Pempheris schomburgkii is widely distributed in the western Atlantic, from Bermuda (32°N) to Santa Catarina, Brazil (29°S). In contrast, a disjunct distribution has been previously assigned to Pempheris poeyi, with populations occurring in the Greater Caribbean and in Trindade Island, Brazil (Pinheiro et al. 2015), at least 5,000 km apart.