title: A new species of Leptoderma Vaillant, 1886 (Osmeriformes: Alepocephalidae) from the Pacific coast of Central America.
abstract: A new species of Leptoderma Vaillant, 1886 is described from a single specimen trawled at 1368-1406 m depth off El Salvador, Central America, tropical eastern Pacific. Leptoderma ospesca n. sp. can be readily distinguished from its congeners by the following combination of characters: dermal papillae absent along the lateral line, pectoral-fin rays 6, pelvic-fin rays 5, pre-dorsal length 54.9% of SL, both dorsal and anal fins separated from the caudal fin, dorsal- and anal-fin rays long, procurrent caudal-fin rays numerous and extending far forward on caudal peduncle, caudal-fin rays 16, and total pre-ural vertebrae 60. A key to the species of the genus is presented.
authors.affiliation: Museo de Zoología, Universidad de Costa Rica. 11501-2060, San Pedro de Montes de Oca, San José, Costa Rica Centro de Investigación en Ciencias del Mar y Limnologia (CIMAR), Universidad de Costa Rica. 11501-2060, San Pedro de Montes de Oca, San José, Costa Rica Current address: Laboratório de Ictiologia, Departamento de Zoologia e Botânica, Universidade Estadual Paulista "Júlio de Mesquita Filho". Rua Cristóvão Colombo, 2265, CEP 15054-000, São José do Rio Preto, SP, Brazil.; Email: arturo.angs@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Arturo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Angulo
authors.affiliation: Department of Vertebrate Zoology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20560.; Email: baldwinc@si.edu.
authors.forename: Carole C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Baldwin
authors.affiliation: Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Republic of Panamá. E-mail:; Email: drr@stri.org.
authors.forename: D Ross
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Robertson
mesh_terms: D063147:Animal Distribution; D000825:Animal Structures / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000254:growth & development; D000818:Animals; D049628:Body Size; D002489:Central America; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D009792:Oceans and Seas; D009929:Organ Size; D036441:Osmeriformes / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000145:classification* / Q000254:growth & development