Anthony C. Gill and Hiroshi Senou:  Lubbockichthys tanakai, new species of pseudoplesiopine dottyback from the West Pacific (Perciformes: Pseudochromidae), pp. 1-4

Lubbockichthys tanakai is described from the 43.2 mm SL holotype from Ie-shima Island, Ryukyu Islands, and a 33.5 mm SL paratype purportedly from the vicinity of Manila, Philippine Islands. It is distinguished from other pseudochromids in having the following combination of characters: a single tubed lateral-line scale; all scales cycloid; body depth at dorsal fin origin 20.9-21.3 % SL; scales in lateral series 56-58; anterior anal fin pterygiophore formula 3 + 1/1; and vertebrae 13 pre-caudal + 18-19 caudal. It is also distinctive in being pale with a well-defined, broad, dark stripe (dark grey to black in life) along the dorsal part of the body, which terminates in a dark (dark grey to black in life) basal spot on the caudal fin.

Arturo Acero P. and Richardo Betancur-R.: Description of Arius neogranatensis, a new species of sea catfish from Colombia, with an identification key for Caribbean ariid fishes, pp. 5-10

A new species of sea catfish (family Ariidae) from the Caribbean coast of Colombia, Arius neogranatensis n. sp., is described. It can be easily distinguished from other tropical western Atlantic ariid species by the presence of three pairs of barbels, one maxillary and two mental; supraoccipital process broader at base than distally, its base width slightly shorter than its length, 1.1-1.2 in supraoccipital process length; predorsal plate narrow and crescent-shaped; teeth on palate villiform, forming a U-shaped pattern of four closely adjacent patches, the lateral pair largest and subtriangular; and by the lack of a fleshy furrow between the nostrils, a longitudinal fleshy groove in the median depression of the head, and gill rakers on rear surfaces of first two gill arches. So far the species is known only from brackish waters in a small sector of the central northern coast of Colombia.

Jeffrey T. Williams: Three new species of blennioid shore fishes discovered at Navassa Island, Caribbean Sea, pp. 11-16

An exploratory expedition to Navassa Island was carried out in April-May 1999. Specimens representing eight undescribed cryptic species were taken with rotenone while occupying 22 collecting stations, mostly by scuba diving: five blennioids, two clingfishes, and a goby. Descriptions of three of the blennioids, two chaenopsids and a dactyloscopid, are included here: Acanthemblemaria harpeza new species based on 268 specimens from Navassa; Emblemaria vitta new species based on two specimens, the holotype from Navassa and the paratype from Belize; and Gillellus inescatus new species based on one specimen from Navassa. Descriptions of these three new species are provided herein to allow the use of the names in a checklist of the shorefishes of Navassa Island, which is in press in aqua.

Chavalit Vidthayanon and Kittipongse Jaruthanin: Schistura kaysonei (Teleostei: Balitoridae), a new cave fish from the Khammouan karst, Laos PDR, pp. 17-20

Schistura kaysonei, n. sp. is the first troglobitic nemacheiline fish discovered in the Laos PDR. It is distinguished by elongated nasal flaps, and by the absence of external eyes and colour pattern in adults. Juveniles or sub-adults have dark pigment on the dorsum when exposed to light in captivity. The new species was obtained some 600 m from the entrance of the Phu Tham Nam cave in the Khammouan karst formation.

Bertran M. Feitoza: Platygillellus brasiliensis n. sp. (Perciformes: Dactyloscopidae), the third species of the genus from the Atlantic, pp. 21-28

Platygillellus brasiliensis, the third species of the genus from the Atlantic, is described from the Brazilian coast. It differs from its Atlantic congeners in having a 3-spined fan-like dorsal finlet whose height is greater than 50% (58-84%) of predorsal length. This species is known from shallow reefs off north-eastern Brazil, in depths between 1 and 6 m. A key to the Atlantic species of Platygillellus is given.

Alexei M. Orlov: Summer diet and feeding of shortraker (Sebastes borealis) and rougheye (S. aleutianus) rockfishes (Scorpaenidae) in the western Bering Sea, pp. 29-38

Shortraker rockfish Sebastes borealis and rougheye rockfish S. aleutianus are important fishery targets in the North Pacific. Whilst their biology has been extensively studied, the feeding habits of these fish have only been reported from Alaskan waters. This present study was conducted on fish caught in the western Bering Sea. Bottom trawls were made around the clock in the summer of 1997. Random samples of rockfish were taken and examined for stomach contents. Of the 389 shortraker rockfish and 72 rougheye rockfish stomachs examined, 105 of the former and 12 of the latter contained food. The diet of the shortraker rockfish consisted of a variety of marine organisms from small crustaceans to fishes. The most important dietary components were the red squid Berryteuthis magister and a number of fish species which included the Pacific herring, Clupea pallasii, and some mesopelagic myctophids, bathylagids and a number of unidentified species. The diet of rougheye rockfish consisted of mysids, amphipods, pandalid shrimps, Tanner crabs, mesopelagic myctophids and bathylagids and some other unidentified organisms. The compositions of the diets of rockfish from the Alaskan waters and from the Bering Sea were compared, and dietary differences observed in larger fish and between the sexes were also analysed.

Gerald R. Allen and Steven Bailey: Chrysiptera albata, a new species of damselfish (Pomacentridae) from the Phoenix Islands, Central Pacific Ocean, pp. 39-4

A new species of pomacentrid, Chrysiptera albata, is described from 3 specimens, 22.0-27.8 mm SL, collected during a marine biological expedition to the Phoenix Islands in 2002. It is closely related to C. caeruleolineata from the western Pacific and eastern Indian Ocean, but differs markedly in colour pattern. In contrast to C. caeruleolineata, which is pale yellowish with a bright blue neon stripe on the upper head and body, it is mainly white with a slight bluish cast. Possible modal differences were also detected with relation to number of gill rakers on the first branchial arch and number of lateral line scales. However, additional specimens of C. albata are needed for confirmation.