Marine fishes from Galicia (NW Spain): An updated checklist

Abstract

An annotated checklist of the marine fishes from Galician waters is presented. The list is based on historical both literature records and on new revisions. The ichthyofauna list is composed by 398 species. It is diversified in 2 superclasses, 3 class, 35 orders, 139 families and 288 genuses. Perciformes is the most diverse order with 37 families, 91 genus and 136 species. Gobiidae (19 species) and Sparidae (19 species) are the richest families. Biogeographically, the Lusitanian is the most important group including 204 species (51.3%), followed by the Atlantic group with 149 species (37.4%), the Boreal group with 28 species (7%) and the 17 species (4.3%) of the African group. A total of 42 species have been included as new records for the study area, and 3 records have been identified as doubtful. Identification and registration of errors from previous studies have been also indicated.

Full text

Accepted by M. Craig: 24 Sep. 2010; published: 4 Nov. 2010
1
ZOOTAXA
ISSN 1175-5326 (print edition)
ISSN
1175-5334 (online edition)
Copyright © 2010 · Magnolia Press
Zootaxa 2667: 1–27 (2010)
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Article
Marine fishes from Galicia (NW Spain): an updated checklist
RAFAEL BAÑON
1
, DAVID VILLEGAS-RÍOS
2
, ALBERTO SERRANO
3
,
GONZALO MUCIENTES
2,4
& JUAN CARLOS ARRONTE
3
1
Servizo de Planificación, Dirección Xeral de Recursos Mariños, Consellería de Pesca e Asuntos Marítimos, Rúa do Valiño 63-65,
15703 Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
E-mail: anoplogaster@yahoo.com
2
CSIC. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas. Eduardo Cabello 6, 36208 Vigo (Pontevedra), Spain. E-mail: villegas@iim.csic.es
3
Instituto Español de Oceanografía, C.O. de Santander, Santander, Spain. E-mail: aserrano@st.ieo.es; jc.arronte@st.ieo.es
4
Centro Tecnológico del Mar, CETMAR. Eduardo Cabello s.n., 36208. Vigo (Pontevedra), Spain. E-mail: gonzalo@iim.csic.es
Abstract
An annotated checklist of the marine fishes from Galician waters is presented. The list is based on historical both
literature records and on new revisions. The ichthyofauna list is composed by 398 species. It is diversified in 2
superclasses, 3 class, 35 orders, 139 families and 288 genuses. Perciformes is the most diverse order with 37 families, 91
genus and 136 species. Gobiidae (19 species) and Sparidae (19 species) are the richest families. Biogeographically, the
Lusitanian is the most important group including 204 species (51.3%), followed by the Atlantic group with 149 species
(37.4%), the Boreal group with 28 species (7%) and the 17 species (4.3%) of the African group. A total of 42 species
have been included as new records for the study area, and 3 records have been identified as doubtful. Identification and
registration of errors from previous studies have been also indicated.
Key words: checklist, ichthyofauna, Galician waters, NE Atlantic, biogeography
Resumen
Se presenta un listado de los peces de mar de Galicia. El listado se basa en registros de publicaciones históricas y nuevas
revisiones. La lista está compuesta por 398 especies, agrupadas en 2 superclases, 3 clases, 35 órdenes, 139 familias y 288
géneros. El orden Perciformes es el más diverso con 37 familias, 91 géneros y 136 especies. Gobiidae (19) y Sparidae
(19) son las familias con mayor diversidad. Con respecto a la biogeografía, el grupo Lusitánico incluye 204 especies
(51.3 %), seguido por 149 especies del Atlántico (37.4%), 28 del Boreal (7%) y 17 del Africano (4.3%). Se han
reconocido 42 especies nuevas para la zona, identificado registros previos como errores de identificación o de registro y
se han indicado otros 3 como dudosos.
Palabras clave: listado, ictiofauna, Galicia, Atlántico NE, biogeografía
Introduction
The first list of Galician marine fishes was written by Cornide (1788) and it comprised 65 species. Almost one
century later, López-Seone (1866) elaborated a complete summary of the Galician fauna and enumerated 95
species of fishes, 53 of them new for the area. The 118 species described in these two pioneering works
established the basis of the current knowledge of the marine ichthyofauna of Galicia. During the 20
th
century,
studies concerning with any aspect of ichthyology (taxonomy, ecology, biology, fisheries, etc.) re-emerged,
mainly due to the establishment in Vigo of the Instituto Español de Oceanografía (IEO) back in 1917, and the
Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas (IIM-CSIC) in 1951. The research activity, scientific publications and the
oceanographic and fishery surveys carried out by these two institutions quickly increased the number of
marine fishes recorded in this region.

BAÑON ET AL.2 · Zootaxa 2667 © 2010 Magnolia Press
By the end of the 20
th
century, Galician marine ichthyofauna began to be concisely inventoried. Thus, in
the first modern study on the Galician marine fishes, Solórzano et al. (1983) listed 265 species, being most of
them littoral ones. Years later, Solórzano et al. (1988) increased this number up to 296 species. Piñeiro et al.
(1996) and Bañon (2002) updated the checklist with 46 more new species, most of them from deep waters,
establishing the number of total known species in 342. Subsequent records and reviews increased this number
up to 357 (Bañón, 2009), which was the last update until the publication of the present work.
In the present paper, an annotated list of the marine fishes of Galicia, including 42 new records, is
provided. The main new data sources included in this study have their origin in two historical series: the
annual demersal trawl surveys carried out since 1983 by the Instituto Español de Oceanografía (IEO) and the
monitoring program of artisanal fisheries carried out by the regional Government (Xunta de Galicia) since
1999.
Study area and methods
Galicia is an autonomous region of Spain located in the north-western corner of the Iberian Peninsula,
between the river Eo (43º 32’ N, 7º 01’ W) and the river Miño (41º 50’ N, 9º 40’ W) (Figure 1). The Galician
coast has a length of 1,195 km, representing 35% of the Spanish coastline. The study area comprises the
continental shelf and the slope of Galician waters including some abyssal zones and the Galicia Bank. The
Galicia Bank is a deep seamount off the continental shelf, at about 42º 8’ N – 11º8’ W with depths ranging
from 650 in its summit to more than 1500 m. The Galician shelf is relatively narrow with a maximum width of
35 km. Galicia is located in the limit of the Eastern North Atlantic Upwelling System. Upwelling favourable
winds prevail from March to October and cause the entry of great flows of salty cold water (Álvarez-Salgado
et al., 1993).
We have adopted Ellis et al. (2007) in the attribution of biogeographic affinity categories: Boreal,
Lusitanian (including Mediterranean species), Atlantic (including deep-water or mesopelagic species widely
distributed) and African.
FIGURE 1. Map of the study area.

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CHECKLIST OF MARINE FISHES FROM GALICIA (NW SPAIN)
Specimens presented in the collection of the Museo de Ciencias Naturales Luís Iglesias de Santiago de
Compostela Historia Natural have been marked by one asterisk (*). Additional material deposited in the
Colección Ictiológica de Referencia (CIR) of the Instituto de Ciencias del Mar-CSIC de Barcelona have been
indicated by two asterisks (**). Previous revisions of fish fauna from NE Atlantic made by Whitehead et al.
(1986) and Quéro et al. (2003) have been used in the discussion of the data regarding the geographical
distribution.
The checklist is presented in the taxonomic sequence: superclass, class, order, family, genus and species.
We have followed Quéro et al. (2003) for the classification system order and Froese and Pauly (2010) for the
scientific nomenclature and common names.
Results
SUPERCLASS AGNATHA
CLASS CEPHALASPIDOMORPHA
ORDER PETROMYZONTIFORMES
Family Petromyzontidae
*Petromyzon marinus Linnaeus, 1758 — Sea lamprey
SUPERCLASS GNATHOSTOMATA
CLASS CHONDRICHTHYES
ORDER HEXANCHIFORMES
Family Hexanchidae
Hexanchus griseus (Bonnaterre, 1788) — Bluntnose sixgill shark
Family Chlamydoselachidae
*Chlamydoselachus anguineus Garman, 1884 — Frilled shark
ORDER SQUALIFORMES
Family Echinorhinidae
Echinorhinus brucus (Bonnaterre, 1788) — Bramble shark
Family Squalidae
Squalus acanthias Linnaeus, 1758 — Piked dogfish
Squalus blainvillei (Risso, 1827) — Longnose spurdog
Family Centrophoridae
Centrophorus granulosus (Bloch & Schneider, 1801) — Gulper shark
Centrophorus squamosus (Bonnaterre, 1788) — Leafscale gulper shark
Deania calcea (Lowe, 1839) — Birdbeak dogfish
Deania hystricosa (Garman, 1906) — Rough longnose dogfish
Not mentioned for Galicia by McEachran and Branstetter in Whitehead et al. (1986) nor by Quéro et al.
(2003). One record for Galicia based on an unreported specimen from the Galicia Bank.
Family Etmopteridae
*Etmopterus spinax (Linnaeus, 1758) — Velvet belly lantern shark
Etmopterus princeps Collett, 1904 — Great lanternshark
Etmopterus pusillus (Lowe, 1839) — Smooth lanternshark
Family Somniosidae
Centroscymnus coelolepis Barbosa du Bocage & de Brito Capello, 1864 — Portuguese dogfish.

BAÑON ET AL.4 · Zootaxa 2667 © 2010 Magnolia Press
Centroselachus crepidater (Barbosa du Bocage & de Brito Capello, 1864) — Longnose velvet dogfish.
Scymnodon ringens Barbosa du Bocage & de Brito Capello, 1864 — Knifetooth dogfish
Somniosus rostratus (Risso, 1827) — Little sleeper shark
Family Oxynotidae
Oxynotus centrina (Linnaeus, 1758) — Angular roughshark
Oxynotus paradoxus Frade, 1929 — Sailfin roughshark
Family Dalatiidae
Dalatias licha (Bonnaterre, 1788) — Kitefin shark
ORDER SQUATINIFORMES
Family Squatinidae
Squatina squatina (Linnaeus, 1758) — Angelshark
ORDER LAMNIFORMES
Family Lamnidae
Lamna nasus (Bonnaterre, 1788) — Porbeagle
Carcharodon carcharias (Linnaeus, 1758) — Great white shark
Reported by Solorzano et al. (1988) based on specimens caught by the long line fleet and discharged at
the Coruña fishmarket. We consider this as a doubtful record, because those specimens were probably
caught out of the study area.
Isurus oxyrinchus Rafinesque-Schmaltz, 1810 — Shortfin mako
Family Cetorhinidae
Cetorhinus maximus (Gunnerus, 1765) — Basking shark
Family Alopiidae
Alopias vulpinus (Bonnaterre, 1788) — Thintail thresher
Alopias superciliosus (Lowe, 1841) — Bigeye thresher
Common species in the open waters of the North Atlantic but with a single record from Galicia: a male
specimen stranded in Playa América, Nigrán (Pontevedra), in July 2008 (CEMMA, personal
communication).
Family Scyliorhinidae
*Galeus melastomus Rafinesque, 1810—Blackmouth catshark
Galeus atlanticus (Vaillant, 1888)—Atlantic sawtail cat shark
Not mentioned for Galician waters neither in Whitehead et al. (1986) nor in Quéro et al. (2003).
Frequently caught between 400 and 711 m depth during the last years in the “Demersales” surveys.
Probably this species was previously confused with G. melastomus.
*Scyliorhinus canicula (Linnaeus, 1758)—Small-spotted catshark
Scyliorhinus stellaris (Linnaeus, 1758) —Nursehound
Family Pseudotriakidae
Pseudotriakis microdon de Brito Capello, 1868 — False catshark
Recorded for Galicia based on unreported specimens caught in the Galicia Bank (Figure 2).
Family Carcharhinidae
*Galeorhinus galeus (Linnaeus, 1758) — Tope shark
Mustelus mustelus (Linnaeus, 1758) — Smooth-hound

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CHECKLIST OF MARINE FISHES FROM GALICIA (NW SPAIN)
Mustelus asterias Cloquet, 1821 — Starry smooth-hound
Prionace glauca (Linnaeus, 1758) — Blue shark
FIGURE 2. Pseudotriakis microdon (photo R. Bañón).
Family Sphyraenidae
Sphyrna zygaena (Linnaeus, 1758) — Smooth hammerhead
ORDER TORPEDINIFORMES
Family Torpedinidae
Torpedo torpedo (Linnaeus, 1758) — Common torpedo
*Torpedo marmorata Risso, 1810 — Spotted torpedo
ORDER RAJIFORMES
Family Rhinobatidae
Rhinobatos rhinobatos (Linnaeus, 1758) — No common name
Rhinobatos cemiculus Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1817—Blackchin guitarfish
Family Rajidae
Raja miraletus Linnaeus, 1758— Brown ray
Raja asterias Delaroche, 1809— Starry ray
Raja brachyura Lafont, 1873—Blonde ray
*Raja clavata Linnaeus, 1758—Thornback ray
*Raja microocellata Montagu, 1818—Small-eyed ray
*Raja montagui Fowler, 1910—Spotted ray
Dipturus batis (Linnaeus, 1758) — Blue skate
Dipturus oxyrinchus (Linnaeus, 1758) — Longnosed skate
Leucoraja circularis (Couch, 1838) — Sandy ray
Leucoraja naevus (Müller & Henle, 1841) — Cuckoo ray

BAÑON ET AL.6 · Zootaxa 2667 © 2010 Magnolia Press
Rostroraja alba (Lacepède, 1803) — Bottlenosed skate
*Raja undulata Lacepède, 1802 — Undulate ray
Family Dasyatidae
Dasyatis pastinaca (Linnaeus, 1758) — Common stingray
**Pteroplatytrygon violacea (Bonaparte, 1832) — Pelagic stingray
Not mentioned for Galicia by McEachran and Capapé in Whitehead et al. (1986). Recorded from the
Galicia Bank under the name of Dasyatis violacea (Bañón et al., 1997).
Family Myliobatidae
*Myliobatis aquila (Linnaeus, 1758) — Common eagle ray
Mobula mobular (Bonnaterre, 1788) — Devil fish
CLASS HOLOCEPHALI
ORDER CHIMAERIFORMES
Family Chimaeridae
*Chimaera monstrosa Linnaeus, 1758 — Rabbit fish
Hydrolagus mirabilis (Collet, 1904) — Large-eyed rabbitfish
CLASS ACTINOPTERYGII
ORDER NOTACANTHIFORMES
Family Halosauridae
Halosaurus ovenii Johnson, 1864 — No common name
Not mentioned for Galicia by Sulak in Whitehead et al. (1986). Recorded from Galicia by Bañón et al.
(1997): 13 specimens caught between 769 and 1139 m depth.
Halosauropsis macrochir (Günther, 1878) — Abyssal halosaur
Aldrovandia phalacra (Vaillant, 1888) — Hawaiian halosaurid fish
Family Notacanthidae
*Notacanthus bonaparte Risso, 1840 — Shortfin spiny eel
Notacanthus chemnitzii Bloch, 1788 — Spiny eel
ORDER ANGUILLIFORMES
Family Anguillidae
*Anguilla anguilla (Linnaeus, 1758) — European eel
Family Muraenidae
Muraena helena Linnaeus, 1758 — Mediterranean moray
Family Synaphobranchidae
Synaphobranchus kaupii Johnson, 1862 — Kaup's arrowtooth eel
Family Ophichthidae
Ophisurus serpens (Linnaeus, 1758) — Serpent eel
Pisodonophis semicinctus (Richardson, 1848) — Saddled snake eel
Not mentioned for the Atlantic European waters by Bauchot in Whitehead et al. (1986). Recorded from
Galicia by Bañón et al. (2002) (figure 3).
Family Congridae
*Conger conger (Linnaeus, 1758) — European conger

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CHECKLIST OF MARINE FISHES FROM GALICIA (NW SPAIN)
FIGURE 3. Pisodonophis semicinctus (photo R. Bañón).
Family Nemichthyidae
Nemichthys scolopaceus Richardson, 1848 — Slender snipe eel
Family Serrivomeridae
Serrivomer beanii Gill & Ryder, 1883 — Bean's sawtoothed eel
Family Nettastomatidae
Nettastoma melanurum Rafinesque, 1810 — Blackfin sorcerer
Not mentioned for Galicia by Saldanha in Whitehead et al. (1986). Recorded by Bañón et al. (1997) based
on six specimens caught between 806 and 1139 m depth.
Facciolella oxyrhyncha (Bellotti, 1883) — Facciola's sorcerer
One specimen of 56 cm TL caught during the survey “Demersales 06” at 436 m depth.
ORDER SACCOPHARYNGIFORMES
Family Eurypharyngidae
Eurypharynx pelecanoides Vaillant, 1882 — Pelican eel
ORDER CLUPEIFORMES
Family Cupleidae
*Sardina pilchardus (Walbaum, 1792) — European pilchard
Alosa fallax (Lacepède, 1803) — Twaite shad
Alosa alosa (Linnaeus, 1758) — Allis shad
*Sprattus sprattus (Linnaeus, 1758) — European sprat
Family Engraulidae
Engraulis encrasicolus (Linnaeus, 1758) — European anchovy
ORDER OSMERIFORMES
Family Argentinidae
*Argentina sphyraena Linnaeus, 1758 — Argentine
*Argentina silus (Ascanius, 1775) — Greater argentine
Family Alepocephalidae
Alepocephalus rostratus Risso, 1820 — Risso's smooth-head
Alepocephalus bairdii Goode & Bean, 1879 — Baird's smooth-head
*Xenodermichthys copei (Gill, 1884) — Bluntsnout smooth-head
Family Platytroctidae
Holtbyrnia macrops Maul, 1957— Bigeye searsid
Two specimens caught at 680 m depth during the survey “Demersales 96”.
Mentodus rostratus Günther, 1878 — No common name

BAÑON ET AL.8 · Zootaxa 2667 © 2010 Magnolia Press
ORDER SALMONIFORMES
Family Salmonidae
*Salmo trutta Linnaeus, 1758 — Sea trout
*Salmo salar Linnaeus, 1758 — Atlantic salmon
ORDER STOMIIFORMES
Family Gonostomatidae
Sigmops bathyphilus (Vaillant, 1884) — Spark anglemouth
Gonostoma elongatum Günther, 1878 — Elongated bristlemouth fish
Cyclothone braueri Jespersen & Tåning, 1926 — Garrick
Cyclothone microdon (Günther, 1878) — No common name
Family Sternoptychidae
Sternoptyx diaphana Hermann, 1781 — Diaphanous hatchet fish
Argyropelecus hemigymnus Cocco, 1829 — Half-naked hatchetfish
*Argyropelecus olfersii (Cuvier, 1829) — No common name
Argyropelecus aculeatus Valenciennes, 1850 — Lovely hatchetfish
One single specimen of 7 cm TL caught during the survey “Demersales 07”.
Argyropelecus gigas Norman, 1930 — Hatchetfish
Four specimens between 7 and9 cm TL caught during “Demersales 83 and 91” surveys
*Maurolicus muelleri (Gmelin, 1789) — Pearlsides
Family Phosichthyidae
Vinciguerria poweriae (Cocco, 1838) — Power's deep-water bristle-mouth fish
Ichthyococcus ovatus (Cocco, 1838) — Lightfish
One specimen of 4 cm TL caught during the survey “Demersales 03”
Polymetme corythaeola (Alcock, 1898) — Rendezvous fish
Family Stomiidae
Rhadinesthes decimus (Zugmayer, 1911) — Slender snaggletooth
*Stomias boa (Risso, 1810) — Scaly dragonfish
Chauliodus sloani Bloch & Schneider, 1801 — Sloane's viperfish
Leptostomias gladiator (Zugmayer, 1911) — No common name
Melanostomias bartonbeani Parr, 1927 — Scaleless black dragonfish
One specimen of 16 cm TL caught at 688 m depth during the survey “Demersales 08”
ORDER ATELEOPODIFORMES
Family Ateleopodidae
Ijimaia loppei Roule, 1922 — Loppe's tadpole fish
ORDER AULOPIFORMES
Family Chlorophthalmidae
*Chlorophthalmus agassizi Bonaparte, 1840 — Shortnose greeneye
Family Ipnopidae
Bathypterois dubius Vaillant, 1888 — Spiderfish
Family Paralepididae
Arctozenus risso (Bonaparte, 1840) — Ribbon barracudina
Paralepis coregonoides Risso, 1820 — Sharpchin barracudina

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CHECKLIST OF MARINE FISHES FROM GALICIA (NW SPAIN)
Three specimens of 16–20 cm TL caught between 360–564 m depth during the surveys “Demersales 83,
03 and 08”
Family Alepisauridae
Alepisaurus ferox Lowe, 1833 — Longnose lancetfish
Sudis hyalina Rafinesque, 1810 — No common name
ORDER MYCTOPHIFORMES
Family Neoscopelidae
Neoscopelus macrolepidotus Johnson, 1863 — Large-scaled lantern fish
Not mentioned for Galicia by Hulley in Whitehead et al. (1986). Recorded from Galicia by Bañón et al.
(2002).
**Neoscopelus microchir Matsubara, 1943 — No common name
Not mentioned for Galicia by Hulley in Whitehead et al. (1986). Recorded from the Galicia Bank (Bañón
et al., 1997).
Family Myctophidae
Myctophum punctatum Rafinesque, 1810 — Spotted lanternfish
Diaphus dumerilii (Bleeker, 1856) — No common name
Ten specimens between 4 and 8 cm TL caught at 365–563 m depth during “Demersales 97 and 06”
surveys
Ceratoscopelus maderensis (Lowe, 1839) — No common name
Ceratoscopelus warmingii (Lütken, 1892) — No common name
Uncertain status. Reported by Hulley in Whitehead et al. (1986) to south of 35ºN and it is unreported by
Quéro et al. (2003). Recorded for Galicia by Lozano y Rey (1947) as Lampanyctus townsendi, a synonym
of C. warmingii. A revision of new specimens is needed.
Lampadena urophaos atlantica Maul, 1969 — No common name
Uncertain status. Not mentioned for Galicia neither by Hulley in Whitehead et al. (1986) nor by Quéro
(2003). Recorded from Galicia by Arté (1952) and Anadón (1957) as L. nitida. Questionable as a synonym
of L. urophaos atlantica (Solórzano et al., 1988). A revision of new specimens is required.
Lampadena speculigera Goode & Bean, 1896 — Mirror lanternfish
One specimen of 4 cm TL caught at 228 m depth during the survey “Demersales 93”
Lampanyctus crocodilus (Risso, 1810) — Jewel lanternfish
Lampanyctus photonotus Parr, 1928 — No common name
Lampanyctus intricarius Taning, 1928 — No common name
One specimen of 17 cm TL caught during the survey “Demersales 02”
Notoscopelus kroeyeri (Malm, 1861) — Lancet fish
Reported from Galicia by Solórzano et al. (1988) as N. elongatus.
Benthosema glaciale (Reinhardt, 1838) — Glacier lanternfish
ORDER LAMPRIFORMES
Family Trachipteridae
Trachipterus arcticus (Brünnich, 1788) — Deal fish
ORDER GADIFORMES
Family Macrouridae
Gadomus longifilis (Goode & Bean, 1885) — Treadfin grenadier
*Trachyrincus scabrus (Rafinesque, 1810) — Roughsnout grenadier
Hymenocephalus italicus Giglioli, 1884 — Glasshead grenadier
Coelorinchus caelorinchus (Risso, 1810) — Hollow nosed rattail

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Occasional catches mainly between 300–650 m depth in various “Demersales” surveys
Coelorinchus labiatus (Koelher, 1896) — Spearsnouted grenadier
Reported from Galicia as C. vaillanti by Arté (1952).
Coryphaenoides rupestris Gunnerus, 1765 — Roundhead rat-tail
Cetonurus globiceps (Vaillant, 1884) — Globehead grenadier
*Malacocephalus laevis (Lowe, 1843) — Rough rat-tail
*Nezumia aequalis (Günther, 1878) — Common Atlantic grenadier
Nezumia sclerorhynchus (Valenciennes, 1838) — Roughtip grenadier
Family Moridae
Antimora rostrata (Günther, 1878) — Blue antimora
Gadella maraldi (Risso, 1810) — Gadella
Recorded for Galicia based on one specimen of 11 cm TL caught to 570 m depth during the survey
“Demersales 09”
Halargyreus johnsonii Günther, 1862 — Slender codling
Physiculus dalwigki Kaup, 1858 — Black codling
Not mentioned for Galicia by Cohen in Whitehead et al. (1986). Recorded from the Galicia Bank (Bañón
et al., 2002) (Figure 4).
Mora moro (Risso, 1810) — Common mora
*Lepidion eques (Günther, 1887) — North Atlantic codling
FIGURE 4. Physiculus dalwigki (photo R. Bañón).
Family Melanonidae
Melanonus zugmayeri Norman, 1930 — Arrowtail
Family Gadidae
*Raniceps raninus (Linnaeus, 1758) — Tadpole fish
*Trisopterus luscus (Linnaeus, 1758) — Bib
*Trisopterus minutus (Linnaeus, 1758) — Poor cod
Gadus morhua Linnaeus, 1758 — Cod
*Micromesistius poutassou (Risso, 1827) — Blue whiting
*Gadiculus argenteus argenteus Guichenot, 1850 — Silvery pout
*Merlangius merlangus (Linnaeus, 1758) — Whiting
*Pollachius pollachius (Linnaeus, 1758) — Pollack

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CHECKLIST OF MARINE FISHES FROM GALICIA (NW SPAIN)
Family Lotidae
Gaidropsarus macrophthalmus (Günther, 1867) — Big-eyed rockling
Gaidropsarus granti (Regan, 1903) — Azores rockling
Recorded from the Galicia Bank (Bañón et al., 2002). Recorded again in 2009 in the same area (Figure 5),
confirming its presence. This species has never been caught in the continental shelf of the Atlantic area
and their distribution seems to be restricted to islands and seamounts.
Gaidropsarus guttatus (Collet, 1890) — No common name
*Gaidropsarus vulgaris (Cloquet, 1824) — 3-bearded rockling
*Gaidropsarus mediterraneus (Linnaeus, 1758) — Shore rockling
*Ciliata mustela (Linnaeus, 1758) — 5-bearded rockling
Molva molva (Linnaeus, 1758) — Ling
Molva macrophtalma (Linnaeus, 1758) — Common ling
Previously reported as M. dypterigia (Solórzano et al., 1988)
FIGURE 5. Gaidropsarus granti (photo R. Bañón).
Family Phycidae
Phycis phycis (Linnaeus, 1766) — Forkbeard
*Phycis blennoides (Brünnich, 1768) — Greater forkbeard
Family Merluccidae
*Merluccius merluccius (Linnaeus, 1758) — European hake
ORDER OPHIDIIFORMES
Family Ophidiidae
Ophidion barbatum Linnaeus, 1758 — Snake blenny
Family Aphyonidae
Sciadonus cryptophthalmus (Zugmayer, 1911) — No common name
Family Carapidae
Carapus acus (Brünnich, 1768) — Pearl fish
Echiodon drummondii Thompson, 1837 — Pearlfish
*Echiodon dentatus (Cuvier, 1829) — No common name
ORDER LOPHIIFORMES
Family Lophiidae
Lophius budegassa Spinola, 1807 — Black-bellied anglerfish
*Lophius piscatorius Linnaeus, 1758 — Anglerfish
Family Chaunacidae
Chaunax pictus Lowe, 1846 — Pink frogmouth

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Family Ceratiidae
Ceratias holboelli Krøyer, 1845 — Kroyer's deep sea anglerfish
One female of 560 mm TL (Figure 6) caught by the vessel “Ría de Cedeira” on 19th December 2006 at
676 m depth in the north of Galicia (“As Paredes”: 44º 07 N – 08º 07’ W)
FIGURE 6. Ceratias holboelli (photo R. Bañón).
Family Linophrynidae
**Lynophryne coronata Parr, 1927 — Deep-sea anglerfish
Not mentioned for Galicia by Cohen in Whithead et al. (1986). Recorded from the Galicia Bank by Bañón
et al., (2006): one female of 223 mm TL with an attached parasitic male of 29 mm TL (Figure 7), at 762–
764 m depth.
FIGURE 7. Lynophryne coronata (photo R. Bañón).

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CHECKLIST OF MARINE FISHES FROM GALICIA (NW SPAIN)
ORDER GOBIESOCIFORMES
Family Gobiesocidae
*Lepadogaster lepadogaster (Bonnaterre, 1788) — Shore clingfish
*Lepadogaster candolii Risso, 1810 — Connemarra clingfish
Lepadogaster purpurea (Bonnaterre, 1788) — Cornish sucker
Recorded from Galicia by Henriques et al. (2002), who separated the two species L. lepadogaster and L.
purpurea previously considered as two subspecies.
*Diplecogaster bimaculata (Bonnaterre, 1788) — Two-spotted clingfish
*Apletodon dentatus (Facciolà, 1887) — Small-headed Clingfish
ORDER ATHERINIFORMES
Family Atherinidae
*Atherina presbyter Cuvier, 1829 — Sand smelt
ORDER BELONIFORMES
Family Scomberesocidae
Scomberesox saurus (Walbaum, 1792) — Saurey pike
Family Belonidae
*Belone belone (Linnaeus, 1761) — Eastern Atlantic garpike
Family Exocoetidae
*Cheilopogon heterurus (Rafinesque, 1810) — Atlantic flying fish
ORDER STEPHANOBERYCIFORMES
Family Melamphaidae
Melamphaes microps (Günther, 1878) — No common name
ORDER BERYCIFORMES
Family Trachichthyidae
*Hoplostethus mediterraneus Cuvier, 1829 — Mediterranean slimehead
Hoplostethus atlanticus Collett, 1889 — Orange roughy
Hoplostethus cadenati Quéro, 1974 — Black slimehead
Family Diretmidae
Diretmichthys parini (Post & Quéro, 1981) — Parin's spiny fin
Recorded for Galicia based on one unreported specimen caught by the pair-trawl ”Bautista Pino-Nuevo
Socio” (Celeiro) on 2006, at the western of Estaca de Bares Cap (Arronte, unpublished data). Recorded
again in 2010 in the Galician Bank, confirming its presence in Galician waters.
Diretmus argenteus Johnson, 1864 — Silver spinyfin
Family Anoplogasteridae
Anoplogaster cornuta (Valenciennes, 1833) — Common fangtooth
Family Berycidae
*Beryx splendens Lowe, 1834 — Splendid alfonsino
*Beryx decadactylus Cuvier, 1829 — Beryx
ORDER ZEIFORMES
Family Parazenidae
Cyttopsis rosea (Lowe, 1843) — Rosy dory

BAÑON ET AL.14 · Zootaxa 2667 © 2010 Magnolia Press
Family Zeidae
Zenopsis conchifera (Lowe, 1852) — Silvery John Dory
*Zeus faber Linnaeus, 1758 — John Dory
Family Oreosomatidae
Neocyttus helgae (Holt & Byrne, 1908) — False boarfish
Family Caproidae
*Capros aper (Linnaeus, 1758) — Boar fish
ORDER GASTEROSTEIFORMES
Family Gasterosteidae
Gasterosteus aculeatus Linnaeus, 1758 — 3-spined stickleback
*Spinachia spinachia (Linnaeus, 1758) — 15-spined stickleback
ORDER SYNGNATHIFORMES
Family Fistulariidae
*Fistularia petimba Lacepède, 1803 — red cornetfish
Not mentioned for Galicia by Tortonese in Whitehead et al. (1986) nor Quéro et al. (2003). One specimen
of 140 cm TL (Figure 8) caught on 11 May 2006, in Laxe, at the north-west coast of Galicia (Bañón &
Sande, 2008).
FIGURE 8. Fistularia petimba (photo C. Sande).
Family Centriscidae
*Macroramphosus scolopax (Linnaeus, 1758) — Snipe-fish
Family Syngnathidae
*Hippocampus guttulatus Cuvier, 1829 — Sea horse
*Entelurus aequoreus (Linnaeus, 1758) — Snake pipefish
*Nerophis lumbriciformis (Jenyns, 1835) — Worm pipefish
*Nerophis ophidion (Linnaeus, 1758) — Straight-nosed pipefish
Syngnathus typhle Linnaeus, 1758 — Deep-snouted pipefish
Syngnathus phlegon Risso, 1827 — No common name
Not mentioned for Galicia neither by Dawson in Whitehead et al. (1986) nor by Quéro et al. (2003).
Recorded by Lozano y Rey (1947).
*Syngnathus acus Linnaeus, 1758 — Great pipefish
Syngnathus abaster Risso, 1827 — Black-striped pipefish

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CHECKLIST OF MARINE FISHES FROM GALICIA (NW SPAIN)
ORDER SCORPAENIFORMES
Family Sebastidae
*Helicolenus dactylopterus (Delaroche, 1809) — Blackbelly rosefish
Trachyscorpia cristulata (Koehler, 1896) — Spiny scorpionfish
Family Scorpaenidae
Pontinus kuhlii (Bowdich, 1825)
Scorpaena scrofa Linnaeus, 1758 — Largescaled scorpionfish
Scorpaena porcus Linnaeus, 1758 — Black scorpionfish
*Scorpaena notata Rafinesque, 1810 — Small red scorpionfish
Scorpaena loppei Cadenat, 1943 — Cadenat's rockfish
Occasional catches between 100–250 m depth in several “Demersales” surveys.
Family Triglidae
*Lepidotrigla cavillone (Lacepède, 1801) — Large-scaled gurnard
*Lepidotrigla dieuzeidei Blanc & Hureau, 1973 — Spiny gurnard
Not mentioned for Galicia neither by Hureau in Whitehead et al. (1986) nor by Quéro et al. (2003).
Recorded from Galicia by Bañón (2004).
*Trigla lyra Linnaeus, 1758 — Piper gurnard
*Chelidonichthys obscurus (Bloch & Schneider, 1801) — Longfin gurnard
*Chelidonichthys lucernus (Linnaeus, 1758) — Tub gurnard
Chelidonichthys lastoviza (Bonnaterre, 1788) — Streaked gurnard
*Aspitrigla cuculus (Linnaeus, 1758) — East Atlantic red gurnard
*Eutrigla gurnardus (Linnaeus, 1758) — Grey gurnard
Family Peristediidae
*Peristedion cataphractum (Linnaeus, 1758) — African armoured searobin
Family Cottidae
*Taurulus bubalis (Euphrasen, 1786) — Longspined bullhead
Family Psychrolutidae
Cottunculus thomsonii (Günther, 1882) — Pallid sculpin
Family Cyclopteridae
*Cyclopterus lumpus Linnaeus, 1758 — Lumpsucker
A boreal species occasionally present in Galician waters (Figure 9), mainly during the first semester of the
year, when a migration to shallow waters for reproduction takes place (Bañón et al., 2008a).
Family Liparidae
Liparis montagui (Donovan, 1804) — Montagu’s sea snail
Paraliparis membranaceus Günther, 1887 — No common name
Occasional catches between 500–700 m depth in several “Demersales” surveys.
ORDER PERCIFORMES
Family Moronidae
*Dicentrarchus labrax (Linnaeus, 1758) — European seabass
Family Polyprionidae
Polyprion americanus (Bloch & Schneider, 1801) — Wreckfish

BAÑON ET AL.16 · Zootaxa 2667 © 2010 Magnolia Press
FIGURE 9. Cyclopterus lumpus (photo R. Bañón).
Family Serranidae
*Anthias anthias (Linnaeus, 1758) — Swallowtail seaperch
Epinephelus marginatus (Lowe, 1834) — Dusky grouper
Serranus scriba (Linnaeus, 1758) — Painted comber
Reported by De Buen (1935b); there are no posterior records of this species.
*Serranus cabrilla (Linnaeus, 1758) — Comber
Family Callanthiidae
*Callanthias ruber (Rafinesque, 1810) — Parrot seaperch
Family Epigonidae
Epigonus telescopus (Risso, 1810) — Bulls-eye
Family Pomatomidae
Pomatomus saltatrix (Linnaeus, 1766) — Bluefish
Not mentioned for Galician waters by Tortonese in Whitehead et al. (1986). Recorded by Lozano y Rey
(1952), based on a picture of one specimen landed in the port of Vigo, erroneously identified by De Buen
(1935b). There are reports of sporadic catches by game fishers from 1969 to approximately 1994. The last
reported specimen of 76 cm TL was caught on 3 June 2007 in Portosin (Bañón et al., 2008b).
Family Echeneidae
Remora brachyptera (Lowe, 1839) — Spearfish remora
Not mentioned for Galician waters neither by Lachner in Whitehead et al. (1986) nor by Quéro et al.,
(2003). Recorded from Galicia by Solórzano et al. (1988), as specimens attached to swordfish individuals
caught by the longlinners. We consider this a doubtful record, probably out of the study area.
*Remora remora (Linnaeus, 1758) — Common remora
Two specimens of 10 and 11 cm TL caught during the survey “Demersales 00” at 267 m depth.

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CHECKLIST OF MARINE FISHES FROM GALICIA (NW SPAIN)
Family Carangidae
*Trachurus trachurus (Linnaeus, 1758) —Atlantic horse mackerel
*Trachurus picturatus (Bowdich, 1825) — Blue jack mackerel
Trachurus mediterraneus (Steindachner, 1868) — Mediterranean horse mackerel
Pseudocaranx dentex (Bloch & Schneider, 1801) — White trevally
Not mentioned for Galician waters by Smith-Vaniz in Whitehead et al. (1986). Reported by Fernández
and Bañon (1997).
Caranx crysos (Mitchill, 1815) — Blue runner
Not mentioned for Galician waters by Smith-Vaniz in Whitehead et al. (1986). Recorded from Galicia by
Bañón and Casas (1997). A new unreported specimen of 52 cm TL was caught on 30th November 2009 in
the Ensenada de Corcubión, at 33 m depth (Figure 10).
*Naucrates ductor (Linnaeus, 1758) —Pilotfish
*Seriola rivoliana Valenciennes, 1833—Almaco jack
*Seriola fasciata (Bloch, 1793) — Lesser amberjack
Not mentioned for Galician waters neither by Smith-Vaniz in Whitehead et al. (1986) nor by Quéro et al.
(2003). Recorded from Galicia by Bañón and Mucientes (2009), one specimen of 32 cm TL caught on
19th September 2008 in the Ría de Arousa (South Galicia) at 12 m depth.
Campogramma glaycos (Lacepède, 1801) —Vadigo
Lichia amia (Linnaeus, 1758) — Leerfish
Trachinotus ovatus (Linnaeus, 1758) — Derbio
FIGURE 10. Caranx crysos. (photo R. Bañón).
Family Coryphaenidae
Coryphaena hippurus Linnaeus, 1758 — Common dolphinfish
Coryphaena equiselis Linnaeus, 1758 — Pompano dolphinfish
Family Bramidae
Pterycombus brama Fries, 1837 — Atlantic fanfish
*Taractes asper Lowe, 1843 — Rough pomfret
Taractichthys longipinnis (Lowe, 1843) — Bigscale pomfret
*Brama brama (Bonnaterre, 1788) — Atlantic pomfret
Family Sparidae
Dentex gibbosus (Rafinesque, 1810) — Pink dentex
Reported by López-Seoane (1866); there are no posterior records of this species.
Dentex macrophthalmus (Bloch, 1791) — Large-eye dentex

BAÑON ET AL.18 · Zootaxa 2667 © 2010 Magnolia Press
Dentex dentex (Linnaeus, 1758) —Common dentex
Pagrus caeruleostictus (Valenciennes, 1830) — Bluespotted seabream
Reported by Fernández et al. (1978) as Sparus caurelosticus.
*Pagrus pagrus (Linnaeus, 1758) — Common seabream
Diplodus annularis (Linnaeus, 1758) — Annular seabream
*Diplodus cervinus (Lowe, 1838) — Zebra seabream
*Diplodus sargus (Linnaeus, 1758) — White seabream
*Diplodus vulgaris (Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1817) — Common two-banded seabream
Diplodus puntazzo (Cetti, 1777) — Sharpsnout seabream
*Pagellus acarne (Risso, 1827) — Axillary seabream
*Pagellus bogaraveo (Brünnich, 1768) — Blackspot seabream
*Pagellus erythrinus (Linnaeus, 1758) — Common pandora
*Sparus aurata Linnaeus, 1758 — Gilthead seabream
*Boops boops (Linnaeus, 1758) — Bogue
Oblada melanura (Linnaeus, 1758) — Saddled seabream
*Sarpa salpa (Linnaeus, 1758) — Salema
*Spondyliosoma cantharus (Linnaeus, 1758) — Black seabream
*Lithognathus mormyrus (Linnaeus, 1758) — Striped seabream
Family Centracanthidae
Spicara maena (Linnaeus, 1758) — Blotched picarel
Reported by López-Seoane (1866); there are no posterior records of this species.
Family Sciaenidae
Umbrina cirrosa (Linnaeus, 1758) — Shi drum
Sciaena umbra Linnaeus, 1758 — Brown meagre
Umbrina canariensis Valenciennes, 1843 — Canary drum
One specimen of 369 mm TL caught on 11 March 2009 in the Ría de Viveiro.
Argyrosomus regius (Asso, 1801) — Meagre
Family Mullidae
*Mullus surmuletus Linnaeus, 1758 — Striped red mullet
Mullus barbatus barbatus Linnaeus, 1758 — Red mullet
Family Kyphosidae
Kyphosus sectator (Linnaeus, 1758) — Bermuda sea chub
Not mentioned for the Atlantic European waters neither by Tortonese in Whitehead et al. (1986) nor by
Quéro et al. (2003). Recorded from Galicia by Bañón (2004) (Figure 11) but previously observed by scuba
divers, at least since 2001. Since 2005 the capture of three specimens has been recorded.
Family Cepolidae
*Cepola macrophthalma (Linnaeus, 1758) — Red bandfish
Family Mugilidae
*Chelon labrosus (Risso, 1827) — Thicklip grey mullet
Mugil cephalus Linnaeus, 1758 — Flathead mullet
*Liza aurata (Risso, 1810) — Golden grey mullet
Liza ramada (Risso, 1810) — Thinlip mullet

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CHECKLIST OF MARINE FISHES FROM GALICIA (NW SPAIN)
FIGURE 11. Kyphosus sectator (photo R. Bañón).
Family Labridae
*Coris julis (Linnaeus, 1758) — Mediterranean rainbow wrasse
*Acantholabrus palloni (Risso, 1810) — Scale-rayed wrasse
*Centrolabrus exoletus (Linnaeus, 1758) — Rock cook
*Labrus bergylta Ascanius, 1767 — Ballan wrasse
*Labrus mixtus Linnaeus, 1758 — Cuckoo wrasse
Labrus merula Linnaeus, 1758 — Brown wrasse
Reported by López-Seoane (1866); there are no posterior records of this species.
Labrus viridis Linnaeus, 1758 — Green wrasse
Reported by López-Seoane (1866); there are no posterior records of this species.
*Ctenolabrus rupestris (Linnaeus, 1758) — Goldsinny
*Symphodus bailloni (Valenciennes, 1839) — Baillon’s wrasse
*Symphodus cinereus (Bonnaterre, 1788) — Grey wrasse
Symphodus tinca (Linnaeus, 1758) — East Atlantic peacock wrasse
*Symphodus melops (Linnaeus, 1758) — Corkwing
Symphodus ocellatus (Forsskål, 1775) — No common name
Family Chiasmodontidae
Chiasmodon niger Johnson, 1864 — Black swallower
Family Ammodytidae
*Gymnammodytes semisquamatus (Jourdain, 1879) — Smooth sandeel
*Ammodytes tobianus Linnaeus, 1758 — Sandeel
*Hyperoplus lanceolatus (Le Sauvage, 1824) — Great sandeel
Hyperoplus immaculatus (Corbin, 1950) — Immaculate sandeel
Not mentioned for Galician waters neither by Reay in Whitehead et al. (1986) nor by Quéro et al. (2003).
Recorded from Galicia by Franco and Sola (1985).
Family Trachinidae
*Trachinus draco Linnaeus, 1758 — Greater weever fish
*Echiichthys vipera (Cuvier, 1829) — Lesser weever fish

BAÑON ET AL.20 · Zootaxa 2667 © 2010 Magnolia Press
Trachinus araneus Cuvier, 1829 — Spotted weever
Identified by a photo of one specimen captured by gill-net in May 2008 in the Ría de Muros (Figure 12).
FIGURE 12. Trachinus araneus (photo UTPB-Xunta de Galicia).
Family Uranoscopidae
Uranoscopus scaber Linnaeus, 1758 — Atlantic stargazer
Family Tripterygiidae
*Tripterygion delaisi Cadenat & Blache, 1971 — Black-faced blenny
Family Blenniidae
*Parablennius ruber (Valenciennes, 1836) — Portuguese blenny
*Parablennius gattorugine (Brünnich, 1768) — Tompot blenny
*Parablennius sanguinolentus (Pallas, 1811) — Rusty blenny
*Parablennius pilicornis (Cuvier, 1829) — Ringneck blenny
*Salaria pavo (Risso, 1810) — Peacock blenny
*Coryphoblennius galerita (Linnaeus, 1758) — Montagu's blenny
*Blennius ocellaris Linnaeus, 1758 — Butterfly blenny
*Lipophrys pholis (Linnaeus, 1758) — Shanny
*Paralipophrys trigloides (Valenciennes, 1836) — No common name
Family Callionymidae
*Callionymus lyra Linnaeus, 1758 — Common dragonet
*Callionymus maculatus Rafinesque-Schmaltz, 1810 — Spotted dragonet
*Callionymus reticulatus Valenciennes, 1837 — Reticulate dragonet
Family Gobiidae
Crystallogobius linearis (Düben, 1845) — Crystal goby
*Gobius niger Linnaeus, 1758 — Black goby
*Gobius paganellus Linnaeus, 1758 — Rock Goby
*Gobius cobitis Pallas, 1814 — Giant goby
Gobius cruentatus Gmelin 1789 — Red-mouthed goby
*Gobius xanthocephalus Heymer and Zander, 1992 — No common name
Recorded by De Buen (1918, 1935) and Iglesias (1981) as G. auratus. Recent studies have confirmed that
these records are in fact G. xanthocephalus (Figure 13) (Villegas-Ríos and Bañon, in press).
Gobius gasteveni Miller, 1974 — Steven's goby
Not recorded from Galicia neither by Miller in Whitehead et al. (1986) nor by Quéro (2003). However it
is recorded from Galicia by Alberto et al. (1999). Although it is seldom caught by fishery gears, it is
usually observed by scuba divers in the Rías Baixas of Galicia where it is a common species (Figure 14).

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CHECKLIST OF MARINE FISHES FROM GALICIA (NW SPAIN)
Gobiusculus flavenscens (Fabricius, 1779) — Two-spotted goby
*Aphia minuta (Risso, 1810) — Transparent goby
Lesueurigobius suerii (Risso, 1810) — Lesueur's goby
*Lesueurigobius friesii (Malm, 1874) — Fries's goby
*Deltentosteus quadrimaculatus (Valenciennes, 1837) — Four-spotted goby
*Pomatoschistus minutus (Pallas, 1770) — Sand goby
*Pomatoschistus microps (Kroyer, 1838) — Common goby
Pomatoschistus norvegicus (Collett, 1902) — Norwegian goby
Not recorded from Galicia neither by Miller in Whitehead et al. (1986) nor by Quéro (2003). Reported by
De Buen (1935b) as P. fagei. A total of 11 specimens were captured again between 140–180 m depth in
“Demersales 86” and “Demersales 01” surveys.
*Pomatoschistus pictus (Malm, 1865) — Painted goby
Pomatoschistus lozanoi (De Buen, 1923) — Lozano's goby
Zosterisessor ophiocephalus (Pallas, 1814) — Grass goby
Not recorded from Galicia neither by Miller in Whitehead et al. (1986) nor by Quéro (2003). Reported by
De Buen (1935b); we consider this as a doubtful record.
Thorogobius ephippiatus (Lowe, 1839) — Leopard-spotted goby
Unrecorded from Galicia but many underwater images confirm their presence (Figure 15).
FIGURE 13. Gobius xantocephalus (photo D. Villegas-Ríos).
FIGURE 14. Gobius gasteveni (photo D. Villegas-Ríos).

BAÑON ET AL.22 · Zootaxa 2667 © 2010 Magnolia Press
FIGURE 15. Thorogobius ephippiatus (photo D. Villegas-Ríos).
Family Luvaridae
Luvarus imperialis Rafinesque, 1810 — Luvar
Family Scombrolabracidae
Scombrolabrax heterolepis Roule, 1921— Longfin escolar
Family Sphyraenidae
Sphyraena sphyraena (Linnaeus, 1758) — European barracuda
Family Gempylidae
Nesiarchus nasutus Johnson, 1862 — Black gemfish
Ruvettus pretiosus Cocco, 1833 — Oilfish
Family Trichiuridae
Trichiurus lepturus Linnaeus, 1758 — Largehead hairtail
*Lepidopus caudatus (Euphrasen, 1788) — Scabbard fish
Aphanopus carbo Lowe, 1839 — Black scabbardfish
Benthodesmus simonyi (Steindachner, 1891) — Simony's frostfish
Family Xiphiidae
Xiphias gladius Linnaeus, 1758 — Swordfish
Family Istiophoridae
Tetrapturus albidus Poey, 1860 — Atlantic white marlin
Family Scombridae
Scomber colias Gmelin, 1789 — Chub mackerel
*Scomber scombrus Linnaeus, 1758 — Atlantic mackerel
Thunnus thynnus (Linnaeus, 1758) — Blue-fin tunny
Thunnus alalunga (Bonnaterre, 1788) — Albacore
Katsuwonus pelamis (Linnaeus, 1758) — Skipjack tuna
Auxis rochei (Risso, 1810) — Frigate mackerel
Sarda sarda (Bloch, 1793) — Bonito

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CHECKLIST OF MARINE FISHES FROM GALICIA (NW SPAIN)
Familly Centrolophidae
*Centrolophus niger (Gmelin, 1789) — Blackfish
Family Nomeidae
Cubiceps gracilis (Lowe, 1843) — Driftfish
Family Stromateidae
Stromateus fiatola Linnaeus, 1758— Blue butterfish
ORDER PLEURONECTIFORMES
Family Citharidae
Citharus linguatula (Linnaeus, 1758) — Atlantic spotted flounder
Fifteen specimens ranging between 6 and 10 cm TL caught at 130–160 m depth during several
“Demersales” surveys.
Family Scophthalmidae
*Scophthalmus rhombus (Linnaeus, 1758) — Brill
*Psetta maxima (Linnaeus, 1758) — Turbot
*Zeugopterus punctatus (Bloch, 1787) — Topknot
*Zeugopterus regius (Bonnaterre, 1788) — Eckström's topknot
*Phrynorhombus norvegicus (Günther, 1862) — Norwegian topknot
Not recorded from Galicia neither by Nielsen in Whitehead et al. (1986) nor by Quéro (2003). However it
is recorded by Iglesias (1981) and posteriorly by Bañón et al. (2008b) (Figure 16), confirming its presence
in Galician waters and extending to the south its known distribution range.
Lepidorhombus boscii (Risso, 1810) — Fourspotted megrim
Lepidorhombus whiffiagonis (Walbaum, 1792) — Megrim
FIGURE 16. Phrynorhombus norvegicus (photo R. Bañón).
Family Bothidae
*Arnoglossus imperialis (Rafinesque, 1810) — Imperial scald fish
*Arnoglossus thori Kyle, 1913 — Thor's scaldfish
*Arnoglossus laterna (Walbaum, 1792) — Scald fish
Family Pleuronectidae
Microstomus kitt (Walbaum, 1792) — Lemon sole
Two specimens of 43 cm TL caught at 96 and 96.5 m depth during the surveys “Demersales 95” and
“Demersales 96” respectively.

BAÑON ET AL.24 · Zootaxa 2667 © 2010 Magnolia Press
*Platichthys flesus (Linnaeus, 1758) — Flounder
*Pleuronectes platessa Linnaeus, 1758 — European plaice
Glyptocephalus cynoglossus (Linnaeus, 1758) — Witch
Family Soleidae
Microchirus azevia (de Brito Capello, 1867) — Bastard sole
*Microchirus variegatus (Donovan, 1808) — Thickback sole
Monochirus hispidus Rafinesque, 1814 — Whiskered sole
Reported by López-Seoane (1866); there are no posterior records of this species.
*Solea solea (Linnaeus, 1758) — Sole
Solea senegalensis Kaup, 1858 — Senegalese sole
*Pegusa lascaris (Risso, 1810) — Sand sole
*Bathysolea profundicola (Vaillant, 1888) — Deepwater sole
Dicologlossa cuneata (Moreau, 1881) — Wedge sole
*Buglossidium luteum (Risso, 1810) — Solenette
Family Cynoglossidae
Symphurus nigrescens Rafinesque, 1810 — Tonguesole
ORDER TETRAODONTIFORMES
Family Balisitidae
Balistes capriscus Gmelin, 1789 — Grey trigger fish
Family Tetraodontidae
Lagocephalus lagocephalus (Linnaeus, 1758) — Puffer fish
Lagocephalus laevigatus (Linnaeus, 1758) — Smooth puffer
Not mentioned for Galicia neither by Tortonese in Whitehead et al. (1986) nor by Quéro et al. (2003).
Known by a single specimen of 51 cm TL (Figure 17) caught in July 2009 in the Cies Islands, in the
mouth of the Ría de Vigo (South Galicia) (Bañón & Santás, in press).
FIGURE 17. Lagocephalus laevigatus (photo R. Bañón).
Family Diodontidae
Diodon hystrix Linnaeus, 1758 — Spot-fin porcupinefish
Family Molidae
Mola mola (Linnaeus, 1758) — Sunfish
Ranzania laevis (Pennant, 1776) — Truncated sunfish

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CHECKLIST OF MARINE FISHES FROM GALICIA (NW SPAIN)
Discussion
Since the 16
th
century, Galicia has kept a long tradition in fish fauna studies, whose results however have had
scarce divulgation beyond our frontiers, probably as a result of a limited dissemination and a relative isolation
of the local researchers.
The present checklist includes 398 species of marine fishes from Galicia which represents approximately
42 % of the 955 species listed for European Atlantic waters by Quéro et al. (2003).
The European Atlantic coast has a sharp north to south temperature gradient, which restricts the
distribution of many species and leads to a biogeographic subdivision of the eastern Atlantic into two
provinces: the boreal Atlantic and the subtropical Lusitanian. The Lusitanian province, which extends from
Gibraltar to Brittany, has been subdivided in two sub-provinces, whose frontier was established in Finisterre
Cap, in the western Galician coast. Thus, the fauna of Galicia are mixed with groups of boreal and subtropical
origin. This fact, together with the variety of coastal habitats of the study area (such as rocky cliffs, shingle,
rocky, sandy and muddy shores, coastal lagoons and estuaries) is behind the observed diversity of many faunal
groups in Galicia, including marine fishes.
The Galician Atlantic coast constitutes the northernmost limit of the Eastern North Atlantic Upwelling
System. Upwelling favourable winds prevail from March to October and cause the entry of great flows of
North Atlantic Central Water, a salty cold water mass (Álvarez-Salgado et al., 1993). Upwelling is intensified
off Cape Finisterre and the Rias Baixas, where water temperature is sensibly lower in comparison with the
northern Galician coast and the Bay of Biscay. These surface waters, colder than the surrounding ocean, are
probably the reason behind the biogeographical anomaly found in the distribution of some fish in the Atlantic
Galician coasts. As a result, cool water species, well represented to the south of the British Isles, are newly
present in Galicia, about all in the western of Galicia, from A Guarda to Finisterre Cap (Rías Baixas), but
scarce or absent in the northern coast and the Bay of Biscay. This is the case for example of G. morhua, G.
cynoglossus and P. norvegicus, among others. In the same way, warm water species that are scarce or absent in
the Atlantic front of Galicia are present in the coast of Lugo(north Galicia) and in the Bay of Biscay. This is
the case for example of several sparids such as L. mormyrus or D. cervinus.
This traditional distribution pattern seems to have been altered in the last decades with the arrival of
numerous southern tropical fish species to the Galician coasts, probably linked to global warming. The
inexistence of a previous specific monitoring program prevents us to know the origin of this trend. The first
two species related with this phenomenon were probably the grey triggerfish B. carolinensis and the flatfish S.
senegalensis, previously unknown and now with a relevant biomass in Galician waters. Since 1996,
increasing monitoring, divulgation and contact to the fishing sector have led to register numerous tropical
affinity species in Galicia, most of them setting a new northern limit of distribution for the NE Atlantic.
Community studies in regions of overlapping ‘polar’ and ‘temperate’ species, as it’s the case of Galicia,
base their climate change attribution on differential responses of these two categories. Among polar marine
fish species have tended to be stable or decline in abundance, whereas temperate species at the same site have
increased in abundance and/or expanded their distributions (Parmesan & Yohe, 2003).
The last studies in Galicia seem to confirm this hypothesis (Bañón, 2009). Colder species such as P. flesus
have decreased their catches in the last decades whereas warm species have increased considerably their
number and biomass. Carangids increased from four species at the beginning of the 20
th
century to eleven in
the present days, due to the arrival of several tropical species such as C. crysos, P. dentex and S. fasciata.
Another carangid, T. picturatus has greatly increased its abundance in very few years, and has become a
commercially important species. Rare species of the genus Seriola, mainly S. rivoliana and other unexpected
species such as S. sphyraena and K. sectator are becoming more and more frequent. Finally, surprising
tropical species such as F. petimba and L. laevigatus have been recently recorded. All these new records
represent in fact a tropicalization of the marine fish fauna of Galicia, what in our opinion confirms this
hypothesis.
Biogeographical analysis revealed that the Lusitanian group included 204 species (51.3%), followed by
149 species of the Atlantic (37.4%), the 28 species of the Boreal (7%), and 17 species (4.3%) of the African

BAÑON ET AL.26 · Zootaxa 2667 © 2010 Magnolia Press
group. While Boreal species are in general terms well known since a long time ago, the knowledge of the
African group is very recent, mainly due to the arrive of new species during the last decades. This fact also
supports the idea that the recent discovery of tropical species of African origin is more a consequence of
natural changes than a result of an increased in the sampling effort.
Acknowledgement
The authors are very grateful to José Luís González (underwater photographer) for providing a list of the
marine fishes observed during his many dives; to Antonio Pérez Cribeiro (Aquarium Finisterrae) who kindly
donated the specimen of C. holboelli, to Carmen G. Piñeiro and Mikel Casas (IEO Vigo) who collaborated in
the “deep-water fisheries” project during 1996–97 and to the personnel of the UTPB (Xunta de Galicia) for
providing some of data needed for the elaboration of this paper. The authors also thank to all the participants
in the IEO “Demersales” bottom trawl surveys since 1983, especially to the cruise leaders and the fish
taxonomy experts.
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