List of Fishes of the Galapagos Archipelago, Ecuador (Version 2.0)

Abstract

In preparation for the revised new edition of the 1997 book “The Fishes of the Galapagos Islands” by Jack Stein Grove and Robert J. Lavenberg, to be published next year by the EPCA, the East Pacific Corridor Alliance Foundation (www.epcafoundation.org), we have been reviewing literature and museum records and obtaining additional underwater photographs and specimens. A recent expedition sponsored by the EPCA in May 2024 conducted widespread surveys, and, in particular, intensive underwater photography and collecting for tissues for DNA sequencing (targeting cryptobenthic species, new records or species, and unresolved taxa). The fish species list published by us in Grove et al. (2022) is thus here updated, with a number of changes, mostly species added (usually deeper or mesopelagic species), but some species subtracted when we conclude evidence is lacking for inclusion, applying strict scientific criteria (see below). The total number of species listed is up to 683 from 644, the number of families is increased by 18 families to 178 (mostly added mesopelagic or deepwater families, a few taxonomic adjustments, and three removed).