Brotula aff. multibarbata Temminck & Schlegel, 1846

Brotula aff. multibarbata Temminck & Schlegel, 1846 View in CoL

Figure 16a View Fig

1998 Brotula aff. multibarbata Temminck & Schlegel, 1846 —Nolf, Mañe & Lopez: pl. 5, Fig. 6 View Fig .

2006 Brotula cf. multibarbata Temminck & Schlegel, 1846 —Nolf & Girone: pl. 1, Fig. 14 View Fig , pl. 4, Fig. 18 View Fig .

2022 Brotula cf. multibarbata Temminck & Schlegel, 1846 —van Hinsbergh & Hoedemakers: pl. 18, Figs. 8 View Fig , 9 View Fig .

Material 5 specimens SMF PO 101.215 , Dar bel Hamri, Zanclean .

Discussion Incomplete, eroded, or small otoliths of Brotula have occasionally been reported from the Pliocene of the Mediterranean (see synonymy listing). Te large, figured specimen from Morocco is well preserved but lacks the entire rear part of the otolith. Within the extant species of Brotula , two slightly different otolith morphotypes are recognized. One morphotype is characterized by elongate otoliths and a long ostium (CaL:OsL = 1.4– 1.6), comprising the extant species B. barbata (Bloch & Schneider, 1801) and B. clarkae Hubbs, 1944 (see Nolf, 1980, for figures). Te other morphotype has relatively more compressed otoliths with a shorter ostium (CaL:OsL ≅ 2.0), comprising B. multibarbata (Temminck & Schlegel, 1846) (see Nolf, 1980, for figures), B. flaviviridis Greenfield, 2005 , B. ordwayi Hildebrand & Barton, 1949 , and B. townsendi Fowler, 1900 . Brotula barbata is the only one of these species living today in the Atlantic. Te fossil otoliths from the Pliocene of the Mediterranean and Morocco, however, represent the second morphotype and have usually been tentatively associated with B. multibarbata . Today, B. multibarbata is known from the Indo-West Pacific, with its closest occurrence to the fossil specimens in southeastern Africa. I follow previous records in recording the Moroccan Pliocene otoliths as B. aff. multibrabata . Te only known large and complete otolith specimen figured from B. aff. multibrabata is by Nolf et al. (1998) from the Pliocene of southern Spain, and it confirms both the short ostium and the moderately elongate shape. Without a review of all relevant fossil specimens from Europe, however, it is not clear whether it could represent an extinct species of Brotula .