A new species of Eustomias (Nominostomias) (Stomiiformes: Stomiidae) from the Kermadec Ridge-Tonga Trench region, western South Pacific Ocean, with notes on the barbel morphology of E. trewavasae.

A new species of dragonfish Eustomias (Nominostomias) robertsi is described from the western South Pacific Ocean. The new species, the first record of a member of Eustomias (Nominostomias) Group III (sensu Gibbs et al. 1983) from the region, it is most similar to Eustomias suluensis in barbel morphology.

Evolutionary relationships of anglerfishes (Lophiiformes) reconstructed using ultraconserved elements.

The macroevolutionary consequences of evolving in the deep-sea remain poorly understood and are compounded by the fact that convergent adaptations for living in this environment makes elucidating phylogenetic relationships difficult. Lophiiform anglerfishes exhibit extreme habitat and predatory specializations, including the use of a fin-spine system as a luring device and unique reproductive strategies where parasitic males attach and fuse to females. Despite their notoriety for these odd characteristics, evolutionary relationships among these fishes remain unclear.

The role of an overlooked adductor muscle in the feeding mechanism of ray-finned fishes: Predictions from simulations of a deep-sea viperfish.

In a majority of ray-finned fishes (Actinopterygii), effective acquisition of food resources is predicated on rapid jaw adduction. Although the musculoskeletal architecture of the feeding system has been the subject of comparative research for many decades, individual contributions of the major adductor divisions to closing dynamics have not been elucidated. While it is understood that the dorsal divisions that arise from the head and insert on the posterior of the lower jaw are major contributors to closing dynamics, the contribution of the ventral components of the adductor system has been largely overlooked.

Comparative Functional and Phylogenomic Analyses of Host Association in the Remoras (Echeneidae), a Family of Hitchhiking Fishes.

The family Echeneidae consists of eight species of marine fishes that hitchhike by adhering to a wide variety of vertebrate hosts via a sucking disc. While several studies have focused on the interrelationships of the echeneids and the adhesion performance of a single species, no clear phylogenetic hypothesis has emerged and the morphological basis of adhesion remains largely unknown. We first set out to resolve the interrelationships of the Echeneidae by taking a phylogenomic approach using ultraconserved elements.