Carlos A. Rangel, João Luiz Gasparini, and Ricardo Z. P. Guimarães: A new species of combtooth blenny Scartella Jordan, 1886 (Teleostei: Blenniidae) from Trindade Island, Brazil, pp. 89-96

A new species of Scartella is described from Trindade Island (20°30÷S, 29°20÷W), a volcanic formation which lies about 1160 km off the Brazilian coast. The new species differs from its Atlantic congeners by the following combination of characters: body and head speckled with small black spots, number of segmented  dorsal  fin rays modally 14, number of segmented anal fin rays modally 16, and number of caudal vertebrae modally 23. This species is the fifth species of Scartella recognised from the Atlantic Ocean.

David Lecchini and Jeffrey T. Williams: Description of a new species of damselfish (Pomacentridae: Chromis) from Rapa Island, French Polynesia, pp. 97-102

A new species of pomacentrid fish recently discovered at Rapa Island, Austral Archipelago (French Polynesia), is described. Specimens were collected during a collaborative marine biodiversity survey of Rapa from October to December 2002. Chromis planesi is described from six specimens, 93.6-101.8 mm SL, captured on the outer reef slope at depths of 50 to 54 m. The new species is distinguished from most described species of Chromis by the following combination of characters: dorsal rays XIV,12-13; anal rays II,12-13; pectoral rays 20; tubed lateral line scales 17; total gill rakers 27-30; axil of pectoral fin black; eye-sized bluish white spot (fades and darkens rapidly after death) on body at bases of posteriormost 6 to 8 segmented dorsal rays. Only four species of Chromis (C. fumea, C. notata, C. verater, and C. struhsakeri) have overlapping counts, a black pectoral axil, and the white spot dorsoposteriorly on body as described above for C. planesi. Chromis planesi is easily distinguished from all four of these species by its distinctive colour pattern: yellowish body with nine stripes, each composed of a series of small blue dots, extending from the gill opening to the caudal fin base; pectoral and caudal fins yellow; and pelvic and anal fins dark brown to black. Among the Chromis species with 14 dorsal spines, the colour pattern of C. planesi is most similar to the those of C. meridiana and C. struhsakeri. Chromis meridiana lacks the blue stripes on the body and has a more slender body (body depth (BD) 2.1-2.3 in standard length (SL) versus BD 1.9-2.1 in SL for C. planesi). Chromis struhsakeri differs in lacking blue stripes, lacking yellow fins, having the white spot extending anteriorly from the top of the caudal peduncle only to about the base of the last dorsal segmented ray, and having a deeper body (BD 1.8-1.9 in SL). This distinctive new species is known only from seven specimens (one sacrificed for genetic sampling) collected on the deep outer reef at Rapa Island.

Wilson J. E. M. Costa: Rivulus simplicis n. sp. (Cyprinodontiformes: Rivulidae): a new killifish from the coastal plains of south-eastern Brazil, pp. 103-108

Rivulus simplicis, is described from a small, isolated coastal plain area of south-eastern Brazil. It belongs to the R. santensis species group, which also includes R. depressus, R. haraldsiolii, R. janeiroensis, R. luelingi, R. nudiventris, and R. santensis, and is diagnosed among rivulids by uniquely possessing a curved ventral process of the angulo-articular bone. Rivulus simplicis differs from other species of the R. santensis group in having a distinct colour pattern of flank and caudal fin in males, and by a combination of morphological features, including high number of caudal fin rays and anterior position of the dorsal fin origin.

Alexei M. Orlov: Migrations of various fish species between Asian and American waters in the North Pacific Ocean, pp. 109-124

Until now, the continental slope of the Bering Sea was considered to be the only route by which typical American fishes or their pelagic eggs or larvae could reach Asian coasts. These include Pacific halibut Hippoglossus stenolepis, shortraker rockfish Sebastes borealis, arrowtooth flounder Atheresthes stomias, rex sole Glyptocephalus zachirus and sablefish Anoplopoma fimbria. Recent studies have shown that exchange between Asian and American fish populations takes place along the Kuril and Aleutian Islands. Due to recent climatic changes, some species have extended their ranges from the Aleutians to the Kuril Islands and as far as south-eastern Kamchatka (northern rockfish Sebastes polyspinis, dusky rockfish Sebastes ciliatus, arrowtooth flounder, and rex sole). Some species from the Aleutian Islands, described earlier, were recently found to be abundant or common in the Pacific waters off the Kuril Islands. These included blacktip snailfish Careproctus zachirus, longfin Irish lord Hemilepidotus zapus, scaled sculpin Archaulus biseriatus, sponge sculpin Thyriscus anoplus, and roughskin sculpin Rastrinus scutiger. In Aleutian waters these species are very rare and mostly represented by small, immature specimens, whereas adults are very common off the Kurils. It is suggested that the pelagic eggs or larvae of these species may be carried by the waters of the Western Pacific Gyre from the Kuril Islands to the Aleutians.

Wilson J. E. M. Costa and Dalton T. B. Nielsen: Simpsonichthys carlettoi (Cyprinodontiformes: Rivulidae) a new annual fish from the Rio São Francisco basin, north-eastern Brazil, pp. 125-130

Simpsonichthys carlettoi, an annual fish collected in the upper Rio das Rãs floodplains, middle Rio São Francisco basin, north-eastern Brazil, is described. It seems to be closely related to S. magnificus and S. picturatus, with unpaired and pectoral fins in males in all three species possessing the same derived colour patterns. The new species differs from S. magnificus and S. picturatus in having dorsal and anal fins pointed in males, and by the absence of a black distal edge on the unpaired fins of males.

Philippe Béarez, Jean-Thomas Bujard, María-Cecilia Terán and Roberto Campoverde: First record of two rocky reef fishes from mainland Ecuador: Halichoeres chierchiae (Labridae) and Ostracion meleagris (Ostraciidae), pp. 131-134

Two reef fishes are recorded for the first time from Ecuador. Both have been captured over rocky bottoms covered with gorgonians, along the coast of central-south Ecuador. The previous southernmost distribution limits known were Colombia or the Galápagos Islands for Halichoeres chierchiae, and Panama or Galápagos for Ostracion meleagris. The question of their origin is mentioned.

John E. Randall and Gerald R. Allen: Gomphosus varius x Thalassoma lunare, a hybrid labrid fish  from Australia, pp. 135-139

An unusual labrid fish photographed and collected off Cassini Island, Western Australia is documented as the hybrid Gomphosus varius x Thalassoma lunare.  A second example of the same hybrid was observed on the Great Barrier Reef (not photographed or collected), and one of Gomphosus varius x Thalassoma duperrey was observed at the island of Hawaii (also not photographed or collected).