Phylogeny and Zoogeography of Laemonema and Guttigadus (Pisces; Gadiformes; Moridae)

The systematics of the “Laemonema” subgroup were examined and resulted in recognition of two genera, Laemonema with 12 species, and Guttigadus with eight species (including two of uncertain status). Two new species of Laemonema are described from the Indian Ocean and western Atlantic. Juvenile (Svetovidovia) stages are known for L. barbatulum, L. melanurum, L. verecundum and the new western Atlantic form. All have an unpigmented posterior trunk whereas the known juvenile stages of Guttigadus have numerous vertical bars not found in Laemonema. Laemonema and Guttigadus are largely allopatric over similar depth ranges. Laemonema is primarily tropical ranging from 60° N to 40° S in 50-1900 m, and Guttigadus is primarily in the Southern Ocean from 25° - 59° S in 25-1900 m. About half of all Laemonema are oceanic, associated with islands and seamounts, and half have continental affinities. Two terminal species pairs of Laemonema are allopatric, each showing east-west segregation involving an oceanic-continental pair. Two dwarfed, pelagic, paedomorphic species in the North Pacific, L. verecundum and G. nana, have been classified as monotypic genera. We place L. verecundum as the sister to L. longipes and G. nana as the earliest clade in Guttigadus, but believe that further study of paedomorphosis in the group is warranted.