No longer a circumtropical species: revision of the lizardfishes in the Trachinocephalus myops species complex, with description of a new species from the Marquesas Islands

A new species of lizardfish, Trachinocephalus gauguini, has been identified from the Marquesas Islands (Te Henua Enata), challenging the long-standing assumption that the genus Trachinocephalus was a single circumtropical species. This discovery splits the genus into three distinct species: T. myops, restricted to the Atlantic Ocean, and T. trachinus, resurrected for populations in the Indo-West Pacific. Morphometric analyses and phylogenetic evidence based on mitochondrial DNA (COI) sequences confirmed deep genetic divergences among these lineages, with substantial overlap only between T. myops and T. trachinus. The study also suggests the potential existence of additional cryptic species within the complex, using advanced species delimitation models. A taxonomic key is provided for identification.

Polanco F., A., Acero P., A., & Betancur‐R., R. (2016). No longer a circumtropical species: revision of the lizardfishes in the Trachinocephalus myops species complex, with description of a new species from the Marquesas Islands. Journal of Fish Biology, 89(2), 1302–1323. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1111/jfb.13038