NEW NORTHWE ST PACIFIC RECORD OF THE PACIFIC BLACK SCABBARD FISH APHANOPUS AR / GATO ( TRICHIURIDAE , P ERCIFORMES ) IN THE VICINITY OF SOUTHEASTERN KAMCHATKA

The Pacific black scabbardfish, Aphanopus arigato Parin, 1994 (Fig. 1) was described (Parin 1994) from six specimens collected in the North Pacific Ocean from northern Japan, southern Kuril Islands, and Oregon. Since the original description only two additional specimens have been collected (Lauth 1997), and those from northern California. Moreover, only depths, latitude range, and rank order of the relative abundance for additional speci­ mens were provided. This work contains a report on a single additional specimen collected by the present author from the Pacific waters off southeastem Kamchatka, Russia during a bottom trawl operation. Some notes on morphology, habitat, and species association one also provided.


INTRODUCTION
The Pacific black scabbardfish, Aphanopus arigato Parin, 1994 (Fig. 1) was described (Parin 1994) from six specimens collected in the North Pacific Ocean from northern Japan, southern Kuril Islands, and Oregon.Since the original description only two additional specimens have been collected (Lauth 1997), and those from northern California.Moreover, only depths, latitude range, and rank order of the relative abundance for additional speci mens were provided.This work contains a report on a single additional specimen collected by the present author from the Pacific waters off southeastem Kamchatka, Russia during a bottom trawl operation.Some notes on morphology, habitat, and species association one also provided.
• proposed Polish name  (1972) and Nakamura and Patin (1993).Standard length (SL) is used throughout.Data on the type material used for original description of the species were taken from Parin (1994).Localities, depths, and SL of addi tional specimens were taken from the literature (Fitch and Gotshall 1972;Patin and Becker 1972;Peden 1974;Clark and Wagner 1976;Gorbunova 1977;Howe et al. 1980;Patin 1983Patin , 1984;;Borets 1986;Evseenko et al. 1994 and from the NMFS survey database).Sex of specimen was not determined.

Mor p h o l o g y
The morphology of the present specimen of A. arigato corresponds well with the de scription of the holotype (Parin 1994) and other described specimens (Howe et al. 1980;Parin 1983;Nakamura and Parin 1993;Parin 1994), with a minor exception being the slightly wider interorbital (Tabs.1, 2).The interorbital width of 3.1 % SL greater than in the holotype and in the paratypes, with a measurements of 2.3% and 1.7-2.6%respectively (Parin 1994).The wider interorbital in our specimen is probably related to its greater length (710 mm vs. 385-651 mm in the type material).This specimen constitutes the most north erly record of the species, so the differences may reflect the extreme range of variability in the species.

S p e c i e s a n d h a b i t a t a s s o c i a t i o n s
Specimen of A. arigato reported here was captured in commercial bottom trawl op eration targeting thomyheads (Sebastolobus) and rockfishes (Sebastes) (Tab.3).The spe cies groups captured with the black scabbardfish specimen are typical of the fishes taken in bottom trawls o:ffthe northern Kuril Islands and southeast Kamchatka at these depths (Or lov 1998).The bottom temperature during trawling, when the present specimen of A. arigato was caught, was 3.5-3.6°C.The specimens captured off California were found in the bot tom temperatures ranging from 3.9 to 5.0 °C.No other information on the bottom tempera ture is available for specimens recorded previously in the literature.
The reported depth for this specimen (519-540 m) is typical of that for previously collected material.Adults of the species have been reported from 146-1015 m (mean depth 631.2 m).Only two specimens were captured in shallow waters off Oregon (146 and 183 m;Howe et al. 1980).Other specimens were found deeper than 400 m (Howe et al. 1980;Parin 1983Parin , 1994)).Most :frequently A. arigato was caught in depth range of 400-500 m (3 records), and of 600--700 m (3 records).
All adult specimens of A. arigato reported were 385-720 mm SL, with the average of 576 mm.My specimen with 710 mm SL is among the largest.A larger specimen of720 mm SL (Parin 1983) was captured off the northern part of Paramushir Island, northern Kuril Islands (Fig. 2).A smaller specimen of385 mm SL was fowid off the southern Kuril Islands (Parin 1994).
Aphanopus arigato is a bentho-pelagic species (Parin 1994).Larvae and juveniles have been collected in the mesopelagic zone (200-500 m and deeper) only in subtropic and tropic waters of central northern Pacific ocean, most often off Hawaii (Fig. 3).Adults have been caught more often during bottom trawls and occasionally during pelagic trawls over deep depths.All adult A. arigato ( except for a single 504 mm SL specimen from the Em peror Seamount Chain) were recorded from coastal areas.I suggest that spawning areas of this species are coastal waters in the vicinity of northern Japan and southern Kuril Islands off Asian shore, and in vicinity of Oregon and northern California off American shore.After spawning, the eggs and larvae from spawning areas are transferred by deep-water currents (Galerkin 1982) to central part of northern Pacific where they further developed.When the specimens are able to active movements, they start reverse migration to coastal waters.Some specimens arriving to the areas with underwater mountains (for example, Emperor Seamount Chain) may probably to linger on there.The records of A. arigato from most northern areas (northern Kuril Islands, Kamchatka, British Columbia) are probably associ ated vvith periods of rise of the water temperature.