Deep-sea oceanic basslets (Perciformes, Howellidae) from Brazil: new records and range extensions

Abstract

This study reports the occurrence of the oceanic basslet (Howellidae) in Brazilian waters. Bathysphyraenops simplex Parr, 1933, a rare species with a worldwide distribution, is recorded for the first time in Brazilian waters, based on three specimens collected off Rocas Atoll and Rio Grande do Norte. Howella atlantica Post & Quéro, 1991, known from the western and eastern Atlantic Ocean (64°N to 21°S), including waters around the Trindade Island, is reported off Rio Grande do Norte, Pernambuco, Rocas Atoll, and the Fernando de Noronha Archipelago. In addition, specimens previously reported in the literature as Howella brodie Ogilby, 1899 are reidentified as H. atlantica, extending the known distribution of this species to northeastern and southeastern Brazil. Measurements and counts for all specimens examined are provided.

A New Species of the Dragonfish Genus Melanostomias (Stomiidae: Melanostomiinae) from the Western Tropical Atlantic

“…The ABRACOS expeditions have been contributing by providing new information on the composition and ecology of mesopelagic fishes in the western tropical Atlantic (e.g., Afonso et al, 2021;Eduardo et al, 2018Eduardo et al, , 2019Eduardo et al, , 2020aEduardo et al, , 2020bMincarone et al, 2019Mincarone et al, , 2020Mincarone et al, , 2021Mincarone et al, , 2022Villarins et al, 2022). Recently, Villarins et al (2022) reported the occurrence of 55 species of stomiiforms off northeastern Brazil, including some new records in Brazilian waters and in the western South Atlantic.…”

New records of rare deep‐sea fishes (Teleostei) collected from off north‐eastern Brazil, including seamounts and islands of the Fernando de Noronha Ridge

“…When all published accounts of the ABRACOS expeditions are considered together (Afonso et al, 2021;Eduardo et al, 2018Eduardo et al, , 2019Eduardo et al, , 2021Mincarone et al, 2019Mincarone et al, , 2020Mincarone et al, , 2021Villarins et al, 2022; this study), a total of 50 species of deep-sea fishes are newly reported for Brazilian waters. Some of those records are also new for the western South Atlantic or larger areas, as the Atlantic Ocean.…”

“…In recent years, the team members of the Project ABRACOS (Acoustics along the BRAzilian COaSt) conducted a multidisciplinary study off north‐eastern Brazil to better understand the degree of connectivity between the continental margin and the oceanic islands and seamounts of the region. The two surveys performed along the study area revealed a rich mesopelagic fish fauna, including many new distributional records in groups of the Teleostei such as the Argentiniformes (Mincarone et al ., 2021), Stomiiformes (Eduardo et al ., 2020a, 2020b; Villarins et al ., 2022), Ceratioidei (Mincarone et al ., 2021), Stephanoberycoidei (Afonso et al ., 2021), Caristiidae (Mincarone et al ., 2019), Howellidae (Eduardo et al ., 2019) and Trichiuridae (Eduardo et al ., 2018). Here, we provide new distributional records of rare species of the families Alepocephalidae, Chiasmodontidae, Giganturidae, Neoscopelidae, Notosudidae, Scopelarchidae, Stylephoridae and Trachipteridae collected during the ABRACOS expeditions off north‐eastern Brazil.…”

Taxonomy and Distribution of Deep-Sea Bigscales and Whalefishes (Teleostei: Stephanoberycoidei) Collected off Northeastern Brazil, Including Seamounts and Oceanic Islands

“…Scientific expeditions conducted since the last decades of the 20 th century resulted in new records and new species descriptions of several groups of deep-sea fishes in Brazilian waters, substantially contributing to the understanding of this important component of the diversity in the western South Atlantic (e.g., Figueiredo et al, 2002;Melo, 2008;Santos and Figueiredo, 2008;Carvalho-Filho et al, 2010;Melo et al, 2010;Lima et al, 2011;Braga et al, 2014;Pinheiro et al, 2015;Eduardo et al, 2018Eduardo et al, , 2019aEduardo et al, , 2019bEduardo et al, , 2020aEduardo et al, , 2020bMincarone et al, 2019Mincarone et al, , 2020. However, knowledge on the deep-sea fish diversity of the western South Atlantic is still insufficient (Paxton, 1989;Mincarone et al, 2014;Nielsen et al, 2015;Reis et al, 2016).…”