First records of Neopomacentrus cyanomos (Bleeker, 1856) (Pomacentridae, Blenniiformes) in Southwestern Atlantic reefs

Abstract

Records of non-native species in the Southwestern Atlantic reefs have increased alarmingly within the last two decades. Here, we provide the first report in the Southwest Atlantic of Neopomacentrus cyano-mos (Bleeker, 1856), Regal Damselfish, a small reef species native to the Indian ocean and western Pacific, based on underwater observations made from three coastal islands in São Paulo State. Outside its natural range, N. cyanomos was previously recorded in the Northwest Atlantic and Southeast Atlantic, where it is often associated with oil and gas platforms, a pathway via which N. cyanomos probably was introduced to Brazil.