Two new records of uncommon deep-sea perciform fishes from the Southwestern Atlantic

Abstract

This is the third in a series of reports describing new or rare records caught with circle hooks, a method only recently being employed in exploratory fishing in Brazilian deep waters. Here we report the presence of one family and two species of perciform fishes new to, or never formerly reported from, Brazilian waters: the longfin escolar, Scombrolabrax heterolepis (Scombrolacidae), and the extremely rare ocean bass Verilus sordidus (Acropomatidae). The specimens were collected in outer shelf and slope areas at depths between 300 and 500 meters. Given the rarity of the species reported herein, we also provide an updated diagnosis for each species. We also discuss the need of adequate reports when new records are added to such a large ocean area as the Southwestern Atlantic.