Mycteroperca profundorum Cervigón, 2011, a junior synonym of Mycteroperca bonaci (Poey, 1860) (Teleostei: Epinephelidae)

Abstract

The grouper species Mycteroperca profundorum Cervigón, 2011 (Epinephelidae) was described based on examination of three specimens collected from deep-shelf waters adjacent to Isla Margarita, northeastern Venezuela, in the Caribbean Sea. This publication, which went largely unnoticed until recently, was brought to the attention of the authors by the IUCN Species Survival Commission Marine Biological Unit, which was seeking experts to assess the species for inclusion on the IUCN Red List. The species is listed as valid in Eschmeyer’s Catalog of Fishes (Fricke, Eschmeyer & Van der Laan 2023) and WoRMS (https://www.marinespecies.org/index.php accessed 10/5/2023). The brevity of the original description of M. profundorum prompted the present review. Based on the fact that M. bonaci displays all the characteristics considered diagnostic for M. profundorum and is sympatric with it we conclude that Mycteroperca profundorum Cervigón, 2011 is a junior synonym of Mycteroperca bonaci (Poey, 1860), which has nomenclatural priority.