Studies on demersal fishes of the deep neritic waters and the upper continental slope. 3. On Neoharriotta pinnata (Schnackenbeck), a potentially important resource

Abstract

On 24-5-1968 seven specimens of the rare chimaeroid Neoharriotta pinmta (Schnackenbeck, 1929) hitherto known only from the equatorial coast of West Africa and South West Africa (Atlantic Ocean) were collected during the 128th cruise of R.V. VARUNA while trawling from the continental slope off Kasargod, southwest coast of India. A detailed description of the specimens, two of which are adult females measuring 112.5 and 124.0 cm and five juveniles 24 to 30 cm is given here. The genus Neoharriotta Bigelow and Schroeder (1950) is known from two species, N. pinnata and N carri BuUis and Carpenter (1966) and is separated from Harrioua Goode and Bean mainly by the presence of an anal fin which is absent in the latter genus. Two chimaeroid egg capsules obtained during the cruises of R.V. VARUNA are also presumed to belong to N. pinmta.