Myripristis berndti (non Jordan & Evermann, 1903) Jordan & Evermann, 1903

Andréfouët, Serge, Chen, Wei-Jen, Kinch, Jeff, Mana, Ralph, Russell, Barry C., Tully, Dean & White, William T., 2019, Checklist of the marine and estuarine fishes of New Ireland Province, Papua New Guinea, western Pacific Ocean, with 810 new records, Zootaxa 4588 (1), pp. 1-360 : 81

Myripristis berndti Jordan & Evermann 1903—Blotcheye soldierfish, bigscale soldierfish

Status at New Ireland. First recorded from New Ireland by Allen & Erdmann (2012: 168). Specimens observed at Kavieng fish market in 2004–2005 by Jeff Kinch during CFMDP Survey , and by Barry C. Russell on 21 and 28 June 2014; a video of a specimen taken off Patio Island, southeast of New Hanover at 5–14 m depth, St. KR 96, in 2014 (identified by Barry C. Russell).

Distribution and habitat. New Ireland: 1, 2.—General distribution: Red Sea, East and South Africa east to Costa Rica, north to Ryukyu, Ogasawara and Midway islands, south to Western Australia at 22°S, Lord Howe and Kermadec islands, and Rapa. Found in coral-rich areas of subtidal reef flats, channels and margins of outer reef slopes, and also on rocky reefs, hiding in holes and crevices during the day, 1–50 m depth. Marine.