New Records of the Fish Genus Grammatonotus ( Teleostei : Percifonnes : Percoidei : Callanthiidae ) from the Central Pacific , Including a Spectacular Species in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands l

A second species of Grammatonotzts from the Hawaiian Islands, tentatively identified as G. macrophthalmus Katayama, Yamamoto & Yamakawa (Callanthiidae), is recorded from French Frigate Shoals and the Northampton Seamount based on observations from a research submersible. In the absence of collected specimens, identification was made by comparing characters visible in video images with previously published images and descriptions. The fish were observed from 340 to 440 m at or near rocky habitats with crevices. All of the observations were near current-swept areas that supported gold coral (Gerardia sp.) colonies, although the fish were never seen within the colonies. A habitat feature important for both Grammatonotus and Gerardia, such as current or planktonic food supply, may therefore influence distribution of the fish. Extensive fish surveys conducted in comparable depths at other areas of the archipelago have not encountered this species, with one poorly documented exception from trawling surveys. Two other range extensions of Grammatonotzts are included herein: Grammatonotzts laysanus Gilbert from the Line Islands with a specimen collected at Christmas Island at 274 m and an unidentified Grammatonotzts juvenile from the Tuamotu Archipelago at 705 m. Our examination of specimens and review of previous records of Grammatonotus indicate that this genus needs taxonomic revision. THE FISH FAUNA of the Hawaiian Islands is better known than that of any other Pacific island group. Despite this, species previously unrecorded from these Islands continue to be found. Many of these are small and/or deepwater species from poorly sampled habitats. In this paper, we document spectacularly col1 Supported in part by an award from the National Undersea Research Program's Hawai'i Undersea Research Laboratory to the NOAA Fisheries Honolulu Laboratory's Ecosystems and Environment Investigation. Dives at the Northampton Seamount were funded by an award from the NOAA Ocean Explorations Initiative. Participation in this cruise by B. Mundy was part of the NOAA Fisheries Honolulu Laboratory Coral Reef Ecosystem Investigation multivessel 2001-2002 surveys of reef and reef-associated ecosystems in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. Manuscript accepted 22 July 2003. 2 National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries), Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, Honolulu Laboratory, 2570 Dole Street, Honolulu, Hawai'i 96822. Pacific Science (2004), vol. 58, no. 3:403-417 Work of the U.S. Government Not under copyright ored examples of one such species (Plate I) tentatively identified as Grammatonotus macrophthalmus Katayama, Yamamoto & Yamakawa, 1982. The fish were encountered during submersible dives in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands but could not be collected. Our identification is therefore based on comparisons of video images with published descriptions, illustrations, and photographs. The only previous reference found to G. macrophthalmus in the Hawaiian Islands is Fujii's (1986) brief review of seamount fish biogeography, which includes the species in a table with the annotation "ESC, HI" (for the Emperor Seamount Chain and Hawaiian Islands). No other information was given. Given the scarcity of information on this species, the publication of our observations is warranted. MATERIALS AND METHODS Observations were made during Hawai'i Undersea Research Laboratory (HURL) Pisces