Sweepers (Pempheridae) are small nocturnal Fish found in the Western Atlantic and Indo-Pacific. They are members of the Perch order, Perciformes, with deeply keeled flattened bodies and large eyes. Some species are eaten and some others caught for use in aquaria.
In a paper published in the journal Zootaxa on 21 March 2014, Randall Mooi of the Manitoba Museum and the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Manitoba and John Randall of the Bishop Museum in Honolulu describe a new species of Sweeper from the Comoro Islands.
The new species is placed in the genus Pempheris and given the specific name bexillon, meaning banner or flag in Greek, a reference to the brightly coloured dorsal fin of the new species. Pempheris bexillon is described from 11 specimens caught around the Comoro Islands, and a further 12 specimens from around the Mascarine Islands and Madagascar, at depths of less than 100 m. It is a 129-151 mm Sweeper with a distinctive yellow and black dorsal fin.
Pempheris bexillon in left lateral view. Mooi & Randall (2014).
See also The new species of Anthia from the Marquesa Islands in French Polynesia, Choking on Fish is a significant cause of death for Dolphins in Indian River Lagoon, Florida, A new species of Blenny from Curaçao, A new species of Jawfish from the coast of Kerala State, India and Two new species of Sandperch from the South China Sea.
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