New finding and description of the Galapagos batfish, Ogcocephalus darwini (Actinopterygii: Lophiiformes: Ogcocephalidae), in marine waters of Manabi, Ecuador

Abstract

The finding of a specimen of the Galapagos batfish, Ogcocephalus darwini Hubbs, 1958 in marine waters of continental Ecuador was recorded. The specimen was captured by the artisanal fishing fleet that operates with bottom longlines in Las Piñas fishing cove, Manta Municipality, Manabí province, Ecuador. The specimen was transferred to the Biology Laboratory of the Faculty of Marine Sciences of the Universidad Laica Eloy Alfaro de Manabí, where morphometric data were taken for its identification. Until now, the species was considered endemic to the Galapagos, but it had been reported off northern Peru and now from the Ecuadorian continental shelf.