Abstract
Seven species of whale fishes, belonging to three families, were collected by assorted research vessels from various locations within the Gulf of Mexico from 1965 through 1987. This material, which includes two species new to the region, raises the recorded number of cetomimoid species
in the Gulf to eight. A significant positive correlation was found between size and maximum depth of capture for all Gulf specimens of Cetostoma regani (r = 0.84, P < 0.02, N = 7), indicating the possibility of ontogenetic descent for this species. Gulf of Mexico whalefishes
exhibit broad horizontal distribution patterns common among bathypelagic fishes. The relatively high species richness exhibited by cetomimoid fishes in the Gulf appears to be characteristic of midwater fish assemblages associated with low latitude, oligotrophic environments.