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Barathronus is a genus of blind cusk eels comprising 11 valid species. In this paper, we report the second specimen ever documented of Barathronus roulei (Bythitidae) obtained from the Porcupine Bank by R.V. Vizconde de Eza using a bottom trawl at a depth of 1349 m. Morphological description and illustrations, including a radiograph, are provided. In addition, three new sequences corresponding to three different genes, cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI)‐DNA barcoding, 16S ribosomal RNA (16S), and recombination activating protein 1 (RAG1), have been added to the molecular repositories, representing the first sequences for the species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Notacanthid fishes constitute a common part of benthopelagic deep‐sea fish communities on seamounts and continental slopes around the world. However, their highly conserved morphology and the usual lack of information on deep‐water organisms make it difficult to appropriately address their biodiversity. A multidisciplinary approach combining morphological data with a DNA‐based species delimitation analyses was used to explore the taxonomy of Notacanthus species. For this purpose, morphological and molecular data were obtained from 43 individuals, and the resulting information was combined with the available data. The results showed the occurrence of Notacanthus arrontei n. sp. from the Iberian Peninsula and highlighted several taxonomic conundrums regarding the Notacanthus genus. For instance, no significant differences were found between Notacanthus indicus and the recently described Notacanthus laccadiviensis, questioning its taxonomic status. Similarly, the result of the species delimitation molecular analysis coincided with previous DNA barcoding studies supporting the snubnosed spiny eel Notacanthus chemnitzii as a species complex that requires further research. Moreover, two unidentified records from the Indian Ocean were confirmed to belong to an unknown species pending formal description, and barcoding data show for the first time the occurrence of the shortfin spiny eel Notacanthus bonaparte in the Australia‐New Zealand area. This research confirms the existence of important gaps in the knowledge of notacanthid fishes and represents a step forward toward a better understanding of their biological diversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Four specimens corresponding to three rare deep-water fish species were caught on the Porcupine Bank (Northeast Atlantic) in September 2019. These catches include the new northernmost records of Azores rockling Gaidropsarus granti and deep-water dab Poecilopsetta beanii in the Atlantic Ocean and the second record of the latter species in its eastern zone. Three of the specimens were retained and their molecular identification also allowed the Cataetyx alleni DNA barcode to be obtained for the first time. The appearance of P. beanii, a West Atlantic species, in its eastern zone is discussed in relation to a possible phenomenon of transoceanic drift in the larval stage., (© 2020 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles.)