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Specimens of Scomberoides tala (Cuvier, 1832) were collected from southwestern Taiwan in the northwestern Pacific Ocean. While this species has been documented in other regions of the northwestern Pacific, our specimens mark its first recorded occurrence in Taiwan, bridging a previously identified distribution gap in this region. Additionally, we suggest that the distribution of this species may be shifting northward, potentially driven by global warming, as the northern records were reported rather recently.

The large-mouth pricklefish, Malacosarcus macrostoma (Günther, 1878), previously known from five specimens collected from the central Pacific Ocean, is redescribed based on three specimens collected from the abyssal zone (4,412–4,813 m) off the southeastern coast of Taiwan. These specimens contribute to a more comprehensive description of M. macrostoma and represent this species’ westernmost and deepest record. This study provides a detailed description, fresh photographs, and notes on their morphological characteristics of the specimens. Lastly, the distributional records of M. macrostoma are discussed.

A new species of beardfish, genus Polymixia, is described based on three specimens collected in Taiwanese waters and off the Chesterfield Islands of New Caledonia. It can be distinguished from its congeners by the following characters: dorsal-fin rays IV–V, 35–37; gill rakers on outer face of first gill arch 3+1+6=10; scales row between dorsal-fin origin and lateral line vertically 6–8 (S1) and posteriorly 12–14 (S2); pyloric caeca 40; snout rounded, with its surface rough and gelatinous, its tip evidently protrude anterior margin of premaxilla; ctenii on body scales arranged in a wedge-shape, forming three rows; 4th anal-fin spine long, 1.0%–1.2% eye diameter; longer dorsal-fin, 49.6–53.0% SL; blackish oral-branchial cavity. Our maximum-likelihood tree based on mitochondrial COI sequences revealed that the new species is distinct from six congeneric species. Our findings indicate the presence of at least six Polymixia species in Taiwan, highlighting Taiwan and adjacent areas as a region with the highest diversity of this genus.

A new species of jawfish genus Opistognathus is described based on a specimen collected from a beach in the Peng-hu Islands during a cold snap. The new species, Opistognathus cryos sp. nov., differs from its congeners in having a rigid upper jaw, 10–11 + 1 + 19–22 = 31–33 gill rakers, 55 scale rows in lateral series, 10 + 16 = 26 vertebrae, the terminus of the lateral line at the base of the fourth segmented dorsal-fin ray (15th in total rays), the head, nape, dorsal-fin base above lateral line, throat, chest, and pectoral-fin base naked, dorsal fin with eight blotches along its entire base, body with five horizontal dark stripes, nape with two dark blotches in front of the dorsal-fin origin, and a caudal fin with five narrow, dark bands. A detailed description is provided and compared to its similar congeners.

A single specimen of a rare species of armored searobin, Paraheminodus kamoharai Kawai, Imamura et Nakaya, 2004, is recorded from Taiwan, South China Sea, for the first time. While this particular species has been recorded in the Philippines and Japan, it has never been found in Taiwan. Therefore, our specimen fills the distribution gap of this species in the western Pacific Ocean. A detailed description of the specimen is provided and compared to the data of type specimens. Additionally, a checklist of species recorded from Taiwan is provided. Currently, 20 peristediine species under six genera are recorded from Taiwan’s EEZ.

Two species of cusk eels, Neobythites australiensis Nielsen, 2002 and Neobythites japonicus Uiblein et Nielsen, 2023 were collected from southwestern and northeastern Taiwan, respectively. They represent the first record of both species from Taiwan. The former specimen represents the first record from the Northern Hemisphere, and the latter specimen represents the second record of N. japonicus. As a result, eight species of Neobythites are recognized in Taiwan. We provide a detailed description of the two specimens, comparison with other available specimens, discussion of intraspecific variations, and a dichotomous key to species of Neobythites in Taiwan.

A rare spiny-scale pricklefish, Hispidoberyx ambagiosus Kotlyar, 1981, is redescribed based on four specimens collected from Taiwan. Their sampling locality represents the northernmost record of the family, which extends the family’s distribution from the eastern Indian Ocean and the South China Sea to northeastern Taiwan in the northwestern Pacific Ocean. A detailed description of these specimens and the first description of its sagittal otoliths are provided. In addition, the specimens are compared with other known specimens. Intraspecific variation of some morphological characters are discussed.

The gibberfish Gibberichthys latifrons is recorded for the first time from southwestern Taiwan, northern South China Sea, based on the collection of seven adults and subadults from the Dong-gang fish market, Pingtung. These specimens represent the northernmost extent of the adult range of the species, and they fill a distributional gap in the western Pacific Ocean. Our findings suggest that a population of the species has become recently established in the region. Detailed descriptions, otolith morphology, and fresh coloration are provided with comments on the morphological characteristics of the genus.

Two rarely caught species of the roughy fish genus Hoplostethus have been identified for the first time in the fish collections of Taiwan. The first, H. grandperrini Roberts & Gomon, 2012 was previously known only from two type specimens collected in the Southern Hemisphere off the coast of New Caledonia. Its distribution is now extended to the Northern Hemisphere off the coast of Pingtung, southern Taiwan. Our specimen represents the only record of this species since its initial description. The second, H. robustispinus Moore & Dodd, 2010 was originally described from a single specimen collected in the Philippines and was only known from the type locality and a single record off the Paracel Islands, South China Sea. This specimen represents the third record of the species since its original description. A single specimen of H. crassispinus Kotlyar, 1980, whose name has long appeared in the ichthyological literature of Taiwan and adjacent areas, was also identified as the first specimen-based record for Taiwan. Detailed descriptions of these species are provided and compared with available data of respective type specimens and related species, with intraspecific variations also discussed. Also included is a dichotomous key to all known species of the subgenus Hoplostethus in Taiwan.