First record of the cryptic fishes Ptereleotris calliura (Gobiidae) and Liopropoma rubre (Serranidae) in the Veracruz Reef System, Mexico

Abstract

Based on several in situ observations, the species Ptereleotris calliura (family Gobiidae) and Liopropoma rubre (family Serranidae) are added to the taxonomic fish inventory of the Veracruz Reef System, Veracruz, Mexico. While P. calliura was found on sandy substratum in a coral reef lagoon, L. rubre was detected on a reef slope. With the addition of these 2 species, the checklist of reef fishes in the Veracruz Reef System is expanded to 479 species. Given these findings, we predict that additional survey efforts (beyond visual transects) will reveal more previously unrecorded species of cryptic fishes in the Veracruz reef system.