UC Santa Cruz

Pempheris gasparinii sp. n. is described from five specimens, 59.1-68.0 mm in standard length. It is only known to occur in the shallow reefs of Trindade Island, 1200 km east of the Brazilian coast, in the southwestern Atlantic. Pempheris gasparinii is the third recognized species of Pempheris in the Atlantic Ocean. This new species is morphologically similar to its close relative, Pempheris poeyi, differing by the number of lateral-line scales (51-54 in Pempheris gasparinii vs. 47-49 in Pempheris poeyi), scales below lateral line (10-11 vs. 9), circumpeduncular scales (11-12 vs. 13), head and caudal peduncle lengths (2.7-3.3 vs 3.5-4.0 in head length). Moreover, Pempheris gasparinii shows a 4% genetic divergence from Pempheris poeyi at the cytochrome oxidase I locus (COI), consistent with a lineage split at the beginning of the Pleistocene. This new species represents the 12(th) endemic fish species from Trindade Island.