First record of the Herre’s sole, Aseraggodes herrei (Pleuronectiformes: Soleidae), at Malpelo Island, Colombian Pacific

Abstract

Despite being a diverse genus with a total of 53 species worldwide, Aseraggodes has only one species record confirmed in the Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP). In this short communication, we present the first record of the Herre’s sole, A. herrei, for Colombia, from two specimens observed at a depth of 24 m on the east side of Malpelo Island. Both individuals were camouflaged on coarse sand substrate. Differentiating them from the bottom was difficult, which could explain, together with the low availability of habitat, why this species had not been previously recorded at Malpelo. This report broadens the insular geographic distribution of this species beyond the Galápagos and Revillagigedo archipelagos, as well as Cocos Island in the TEP, and highlights the importance of visually identifying cryptic benthic species in ichthyofaunal inventories.