An updated and reviewed checklist of coastal fishes of the Rio Grande do Norte state, northeastern coast of Brazil, is presented. Between 2003 and 2013 the occurrence of fish species were recorded through collection of specimens, landing records of the artisanal fleet, literature reviews and from specimens deposited in ichthyological collections. A total of 459 species from 2 classes, 26 orders, 102 families and 264 genera is listed, with 83 species (18% of the total number) recorded for the first time in the study area. Additionally, Halichoeres radiatus, Lachnolaimus maximus and Canthigaster james tyleri are reported for the first time in the Brazilian coast and nine other species have their geographic distribution extended.

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We report the first record of two teleost species from two archipelagos in the western equatorial Atlantic. We recorded the occurrence of Cantherhines pullus (Ranzani, 1842) (Monacanthidae, Tetraodontiformes) from the Fernando de Noronha Archipelago, a group of volcanic islands 345 km off the northeastern coast of Brazil. We also report the first regional record of Hemiramphus brasiliensis (Linnaeus, 1758) (Hemiramphidae, Beloniformes) from the Saint Peter and Saint Paul’s Archipelago, which is a small and isolated group of rocky islands 520 km from the Fernando de Noronha Archipelago on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.