from the type species that they are here described as a new species, M. longidorsalis n. sp. It differs from the type species i.a. by the short predorsal length, higher number of dorsal fin rays, smaller interorbital width and head profile. Furthermore, Parasciadonus pauciradiatus Nielsen, 1997 is reassigned to Meteoria leaving Parasciadonus with one species only, P. brevibrachium Nielsen, 1984. This makes it necessary to modify the generic diagnoses from Nielsen et al. (1999: 139). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]