Larval stages of the Antarctic dragonfish Akarotaxis nudiceps (Waite, 1916), with comments on the larvae of the morphologically similar species Prionodraco evansii Regan 1914 (Notothenioidei: Bathydraconidae)

Abstract

The notothenioid family Bathydraconidae is a poorly understood family of fishes endemic to the Southern Ocean. There is especially little information on Akarotaxis nudiceps , one of the deepest‐dwelling and least fecund bathydraconid species. Using genetic and morphological data, we document and describe the larval stages of this unique species, offer a novel characteristic to distinguish it from the morphologically similar bathydraconid Prionodraco evansii and use the sampling locations to infer a possible spawning area of A. nudiceps along the western Antarctic Peninsula. These results provide important baseline information for locating, identifying and studying the biology of A. nudiceps , an important component of the Southern Ocean ecosystem.

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