Abstract:
A new flashlight fish of the genus Protoblepharon is described based on a large male specimen collected from eastern Taiwan, northwestern Pacific Ocean. It differs from the only congener, P. rosenblatti, in having the following characters: a smaller light organ with a larger cup; a deeper body; a strongly convex dorsal profile; a smaller and anterior placed pelvic fin, the appressed fin reaching to the midpoint between origins of pelvic and anal fins; a smaller pectoral fin, the apressed fin not reaching the lateral line; second dorsal-fin spine the longest; a shorter snout; a smaller eye; about 30 scale rows between first dorsal-fin base and lateral line; and more than 260 scale rows along the body axis.
