Ronald Fricke

State Museum of Natural History Stuttgart | SMNS · Department of Zoology

The genus Scorpaenopsis has been intensively studied in recent decades. Sixteen species were known before the revision by Randall and Eschmeyer, who described 8 new species in 2002, and nowadays 29 species are known. Two specimens of Scorpaenopsis from the collection of the Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences are intermediate in...

Foreword Thirty-two years ago, the National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity (CONABIO) was created to compile existing information about Mexico’s biodiversity, an institution committed to sustainable growth and oriented towards preserving the natural heritage of our country. One of its most prominent functions is the compilation...

The yellow-spotted tilefish, Hoplolatilus fourmanoiri is recorded for the first time from the coastal waters of India. Eight specimens (92.2-105 mm SL) were procured from major fish landing centres in Tamil Nadu State, southeastern India during July 2022-February 2024. A morphological description and details of fresh colouration of the collected sp...

A revised checklist of sharks, batoids, and sturgeons in the Sea of Marmara, Turkey encompasses 41 species across 18 families. It provides a concise historical context and addresses issues related to problematic reports. Furthermore, the paper delves into the analysis of taxonomic changes in other literature reports, aiming to provide a framework f...

Intertidal fishes may be very abundant and play an important role in their ecosystems, but knowledge of their ecology is still very limited in many tropical regions. Within this context, data for intertidal fishes at La Réunion, southwestern Indian Ocean, were compiled from different sources, and intertidal resident species were examined in tidal p...

A new species of triplefin, Enneapterygius rubrimarginatus is described on the basis of a single male specimen. The new species is characterized within the genus by having the first dorsal fin higher than the second dorsal fin, 15 anal-fin soft rays, the pectoral-fin with 14 soft rays, 14+17 lateral-line scales, a mandibular pore formula of 3+2+3,...

During an expedition to the Bijagós archipelago, Guinea Bissau, 27.4.-11.5.2023, a juvenile fish of the family Sciaenidae was photographed and collected. Morphological analysis of the specimen showed that it belongs to the species Umbrina steindachneri Cadenat, 1951. This is the first record of the species for the country Guinea-Bissau. The colour...

A new species of triplefin, Enneapterygius viridicauda is described on the basis of two specimens from southwestern Flores, Indonesia, in the eastern Indian Ocean. The new species is characterized within the genus by 19 anal-fin soft rays, 7 median branched pectoral-fin rays, 15-16+19 lateral-line scales, a mandibular-pore formula of 4+1+4, eye dia...

In October 2023, a single specimen of Oxymetopon compressus Chan, 1966 was retrieved from a discarded catch at the Mudasal Odai fish landing center on the southeast coast of India. This study marks the first record of the genus Oxymetopon in Indian waters, accompanied by a novel maximum length record. Oxymetopon compressus, closely resembles its co...

In recent years, a noteworthy phenomenon has emerged: several fish species traditionally regarded as exclusive to the western Pacific have been documented in southern India, significantly beyond their recognized distribution ranges. This paper delves into the particulars of such novel occurrences, elucidating the factors underlying their recent ide...

Cybium 2024 [early view]: 1-9. https://doi.

In the present study, 15 new records from Kavaratti Atoll are added to the ichthyofaunal diversity of the Lakshadweep Archipelago and six to the Indian fish fauna based on underwater photographs and videos. Fishes were recorded from both lagoon and forereef areas off Kavaratti. The new records include Cirripectes auritus (Blackflap blenny), Cirripe...

Citation: Goutham-Bharathi MP, Sirajudheen TK, Santucci RG, Fricke R, Dimech M (2024) First record of Triacanthidae Bleeker, 1859 (Actinopterygii: Tetraodontiformes) from the Red Sea. Acta Ichthyologica et Piscatoria 54: 21-25. https://doi. Abstract The Tetraodontiform family Triacanthidae Bleeker, 1859 is recorded for the first time from the Red S...

Citation: Goutham-Bharathi MP, Sirajudheen TK, Santucci RG, Fricke R, Dimech M (2024) First record of Triacanthidae Bleeker, 1859 (Actinopterygii: Tetraodontiformes) from the Red Sea. Acta Ichthyologica et Piscatoria 54: 21-25. https://doi. Abstract The Tetraodontiform family Triacanthidae Bleeker, 1859 is recorded for the first time from the Red S...

We report the first confirmed record of the Graysby, Cephalopholis cruentata (Lacépède, 1802), from Brazilian waters, based on specimens collected at the Great Amazon Mesophotic Reef System (GAMRS), a complex environment with a consolidated bottom formed by living organisms. The new finding solves the discussion about the presence of the species in...

We report the first confirmed record of the Graysby, Cephalopholis cruentata (Lacépède, 1802), from Brazilian waters, based on specimens collected at the Great Amazon Mesophotic Reef System (GAMRS), a complex environment with a consolidated bottom formed by living organisms. The new finding solves the discussion about the presence of the species in...

Apletodon pellegrini (Chabanaud 1925) was collected from macroalgae and Diplecogaster pectoralis Briggs 1955 from gorgonians and macroalgae in the Bijagós archipelago, Guinea Bissau. D. pectoralis has previously been considered a species endemic to the so-called “Macaronesian” Islands. When on gorgonians it shows surprising similarities in colour w...

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Statistics of numbers of nominal and valid species described in families and subfamilies of recent fishes. Available under http://researcharchive.calacademy.org/research/ichthyology/catalog/SpeciesByFamily.asp

The current status of the freshwater fishes of Israel is revised, and an updated checklist is presented. The confirmed freshwater fishes of Israel comprise 55 species belonging to nine orders, 14 families, and 39 genera. Among these, 19 species (34.6%) are alien, and four species (7.3%) are considered endemic to Israel. The orders with the largest...

Herewith, the current status of the inland waters ichthyofauna of Türkiye is revised, and an updated checklist of the freshwater lampreys and fishes is presented. As of November 2023, the freshwater ichthyofauna of Türkiye is known to consist of 427 species belonging to 20 orders, 37 families, and 97 genera. Among these, 21 species (4.9%) are alien...

the current status of the freshwater fishes of Iraq is revised, and an updated checklist is presented. the confirmed freshwater fishes of Iraq comprise 98 species belonging to 16 orders, 28 families, and 56 genera. Among these, 21 species (21.4%) are alien, and three species (3.0%) are considered endemic to Iraq. the orders with the largest numbers...

The current status of the freshwater fishes of Syria is revised, and an updated checklist is presented. The confirmed freshwater fishes of Syria comprise 108 species belonging to 15 orders, 25 families, and 51 genera. Among these, 11 species (10.2%) are alien, and six species (5.6%) are considered endemic to Syria. The orders with the largest numbe...

Despite remarkable recent increase of research in mesophotic coral ecosystems (30-150m depth), exploration at these depths is still resulting high rates of new species discovery, and new records worldwide, especially among taxa with low population size such as liopropomatid fishes. In the present study, a new record and significant range extension...

A new species of spurdog, Squalus longispinis n. sp., from La Réunion is described on the basis of a single specimen collected with a longline at 1,000 m depth; another specimen was observed but not collected in the same area at 900 m depth. The new species is diagnosed by the following characters: snout short, preorbital length 8.2% of total lengt...

This paper is the second part of the “Ichthyofauna of the Fresh and Brackish Waters of Russia and Adjacent Areas: Annotated List with Taxonomic Comments”, which we started in 2022 based on a critical analysis of scientific publications of the last 200 years, and on the data of the author’s research. The current paper includes all currently known fi...

The current status of the ichthyofauna of Afghanistan is revised, and an updated checklist is presented. The confirmed fishes of Afghanistan comprise 121 species belonging to 11 orders, 22 families, and 68 genera. Among these, 18 species (14.9%) are alien, and 7 species (5.8%) are considered endemic to Afghanistan. The orders with the largest numbe...

This paper is the second part of the “Ichthyofauna of the Fresh and Brackish Waters of Russia and Adjacent Areas: Annotated List with Taxonomic Comments”, which we started in 2022 based on a critical analysis of scientific publications of the last 200 years, and on the data of the author’s research. The current paper includes all currently known fi...

The clingfish Diplecogaster roseioculus sp. nov. is described on the basis of a single specimen from São Tomé Island, eastern Atlantic Ocean. The species is small, not exceeding 16 mm total length; it is characterized by having 7 dorsal-fin rays and 7 anal-fin rays, 29 pectoral-fin rays, 17 caudal-fin rays; gill rakers on 3rd arch 12; head width 4....

The Spiny waspfish, Ablabys macracanthus is recorded for the first time from India’s southeast coast. A total of seven specimens were collected as trawl bycatch at Mudasalodai, Nagapattinam and Tuticorin, Tamil Nadu, at a depth of 40–100 m, between June and September 2021. The standard length (SL) of the specimens ranged from 53.42 to 73.94 mm. Mor...

The Bluntnose scorpionfish Neomerinthe erostris is recorded for the first time from Mayotte, southwestern Indian Ocean, based on a specimen photographed in November 2022, at a depth of 115 m. The live colour pattern of this species is described for the first time.

A new record of the Short–snouted scorpionfish, Scorpaenopsis obtusa Randall et Eschmeyer, 2002 is reported from India’s southeast coast. Three specimens were collected (67.6–75.1 mm SL) as trawl-fishery bycatch at Tuticorin fishing harbour, India on 21 April 2022. Morphometric and meristic characters were measured and compared with published data....

Microichthys grandis n. sp. from off southwest Ireland, northeastern Atlantic Ocean, is described on the basis of a single specimen and compared with the other species of the genus. The new species is characterized by the following combination of characters: dorsal-fin rays VII–I, vii, 1; total pectoral-fin rays 18; total gill rakers 25; pyloric ca...

A new record of the Short-snouted scorpionfish, Scorpaenopsis obtusa Randall et Eschmeyer, 2002 is reported from India's southeast coast. Three specimens were collected (67.6-75.1 mm SL) as trawl-fishery bycatch at Tuticorin fishing harbour, India on 21 April 2022. Morphometric and meristic characters were measured and compared with published data....

Blache's flounder, Arnoglossus blachei Stauch, 1965, is redescribed from the eastern Atlantic (Morocco south to Namibia, including the Canary Islands, larvae reaching South Africa) and distinguished from the imperial flounder A. imperialis (Rafinesque, 1810) by having a live colouration of the lower side of males which is bright red (whitish in A....

A new species of dragonet, Synchiropus flavistrigatus sp. n. from the eastern tropical Atlantic, is described on the basis of 15 specimens. The new species is characterised within the subgenus Yerutius Whitley, 1931 by having 8 rays in the second dorsal fin (the last divided at its base), 8 anal-fin rays (the last divided at its base), 20–21 pector...

A new species of deep-water goby, Obliquogobius bathyalis n. sp. from New Caledonia, is described on the basis of three specimens collected with trawls at 264-350 m depth. The new species is characterised by the following characters: second dorsal-fin rays I, 8; anal-fin rays I,8 or I,9; head length 29.4-36.7% of SL; eye diameter 41.5-52.35 of head...

The labrid fish species Oxycheilinus arenatus (Valenciennes, 1840) is recorded for the first time from India’s southeast coast. A total of three specimens were collected as trawl bycatch at Tuticorin, Tamil Nadu, southeast coast of India, in December 2021. The standard length of the specimens ranged from 15.42 to 19.5 cm SL. The presently reported...

In this study, we present a taxonomic synthesis and compendium of the diversity and distribution of stonefishes of the genus Minous (Scorpaeniformes: Synanceiidae) from Indian waters, including revised species descriptions, diagnoses, and biometric data from specimens off the coast of Visakhapatnam, central eastern India. A total of 342 Minous spec...

A complete annotated list of fresh and brackish waters ichthyofauna of the Russian Federation and adjacent areas, based on a critical analysis of scientific publications of the last 200 years, and on the data of the authors' research, is the aim of this study. The taxonomic composition of the freshwater and brackish water fish fauna of Russia remai...

The Indian handfish or batfish, Halieutaea indica Annandale et Jenkins, 1910, is recorded for the first time from the Red Sea. This report constitutes also the first record of the family Ogcocephalidae from this region.

The small, cryptic, blotched triplefin, Enneapterygius ventermaculus (Tripterygiidae), is reported based on 10 specimens collected at the Qeshm Island, Persian Gulf, Iran, in February 2021. The identification was confirmed using integrated morphological and molecular methods. Enneapterygius ventermaculus is characterized by its dorsal-fin rays III+...

The Blue-lined toby Canthigaster caeruleolineata n. sp. is described from the southeast coast of La Réunion, southwestern Indian Ocean, based on a single specimen that may have originated from a deep reef habitat. The species is distinguished within the genus by the few short, oblique blue streaks on the dorsal half of the body, and is characterise...

Nine species of marine fishes are observed from Réunion Island for the first time, during a faunal inventory under MesoRun program (Meso: mesophotic and Run: Reunion). These species, Dunckerocampus boylei Kuiter 1998 (Syngnathidae), Luzonichthys waitei (Fowler, 1931) (Serranidae), Plectranthias winniensis (Tyler, 1966) (Serranidae), Ostorhinchus fu...

Kessleria Bogdanov 1882 is here considered as a nomen nudum. The history of Bogdanov's manuscript, and the name in the literature, is discussed. Bogdanov never published an available description of his genus Kessleria, and it only appeared in a single mention in a caption of his Figure 3 in an 1882 publication. As he otherwise classified the specie...

The Yellow coris Coris flava n. sp. is described from La Réunion, southwestern Indian Ocean, based on two specimens collected in 2006 and 2012 off the northwest coast of the island at 200-250 m depth (only one specimen preserved). The species is characterized by the combination of the following characters: dorsal rays IX,12; anal rays III,12; pecto...

Three species of spotted groupers in the subfamily Epinephelinae are known from the western Atlantic, Cephalopholis cruentata (Lacepède 1802), Epinephelus adscensionis (Osbeck 1765), and E. guttatus (Linnaeus 1758). Our research into the historical sources of the names revealed a confused history and the unclear identities of the taxa, with both C....

Based on a critical analysis of scientific publications for the last 200 years and on the collected specimens, a complete annotated list of both typical freshwater ichthyofauna of Sakhalin Island, with the inclusion of marine species that can be found in brackish coastal waters, is reported for the first time. The annotated list includes 226 specie...

The correct generic name for Walleye, Sauger, and three species of Eurasian pikeperch has been a point of contention since 1903. Rafinesque proposed Stizostedion (as a subgenus of Perca Linnaeus 1758) in 1820, a name used by most American ichthyologists throughout the 19th century. In 1903, Gill revealed that Sander Oken 1817 (type species Perca lu...

The first record of the yellow-spotted puffer, Torquigener flavimaculosus Hardy et Randall, 1983, on Reunion Island is confirmed by numerous video observations and by the capture of a specimen. This tetraodontid fish has been reported from the western Indian Ocean, the Red Sea, and the Mediterranean. In this report, we confirm its presence in Saint...

The present study provides notes on Cocotropus roseus Day, 1875, a poorly known endemic fish from the Bay of Bengal, Eastern Indian Ocean. The morphometric data and color images are provided herein based on fresh specimens collected from Chennai, south India, its type locality, Bay of Bengal, Eastern Indian Ocean.

The genus Coris contains 28 valid species, most of them with an Indo-Pacific distribution and only two species recognized from the eastern Atlantic: Coris atlantica and C. julis. This last species has a large variability in its coloration, which caused that during the first half of XIX century the sexes were considered as different species. Two liv...

Schindleria parva, a new species of the family Schindleriidae, is described from two specimens collected from the central Red Sea of Saudi Arabia. The new species is characterized by lack of pigmentation on the body, possession of an inconspicuous gas bladder and the presence of small teeth on the premaxillae. The holotype is a female of 11 mm stan...

Schindleria parva, a new species of the family Schindleriidae, is described from two specimens collected from the central Red Sea of Saudi Arabia. The new species is characterized by lack of pigmentation on the body, possession of an inconspicuous gas bladder and the presence of small teeth on the premaxillae. The holotype is a female of 11 mm stan...

Neopomacentrus xanthurus Allen & Randall, 1981 is a secondary junior synonym of Dascyllus xanthurus Bleeker, 1853; it is invalid when both species are classified in Neopomacentrus (International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, article 57.3), and must be replaced. Dascyllus xanthurus Bleeker, 1853 was first described by Bleeker (1853: 117), based o...

An established population of the Arabian goby Cryptocentroides arabicus was discovered in a brackish water habitat located in the inland water bodies of Oman adjacent to the shore of Sea of Oman. Eighty-five specimens ranging in total length between 55 and 95 mm were collected. The present record of C. arabicus is considered the first report of thi...

The Normanby perchlet Plectranthias normanby n. sp. is described from off Normanby Island, Milne Bay Province, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Sea, western Pacific Ocean, based on 2 specimens collected at depths of 175-480 metres. The new species is characterised within the Plectranthias inermis species group by the dorsal in with 12 spines and 13 soft r...

Raja africana Capapé, 1977 is a primary junior synonym of Raja africana Bloch & Schneider, 1801 and therefore permanently invalid (International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, article 57.2) and must be replaced. Raja africana Bloch & Schneider, 1801 was first described by Bloch & Schneider (1801: 367), based on a specimen from Guinea, West Africa...

A total of 1217 fish species were analysed and the percentage of species in each of a number of zoogeographic patterns was calculated. An additional two categories, Atlanto-Mediterranean (anti-Lessepsian and mariculture escapees) and two cichlid species, were not included in our calculations. The present paper presents the division of the Red Sea i...

This paper reports a new record of Zenion hololepis (Goode & Bean, 1896) from Indian waters. The species was collected during an exploratory deep-sea fishery survey onboard FORV Sagar Sampada off the Andaman Islands at a depth of 314 m using a High-Speed Demersal Trawl-Crustacean Version (HSDT-CV) on 25 November 2017.

A total of 1217 fish species were analysed and the percentage of species in each of a number of zoogeographic patterns was calculated. An additional two categories, Atlanto-Mediterranean (anti-Lessepsian and mariculture escapees) and two cichlid species, were not included in our calculations. The present paper presents the division of the Red Sea i...

The Ocellated tonguesole Cynoglossus quadriocellatus n. sp. is described from off Exmouth Gulf and Dampier Archipelago, Western Australia, eastern Indian Ocean, based on specimens collected at depths of 1-48 metres. The new species is characterised within the Cynoglossus ogilbyi species group by the snout bluntly rounded; head length 19-28% of SL,...

Fishes of the genus Abudefduf are increasingly being recorded in Mediterranean waters, with most of these occurrences being based on the sole inspection of underwater images or video footage. Here we present a critical review of these occurrences, taking into account the uncertainties related to the identification of the congeneric A. vaigiensis an...

In this paper, we report finding of 74 specimens of Neomerinthe amplisquamiceps (Scorpaendiae) and field observations of this species from the Indian coast. Specimens of N. amplisquamiceps were captured between 150 and 300 m depth with a 38 m high speed demersal trawl (crustacean version, codend, mesh size 40 mm) and 46 m Expo model demersal trawl...

U. 2020. New record of the red scorpionfish, Scorpaena scrofa (Actinopterygii: Scorpaeniformes: Scorpaenidae) from deep waters off Israel, Gulf of Aqaba, Red Sea. Acta Ichthyol. Piscat. 50 (3): 357-362. Abstract. This study examines the distribution of the red scorpionfish, Scorpaena scrofa Linnaeus, 1758, in the Red Sea, in order to get a better p...