New records of two southern fishes found in northern waters of the iberian Peninsula

Abstract

The first records of the spearfish remora, Remora brachyptera (Lowe, 1839) (Actinopterygii: Echeneidae), and the white grouper, Epinephelus aeneus (Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1817) (Actinopterygii: Serranidae), from northern Spanish waters are reported. Both findings are, respectively, the second and the first northernmost reports, for both fish species, in the eastern Atlantic. Morphometric and meristic parameters, along with DNA barcoding, confirmed the identification of the remora specimen. Results of the histological examination of the gonads of R. brachyptera are also reported, showing a mature male at the developing maturity phase. The grouper specimen was identified taking into account its characteristic coloration based on a photograph.