Abstract

Character states of the holotype and additional specimens of Davidijordania abei Matsubara, 1936 were examined. External and internal characters suggested that D. abei differs at the subfamilial level from other species currently placed inDavidijordania. Although the suborbital bone configuration indicates a close relationship to the subfamily Lycodinae, D. abei cannot be included in any lycodine genus, owing to its unique combination of the following characters: interorbital pore present, suborbital bones 7 with 6 pores, gill opening extending below ventral end of pectoral-fin base, pelvic-fin rays present, vomerine and palatine teeth present, pseudobranch filaments 0–3, submental crests present, palatopterygoid series well developed, ceratohyal–epihyal articulation smooth, parasphenoid wing well developed, scapular strut absent and vertebrae 23–25 + 79–82 = 102–107. The new genus Japonolycodesis therefore proposed for the species.