Volume 62
First record of oarfish Regalecus russellii (Shaw, 1803) (Lampriformes, Regalecidae) from the Atlantic Ocean (northern South America), with comments on the species of the genus
Authors
Lasso-Alcalá, O,; Acero, A. Capelo, J,; Lasso, C,; Polanco, A,; Rivera, J. Download PDF Open PDF in BrowserOther Information
Date: November, 2009
Pages: 524
Event: Proceedings of the Sixty -Second Annual Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute
City: Cumaná
Country: Venezuela
Abstract
The oarfish Regalecus russellii (Shaw, 1803) has been reported for the Indian and Pacific oceans. In this work we report this species by the first time from the Atlantic ocean, in the northern coast of South America (Venezuelan and Colombian southern Caribbean coast) based on the examination of two specimens deposited in the fish collections of the Museo Oceanológico Hermano Benigno Román (MOBR-EDIMAR), Isla de Margarita, Venezuela, and Museo de Historia Natural Marina de Colombia (INV-PEC), Santa Marta, Colombia. The specimens were identified on the basis of the high total gill-raker count on the first arch (53), the lower number of dorsal fin spines (VI- VII), dorsal rays (71 up to the level of anus) and vertebrae (37 up to the level of anus). In addition to the description of the specimens, we comment on the taxonomic status, distribution, habitat, and abundance of Regalecus species.