Moreno-Méndez A., Campos-León S., Béarez P. 2020. First record of a stranded specimen of the sharptail mola, Masturus lanceolatus (Actinopterygii: Tetraodontiformes: Molidae), from the central coast of Peru. Acta Ichthyol. Piscat. 50 (1): 103–106.

Abstract. The Molidae are a widely distributed family, but they are rarely encountered and their distribution and abundance have poorly been documented. A stranded specimen of the sharptail mola, Masturus lanceolatus (Liénard, 1840), has recently been recorded on a Pacific beach in Peru. We examined, measured and photographed the specimen. It is very likely that the presently reported sharptail mola was originally captured by a Peruvian purse seiner or longliner and later discarded as a useless bycatch.

Keywords: Peru, new record, sunfish, morphology, marine biodiversity