New species of Pogonophryne (Pisces, Artedidraconidae) from the Bellingshausen Sea, Antarctica

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. © 2008 Springer-Verlag.