Voucher-verified checklist of Colombian Pacific marine fishes with emphasis on material deposited in Colombian museums

A checklist of marine fishes from the Colombian Pacific is presented based on an appraisal of local inventories published in peer-reviewed journals and validation of records with voucher specimens deposited in Colombian marine fish collections and photographic records. Unpublished information collected over several years by the authors is also included. An exhaustive re-evaluation of the taxonomy of all species present in the area was also carried out. As a result, 727 species were confirmed, representing close to 50% of the 1,468 shallow water fish species reported from the Eastern Tropical Pacific (ETP). The diversity of marine fishes in Colombia was classified into three classes, 60 orders, 149 families, and 412 genera. Of these classes, only one species belongs to Myxini (hagfishes), 64 to Chondrichthyes (sharks, rays, and chimaeras), and 663 to Actinopterygii (bony fishes). In addition, 35 new records are presented for the Pacific of Colombia. Finally, all this diversity is characterized according to different ecological variables such as depth and bottom preference, among others, with the following results: 43% of all the species are benthopelagic, 54% of which are predominantly soft bottom dwellers. A total of 283 bony fishes (39% of all the species) are considered to have commercial value or are involved in some trade. Additionally, a list of 77 species that have only been recorded in larval stages is also presented. This comprehensive list provides a valuable resource for future research, conservation efforts, and fisheries management in the Colombian Pacific.