Two new species of snailfishes of the genus Careproctus (Cottoidei: Liparidae) from the western North Pacific Ocean with a range extension of Careproctus brevipectoralis

Three snailfish species of Careproctus (Cottoidei: Liparidae), including two new species, are described from the deep Pacific Ocean off northern Honshu Island, Japan. Careproctus cyanogladius sp. nov., collected from the depths of 2,698-3,223 m, can be distinguished from congeneric species by having the following combination of characters: vertebrae 63; dorsal-fin rays 57-58; anal-fin rays 50; principal caudal rays 7; pectoral-fin rays 29-31; pectoral fin without a notch; uppermost pectoral-fin base below a horizontal through posterior margin of maxillary; pelvic disk oval; chin pores well separated; teeth simple; pyloric caeca 6-10; body pale blue or gray when fresh. The other new species, Careproctus orri sp. nov., collected from depths of 640-808 m, can be distinguished from congeneric species by having the following combination of characters: vertebrae 58-60; dorsal-fin rays 52-53; anal-fin rays 47-49; pectoral-fin rays 34-35; pectoral fin with a distinct notch; cephalic pores 2-6-7-2, chin pores single, unpaired; gill slit extending ventrally to 5th or 6th pectoral-fin ray; teeth strongly trilobed; peritoneum dark, stomach white. In addition, one specimen of Careproctus brevipectoralis Chernova, Thiel & Eidus, 2020 was newly collected from Japan, and is redescribed here in detail with comments on intraspecific variations.