Diaphus aff. garmani

(Figures 48–50)

1995 Diaphus garmani Smale MJ, Watson G, Hecht T, p. 43, plate 17 F1

2013a Diaphus garmani (group) Schwarzhans pp. 64–68, plate 10, fig. 12–16

Material: 9 specimens in total. Anda2 (3) RGM 962147, RGM 962148, RGM 962149; Anda3 (2) RGM 962150; Anda4 (1) RGM 962151; Anda5 (1) RGM 962152; AndaDeVos (2) RGM 962154 .

Besides the otoliths that meet perfectly the characteristics of D. regani, eight flat specimens with a similar outline of D. regani differ from this species by a less wide ostium, the height of which hardly exceeds that of the cauda and pseudocolliculum.

The available otoliths (OL:OH= 1.26–1.36 in the depicted adult specimens) display a range of preservations ranging from good to eroded. As erosion of other Diaphus species can also result in an outline that is reminiscent of D. regani, we cannot exclude that this is the case in a few of our otoliths. Nevertheless, the specimen depicted in Figure 49 (RGM 962147) is well preserved. It is related to otoliths in the Diaphus garmani group. It is closely related to the extant Diaphus garmani Gilbert 1906, which has a broad (sub)tropical occurrence, but also has resemblance to Diaphus hataii Ohe & Araki, 1973, which is known from the Miocene in Japan (Ohe & Araki, 1973) and the Caribbean Pliocene (Schwarzhans & Aguilera, 2013).

40. Ceratoscopelus warmingii, RGM 962335, locality Roxas.

41. Diaphus sp. 1, RGM 962143, locality Roxas. (a) Lateral face, (b) ventral profile, (c) medial face.