Stolephorus lotus , a New Anchovy (Teleostei: Clupeiformes: Engraulidae) from the Northern Territory, Australia

A new anchovy Stolephorus lotus sp. nov., is described based on 30 specimens collected from Van Diemen Gulf, Northern Territory, Australia. The species closely resembles Stolephorus acinaces Hata, Lavou & eacute; and Motomura, 2020 and Stolephorus andhraensis Babu Rao, 1966, in having a long maxilla (posterior tip just reaching or extending slightly beyond the posterior margin of the opercle), indented posterior preopercular margin, anal fin with 16-18 branched fin rays, and 21-23 lower gill rakers, and lacking a predorsal scute and pelvic scute spine. However, the new species differs from the other two species in having higher counts of longitudinal series of scale rows and predorsal scales (37-39 and 20 or 21, respectively vs. 35-38 and 17-19 in the other two) and a more anteriorly located anal -fin origin (below bases of sixth to eighth dorsal -fin rays vs. eighth to tenth dorsal -fin rays).