Pisces, Ophidiiformes, Ophidiidae, <i>Brotula barbata</i> (Bloch & Schneider, 1801): First record off Ceará,northeastern Brazil

Abstract

Brotula barbata is recorded for the first time from Ceará, northeastern Brazil. The species was previouslyknown in the western Atlantic from North Carolina to southeastern Brazil, but there are some gaps between these regions.A single specimen was collected from a traditional line fishing fleet operating in the Mucuripe Sea, Ceará, during August2007. We noticed a meristic difference between the specimen examined and the information from the literature. Howeverthis difference did not make the identification difficult. The new record of B. barbata fills geographic distribution gaps ofthis species in the western Atlantic.