The marine fishes of St Eustatius Island, northeastern Caribbean: an annotated, photographic catalog.

Sint Eustatius (Statia) is a 21 km2 island situated in the northeastern Caribbean Sea. The most recent published sources of information on that island's marine fish fauna is in two non-governmental organization reports from 2015-17 related to the formation of a marine reserve. The species-list in the 2017 report was based on field research in 2013-15 using SCUBA diving surveys, shallow "baited underwater video surveys" (BRUVs), and data from fishery surveys and scientific collections over the preceding century. That checklist comprised 304 species of shallow (mostly) and deep-water fishes. In 2017 the Smithsonian Deep Reef Observation Project surveyed deep-reef fishes at Statia using the crewed submersible Curasub. That effort recorded 120 species, including 59 new occurrences records. In March-May 2020, two experienced citizen scientists completed 62 SCUBA dives there and recorded 244 shallow species, 40 of them new records for Statia. The 2017-2020 research effort increased the number of species known from the island by 33.6% to 406. Here we present an updated catalog of that marine fish fauna, including voucher photographs of 280 species recorded there in 2017 and 2020. The Statia reef-fish fauna likely is incompletely documented as it has few small, shallow, cryptobenthic species, which are a major component of the regional fauna. A lack of targeted sampling is probably the major factor explaining that deficit, although a limited range of benthic marine habitats may also be contributing.

Psilotris vantasselli, a new species of goby from the tropical western Atlantic (Teleostei: Gobiidae: Gobiosomatini: Nes subgroup).

A new species of goby is described from submersible and scuba collections off Bonaire and New Providence Island, Bahamas. A molecular phylogenetic analysis of mitochondrial and nuclear genes confirms the placement of the new species within the genus Psilotris of the Nes subgroup of the Gobiosomatini. The new species is easily distinguished from congeners and morphologically similar species of Varicus by its unique coloration, which includes eight narrow, bright yellow bars on the trunk, each with a small orange spot centered on the lateral midline. In addition, the combination of the absence of scales on the head and body and the presence of modified ctenoid scales on the base of the caudal fin, branched pelvic-fin rays, and 15-16 pectoral-fin rays further differentiates the new species from other species of Psilotris and Varicus.

Review of Brazilian jawfishes of the genus Opistognathus with descriptions of two new species (Teleostei, Opistognathidae).

A new species of jawfish, Opistognathusthionyi sp. n., is described from the Vitória-Trindade Chain and Fernando de Noronha Archipelago off Brazil, a disjunct distribution of ca. 1,800 km. Opistognathusthionyi and its allopatric Caribbean sister-species, Opistognathusmaxillosus, both have a wide, fan-like upper margin of the subopercular flap and mostly over-lapping meristic data. The new species differs from O.maxillosus in having the darkest spot on the spinous dorsal fin, when present, between spines 2-5, versus always present between spines 6-9, the buccal area surrounding the esophageal opening pale versus very dark and fewer oblique scale rows in longitudinal series (45-52 vs. 69-85). A second new species, Opistognathusvicinus sp. n., known from Brazil's mainland, has completely over-lapping meristic values with its allopatric Caribbean sister-species O.whitehursti, but differs in lacking vomerine teeth and a supramaxilla and retaining the juvenile color pattern of the latter species in adults. Diagnoses, photographs, an identification key, and distributional maps are given for all Brazilian species of Opistognathus. Molecular phylogenetic analysis of partial cytochrome c oxidase subunit-I sequences indicates that specimens of the two allopatric pairs, O.thionyi - O.maxillosus and O.vicinus - O.whitehursti, form reciprocally monophyletic groups that differ from each other on average by 9 to 11%, with less than 1% average pair-wise genetic distance within-species. Similar patterns of phylogenetic structure were observed between reciprocally monophyletic (predominately allopatric) groups within nominal species of Opistognathusaurifrons, suggesting the possibility of at least two additional undescribed species from the Brazilian Province.

A new species of Lipogramma from deep reefs of Roatan, Honduras (Teleostei, Grammatidae).

A new species of Lipogramma is described from submersible collections at 122-165 m depth off the coast of Roatan, Honduras, in the western Caribbean. The new species is distinguished from all other species in the genus by its bright blue coloration on the head, nape, and dorsal portion of the trunk beneath the spinous dorsal fin, a prominent round black blotch below the origin of the spinous dorsal fin, and a high number of gill rakers. A molecular phylogeny based on mitochondrial and nuclear genes shows that the new species belongs to a clade containing L.levinsoni, L.regia, and L.anabantoides. At Roatan, submersible observations of this and other Lipogramma species indicate clear, interspecific habitat partitioning by depth and substrate.

A new mesophotic goby, Palatogobius incendius (Teleostei: Gobiidae), and the first record of invasive lionfish preying on undescribed biodiversity.

A new species of deep-reef fish in the goby genus Palatogobius is described from recent submersible collections off Curaçao and Dominica. Video footage of schools of this species reveal predation by the invasive Indo-Pacific lionfish (Pterois spp.), the first record of undescribed fauna potentially being eaten by lionfish outside of its native range. We present molecular phylogenetic data for all valid species of Palatogobius and related genera, as well as a taxonomic key to the species of Palatogobius and a generic key to Palatogobius and related genera in the western Atlantic. Lastly, we discuss ecological and behavioral aspects of some deep-reef fishes in light of potential threats from invasive lionfish.

Status of Gobiosoma (Teleostei: Gobiidae) from Brazil: description of a new species, redescription of G. hemigymnum, molecular phylogeny of the genus, and key to Atlantic species.

It is unclear how many species of Gobiosoma occur in Brazil and what their geographic distributions are. Here we combine data from a comprehensive morphological survey and a molecular analysis to clarify this uncertain taxonomy and place Brazilian Gobiosoma within a phylogenetic framework. Recent collections in Brazil, from the states of Ceará to Santa Catarina, and in Uruguay yielded two allopatric species of Gobiosoma that are distinct in genetics, meristics, morphometrics, scale pattern and coloration. Comparisons were made with types and specimens of Gobiosoma hemigymnum, Garmannia mediocricula, Gobiosoma spilotum and Gobiosoma parri and all other known species of Gobiosoma. We place G. parri in synonomy with G. hemigymnum with a distribution of Rio de Janeiro to Uruguay and Argentina. The northern species, that extends from the states of Espírito Santo to Ceará, is described as a new species, Gobiosoma alfiei. A key to the Atlantic species of Gobiosoma is provided.