Lanternfish (Myctophidae) from eastern Brazil, southwest Atlantic Ocean

Twenty-nine species from 11 genera of Myctophidae were taken in daytime midwater and bottom trawl hauls off eastern Brazil (11 degrees-22 degrees S). Trawls were performed aboard the French R/V Thalassa to depths from 19 to 2271 m, including samples from shelf, slope and in the vicinity of oceanic banks and seamounts. Diaphus garmani was the most abundant species, accounting for 84% of all identified individuals and with four other species (D. dumerilii, D. brachycephalus, D. perspicillatus and Myctophum obtusirostre) accounted for >95% of all myctophids caught. Regarding longitudinal distribution patterns, 16 species are broadly tropical, seven tropical, three subtropical, two temperate and one amphi-Atlantic. For the most abundant and frequent species, highest abundances were associated mainly with cold waters, either South Atlantic Central Water or Antarctic Intermediate Water. Non-metric multidimensional scaling based on species presence-absence in the samples and oceanographic conditions was used to identify spatial distribution of myctophid assemblages. Three assemblages were identified in the studied area: north of Abrolhos Bank, south of Abrolhos Bank, and seamounts.