First Record of Two Soldierfishes Species (holocentriformes: Holocentridae) in Mexican Waters of the Gulf of Mexico

Background: The fishes of family Holocentridae are known as squirrelfishes and soldierfishes, they are noc-turnal, and the subfamily Myripristinae has three species deep. The records are sporadic in the northern of the Gulf of Mexico. Goals: To document the new records of two species of squirrelfishes in the Gulf of Mexico. Methods: During the period from November 2021 to May 2022, four specimens of deep-sea squirrelfishes were captured in depths of 80 to 200 m in southern Veracruz, which were identified and deposited in a scientific collection. Results: The morphometric and meristic of the specimens that support the new records of Corniger spinosus (n=1, 129.3 mm standard length [SL]) and Ostichthys trachypoma (n=3, 120.4-197 mm SL) in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico. The first species was recognized by presenting strong spines in the preoperculum and infraorbital, while the second by the absence of spines in the infraorbital and the presence of longitudinal red bands. Conclusions: The records of C. spinosus and O. trachypoma they have a distribu-tion extension in 992.4 km to the south and 1,284 km to the southwest of the Gulf of Mexico, respectively, representing both species the first record in Mexican waters.