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Three species of Brotula are known from Colombian waters. Brotula clarkae Hubbs, 1944, the largest and the most important species to fisheries, is widely distributed in the American Pacific, being exploited in southwest Colombia where it ls abundant and reaches more than 1 m and 8 kg. Brotula ordwayi Hildebrand & Barton, 1949, is the second species known from theAmerican Pacifico It is relatively rare and small, reaching less than 50 cm, and known only from Costa Rica, Gorgona and Talara (Perú). In the Atlantic there is only one species, B. barbata (Schneider), known from two specimens from Santa Marta, Colombian Caribbean.En aguas colombianas existen tres especies de Brotula. La de mayor talla e importancia pesquera es B. clarkae Hubbs, 1944, ampliamente distribuida en el Pacífico americano y explotada en las costas suroccidentales colombianas por su abundancia y por alcanzar más de 1 m y de 8 kg. Brotula ordwayi Hildebrand & Barton, 1949, es el segundo miembro del género presente en el Pacífico americano, pero es relativamente rara, de pequeña talla (menos de 50 cm) y se le conoce únicamente de Costa Rica, Gorgona y Talára (Perú). En el Atlántico sólo existe una especie, B. barbata (Schneider, 1801), la cual es conocida del Caribe colombiano a partir de dos ejemplares procedentes de Santa Marta.

Descriptive and ecological information about seven species of the genus Lythrypnus (Pisces: Gobiidae), based on collections done in six coralline areas along the Colombian Caribbean to 50 m deep, is included; a key to aid in species identification is provided. Two of the species turned out to be new for science: the pigmy goby L. minimus, recently descrited and common only at Rosario and San Bernardo islands, was collected between 1 and 20 m and may be the smallest known vertebrate; Lythrypnus sp., usually misidentified as L. crocodilus and soon to be named, was found between 3 and 18 m and is common at several Caribbean localities (but absent from Rosario and San Bernardo islands). The bluegold goby L. spilus was the most frequent in all the Colombian Caribbean (32% of the samples) and was collected between 4 and 40 m; the okapi goby L. okapia was registered for a sole specimen got at the Santa Marta region at 7 m. The island goby L. nesiotes inhabits coralline bottoms over 10 m and was the only species collected also in turbid waters without corals; on the other hand, the dwarf goby L. elasson appears only below 10-40 m deep and was the second species in frequency (26%). The disphasic goby L. heterochroma is another rare form; it was collected in Rosario and Providencia islands between 4 and 8 m. Bahía de Portete was the only explored area where no Lythrypnus species has been found. Se incluye información descriptiva y ecológica de siete especies del género Lythrypnus (Pisces: Gobiidae), con base en colecciones realizadas en seis áreas coralinas a lo largo del Caribe Colombiano, hasta 50 m de profundidad. Se presenta además una clave para identificar dichas especies, de las cuales dos resultaron nuevas para la ciencia: L. minimus, descrita recientemente y común sólo en el sector de las Islas del Rosario y de San Bernardo, se colectó entre 1 y 20 m y es tal vez el vertebrado más pequeño del mundo; y Lythrypnus sp., que ha sido confundida con L. crocodilus, se encontró entre 3 y 18 m, es común en numerosos sitios del Caribe (aunque no existe en las islas del Rosario y de San Bernardo) y será bautizada próximamente. Lythrypnus spilus fue la más frecuente en todo el Caribe colombiano (32% de los muestreos) y se colectó entre 4 y 40 m, mientras que L. okapia se registró por un solo ejemplar obtenido en el área de Santa Marta a 7 m; L. nesiotes habita fondos coralinos a menos de 10m y fue la única que se colectó también en aguas turbias desprovistas de coral; en contraste, L. elasson apareció sólo a profundidades de 10-40 m y fue la segunda especie más frecuente (26%); L. heterochroma es otra especie rara, colectada en las Islas del Rosario y Providencia, entre 4 y 8 m. La Bahía de Portete es la única área explorada donde no se ha encontrado ninguna especie de Lythrypnus.

The mark and recapture technique was used with the three species of the genus Acanthurus in order to establish growth rates and length-weight relationships during the upwelling and rainy seasons in the area of Punta de Betín, Santa Marta, Colombia. Se empleó la técnica de marcado y recaptura en peces marinos para establecer tasas de crecimiento mensual y relaciones longitud- peso para las tres especies del género Acanthurus, durante las épocas de sequía (surgencia) y lluvias en el área de Punta de Betín, Santa Marta, Colombia.

Se presentan datos descriptivos, biológicos y ecológicos de las 20 especies de peces serránidos de la tribu Epinephelini conocidas del Caribe colombiano, así como claves para géneros y especies. Descriptive, biological and ecological information about the 20 Colombian Caribbean species of serranid fishes of the tribe Epinephelini (groupers) is presented; keys for identifying genera and species are also included

A new species of jawfish, Opistognathus tenmutis, is described from the Colombian island of Gorgona in the Pacific Ocean, based on four specimens. The new species differs from others already described from the westem American coast by the following characters: dorsal fin with eleven spines and thirteen rays, anal fin with three spines and thirteen rays, pectoral fin with 20-21 rays, 41-44 gillrakers in the first arch, violet lines as the main body coloratlon with no spots or ocelli; also, its maximum body size is over 27 cm.Se describe una especie nueva de Opistognáthido, Opistognathus fenmutis, a partir de cuatro ejemplares provenientes de la isla colombiana de Gorgona. La nueva especie difiere de las otras descritas de la costa occidental de América por tener once espinas y trece radios en la aleta dorsal, tres espinas y trece radios en la aleta anal, 20-21 radios pectorales, 41-44 branquiespinas en el primer arco, y una coloración basada en líneas violetas, sin manchas ni ocelos dorsales; además crece por encima de los 27 cm.

Se registra la presencia del pez carángido Uraspis secunda en el Caribe colombiano a partir de ocho especímenes capturados en faenas de pesca de camarón al sur de Cartagena y otro proveniente del material de un pescador artesanal cerca de Santa Marta. Uraspis secunda is reported by the first time from the Colombian Caribbean, based on eight specimens fished by shrimp trawlers south of Cartagena, and another one captured by an artisanal fisherman near Santa Marta.

301 species of previously reported reef fishes from the north coast of Colombia are listed. In this paper we report 22 species for the first time, and 9 species that were already reported are described. With these new reports 323 species distributed in 63 families are now known from this area. Se presenta una lista de las 301 especies de peces de arrecifes de la costa Norte de Colombia que han sido registradas anteriorrnente en la literatura. Se aportan 22 nuevos registros y se describen 9 especies que habían sido citadas previamente en forma nominal. Incluyendo los nuevos registros, se completa para el área un total de 323 especies distribuidas en 63 familias

Octopus insularis is a shallow‐water octopus distributed throughout the western Atlantic, the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean. To evaluate its phylogeographic pattern, mitochondrial markers (16S rRNA and COIII) and genome‐wide nuclear markers (SNP's) were analyzed in individuals from artisanal fishing in different locations of the Colombian Caribbean coast. Mitochondrial analyzes displayed novel haplotypes (16S = H2, H3 and H4; COIII = H2–H7) and haplotypes shared with distant geographic areas (16S = H1 COIII = H1). The COIII gene did not show genetic differentiation between the analyzed localities, while the 16S gene showed significant differences between Santa Marta and Isla Fuerte. COIII's demographic analysis indicated that the species' effective population size has remained constant. Inferences were made from next‐generation genomic data with restriction site‐associated DNA (ddRAD‐seq) and 6769 polymorphic loci. The pairwise FST test indicated that there are low but significant differences between localities; however, the general molecular analysis of variance (AMOVA) and the principal coordinate analysis showed a lack of spatial structure in the populations analyzed. The Mantel test found no correlation between genetic distance and geographic distance, and the genetic structure analyses showed the presence of one genetic stock. The information obtained in this study indicates the genetic connectivity of O. insularis in the southwestern Caribbean, the absence of putative biogeographic barriers that affect its gene flow, and the crucial role played by life history strategies (planktonic paralarvae) and oceanographic factors to define the current distribution of its genetic diversity in this region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In coral communities, herbivorous fish play a major role in maintaining and controlling algae, which are the base of the food chain in coral reefs. Among the herbivorous fish of coral reefs, the family Acanthuridae is one of the most abundant. Effects of this family on coral reefs can vary depending on their densities, ecosystem stability, and their interactions; therefore, determining the status of their populations is a concern. In the archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia, and Santa Catalina (ASAP) there is a lack of information on the status of the abundances and densities of this group. Through visual censuses of species of the genus Acanthurus, the population states in the ASAP coral communities and the population differences between the evaluated sites (San Andrés, isla cayo Bolívar, isla cayo Serrana and Providencia) were estimated. Showing an abundance of 6075 individuals, in addition to a positive relationship of abundances in the islands of San Andrés and Providencia with respect to the Bolívar and Serrana keys. Regarding the habitat preference of juveniles, a specialization and habitat preference of A. coeruleus was found for reef zones, while A. tractus showed a preference for mangroves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]