The first record of the pharaoh cardinal fish, Apogonichthyoides pharaonis (Actinopterygii : Perciformes : Apogonidae), from Libyan waters

The occurrence of the pharaoh cardinalfish, Apogonichthyoides pharaonis (Bellotti, 1874), is documented for the first time from the Libyan waters, after two subsequent findings reported in September and November 2020 in the far eastern region of the country. The location of these findings represents the westernmost area of distribution in the southern Mediterranean for this species, which has the western Indian Ocean and Red Sea origin and which entered into the Mediterranean via the Suez Canal.peer-reviewe

New alien mediterranean biodiversity records (March 2020)

The current article presents 18 new records from seven Mediterranean countries. These records include one rhodophyte, four nudibranchs, two crustaceans, one stingray and 10 bony fishes. They are grouped by country as follows: Lebanon - first record of the Striped bass Morone saxatilis, the stingray Himantura leoparda, the Areolate grouper Epinephelusareolatusand theSpot-fin porcupinefish Diodon hystrix from various parts of the country; Turkey - first record of the invasive red alga Grateloupia turuturufrom the sea of Marmara (region of Bandırma), the sea slug Goniobranchus obsoletus and the crab Arcania brevifrons from the Gulf of Antalya and the cladoceran Pleopis schmackeri from several locations along the Aegean Sea; Cyprus - first record of the alien sea slug Berthellina citrina from the region of Cape Greco and an observation of a butterflyfishHeniochussp. from the north-eastern side of the island; Greece - first record of the alien sea slug Anteaeolidiella lurana from the region of Heraklion in Crete and the record of the Atlantic spadefish Chaetodipterus faber and the Black surgeonfish Acanthurus cfr gahhmfrom Salamina Island; Slovenia - first record of the alien sea slug Thecacera pennigera from Izola; Italy - first record of the hybrid Striped bass (Morone saxatilis × Morone chrysops) from the northern Tyrrhenian Sea and a first record of the goldfish Carassius auratus from the region of Apulia; Libya - first record of the Red Sea goatfish Parupeneus forsskali and the African surgeonfish Acanthurus monroviae, respectively from the eastern (Al-Tamimi area) and the western shore (Al-Khums area).University Research Board of the American University of Beirut. DDF 103367/23927 y AUB 513071TÜBİTAK (Consejo de Investigación Científica y Tecnológica de Turquía) 114Y238Programa de Investigación e innovación de Horizonte 2020 de la Unión Europea. 730984Ministero dell'Istruzione de Italia (MIUR)ImPrEco Project de la Unión Europea. Interreg ADRION Programme 2014–2020 CUP C69H1800025000

First reports of the Sohal surgeonfish, Acanthurus sohal (Forsskål, 1775) (Actinopterygii, Acanthuridae), and the Violet-eyed swimming crab, Carupa tenuipes Dana, 1852 (Decapoda, Brachyura, Portunidae), from North African waters

On March 25, 2022, one specimen of the Sohal surgeonfish Acanthurus sohal and one of the Violet-eyed swimming crab Carupa tenuipes were collected for the first time off the north coastline of Egypt and Libya, respectively. The native range of both species includes the Red Sea, and here, they are reported for the first time from the southern Mediterranean Sea. The second record of the Lessepsian migrant Pteragogus trispilus from Libyan waters, also caught on March 25, 2022, is furthermore included.peer-reviewe

New Alien Mediterranean Biodiversity Records (August 2022)

In this Collective Article on alien and cryptogenic diversity in the Mediterranean Sea we report a total of 19 species belonging to nine Phyla and coming from nine countries. Several of these records concern fish species, and of particular interest are the first records of: Terapon puta for Italian waters; Pteragopus trispilus from Malta; Plotosus lineatus from Cyprus; and the northernmost Mediterranean record of Lagocephalus sceleratus. The northernmost Mediterranean record was also reported for the sea urchin Diadema setosum. The portunid crab Thalamita poissonii was recorded for the first time in Libya. The copepod Pseudodiaptomus marinus was recorded for the first time in the Marmara Sea. The polychaete Branchiomma luctuosum was recorded for the first time from the Mediterranean coast of France. The alien anemone Diadumene lineata was recorded for the first time from Slovenia. The macroalgae Sargassum furcatum was recorded for the first time from Italy. The new Mediterranean records here reported help tracing abundance and distribution of alien and cryptic species in the Mediterranean Sea

Low Pufferfish and Lionfish Predation in Their Native and Invaded Ranges Suggests Human Control Mechanisms May Be Necessary to Control Their Mediterranean Abundances

The silver-cheeked toadfish (Lagocephalus sceleratus, from the pufferfish family Tetraodontidae) and the Pacific red lionfish (Pterois miles, family Scorpaenidae) have recently invaded the Mediterranean Sea. Lagocephalus sceleratus has spread throughout this entire sea with the highest concentrations in the eastern basin, while more recently, Pterois miles has spread from the Eastern to the Central Mediterranean Sea. Their effects on local biodiversity and fisheries are cause for management concern. Here, a comprehensive review of predators of these two species from their native Indo-Pacific and invaded Mediterranean and Western Atlantic ranges is presented. Predators of Tetraodontidae in general were reviewed for their native Indo-Pacific and Western Atlantic ranges, as no records were found specifically for L. sceleratus in its native range. Tetraodontidae predators in their native ranges included mantis shrimp (Stomatopoda), lizardfish (Synodus spp.), tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier), lemon shark (Negaprion brevirostris), sea snakes (Enhydrina spp.), catfish (Arius spp.), cobia (Rachycentron canadum), skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis), and common octopus (Octopus vulgaris). The only reported predator of adult L. sceleratus in the Mediterranean was loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta), whereas juvenile L. sceleratus were preyed by common dolphinfish (Coryphaena hippurus) and garfish (Belone belone). Conspecific cannibalism of L. sceleratus juveniles was also confirmed in the Mediterranean. Pufferfish predators in the Western Atlantic included common octopus, frogfish (Antennaridae), and several marine birds. Predators of all lionfish species in their native Indo-Pacific range included humpback scorpionfish (Scorpaenopsis spp.), bobbit worms (Eunice aphroditois), moray eels (Muraenidae), and bluespotted cornetfish (Fistularia commersonii). Lionfish predators in the Mediterranean included dusky grouper (Epinephelus marginatus), white grouper (Epinephelus aeneus), common octopus, and L. sceleratus, whereas in the Western Atlantic included the spotted moray (Gymnothorax moringa), multiple grouper species (tiger Mycteroperca tigris, Nassau Epinephelus striatus, black Mycteroperca bonaci, red Epinephelus morio, and gag Mycteroperca microleps; Epinephelidae), northern red snapper (Lutjanus campechanus), greater amberjack (Seriola dumerilli), and nurse shark (Ginglymostoma cirratum). The sparse data found on natural predation for these species suggest that population control via predation may be limited. Their population control may require proactive, targeted human removals, as is currently practiced with lionfish in the Western Atlantic.</jats:p

Record of Terapon jarbua (Forsskål, 1775) (Terapontidae) and Acanthopagrus bifasciatus (Forsskål, 1775) (Sparidae) in the Egyptian Mediterranean waters

An individual of the non-indigenous fish Terapon jarbua and one of Acanthopagrus bifasciatus were fished from the coastal waters off Alexandria, Egypt in November 2020. The former was collected with shore jigging and the latter with a trammel net. The record of T. jarbua constitutes the first one for the Mediterranean Egyptian waters and the second one for the entire Mediterranean basin. The record of A. Bifasciatus is the first one for the Mediterranean Egyptian waters and the fourth for the Mediterranean. The morphometric and meristic characteristics of the recorded individuals are hereby presented, along with different hypotheses explaining the entry within the Mediterranean of these non-indigenous species.peer-reviewe

Records of new and rare alien fish in North African waters : the burrowing goby Trypauchen vagina (Bloch and Schneider, 1801) and the bartail flathead Platycephalus indicus (Linnaeus, 1758) in Egypt and the cobia Rachycentron canadum (Linnaeus, 1766) in Libya

The first records of Trypauchen vagina (Bloch and Schneider, 1801) from Mediterranean Egyptian waters and of Rachycentron canadum (Linnaeus, 1766) from Libyan waters are hereby described, providing new information on the expansion of these two Lessepsian fishes along the southern Mediterranean coasts lying to the west of the Suez Canal. The finding of another Lessepsian fish, Platycephalus indicus (Linnaeus, 1758) from a region further west of its previously- known introduced distribution within Egyptian Mediterranean waters, is also reported, indicating an ongoing successful establishment of this species, previously considered uncommon within the same waters.peer-reviewe

Invasive portunid crabs in Libyan waters : first record of the Atlantic blue crab Callinectes sapidus Rathbun, 1896 and range expansion of the swimming blue crab Portunus segnis (Forskål, 1775)

The occurrence of the portunid Callinectes sapidus is documented for the first time from Libyan waters. The record fills a gap of knowledge concerning the distribution of this non-indigenous crab of Atlantic origin, that currently has invaded almost all the Mediterranean basin. Recent records of the Lessepsian crab Portunus segnis, already known from Libyan waters, ascertain furthermore its establishment within and its range expansion along the coastline of the country.peer-reviewe

First record of enchelycore anatina (Muraenidae) from Libyan waters and an additional record from southern Italy (western Ionian Sea)

In the Bomba Gulf, Tobruk, eastern Libya, a specimen of the fangtooth moray, Enchelycore anatina (Lowe, 1839), was caught in gill nets at approximately 20 m of depth. An additional observation of the species from southern Calabria, Italy, is also reported. The findings of this range-expanding species of Atlantic origin document the first record from Libyan waters and from the southern shores of the Mediterranean Sea as well as the expansion of the species’ distribution in western Ionian waters.peer-reviewe

Lessons From the Western Atlantic Lionfish Invasion to Inform Management in the Mediterranean

Major invasions of Indo-Pacific lionfish (Pterois volitansandP. miles) areunderway in the Western Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. While the establishment of lionfish in the Western Atlantic is perhaps the most well-studied marine fish invasion to date, the rapidly expanding invasion in the Mediterranean is more recent and has received less attention. Here we review and synthesize successes and failures from two decades of lionfish management in the Western Atlantic to give policy recommendations for their management in the Mediterranean. Two failed approaches that were attempted multiple times in the Western Atlantic and that we advise against are (1) feeding lionfish to native fish to promote predation and (2) implementing bounty programs to incentivize lionfish harvest. Broadly, the most important management lessons that we recommend include (1) conducting routine removals by spearfishing with scuba, which can effectively suppress local abundances of lionfish; (2) encouraging the development of recreational and commercial lionfish fisheries, which can promote long-term, sustainable lionfish population control; and, (3) engaging local communities and resource users (e.g., with lionfish removal tournaments), whichcan concurrently achieve multiple objectives of promoting lionfish removals, market-development, research, and public education. Managers in the Western Atlantic often needed to adapt current conservation policies to enable lionfish removals in areas where spearfishing with scuba was otherwise prohibited for conservation purposes. The risk of abusing these policies was mitigated through the use of gear restrictions, diver trainings, and through participatory approaches that integrated scuba divers and stakeholder organizations in lionfish research and management. Our review of policies and practices in the Mediterranean Sea found that many of our recommended lionfish management approaches are not being done and indicate potential opportunities to implement these. We expect and fully recommend that work continues towards multinational cooperation to facilitate regional coordination of research, control, and management efforts with respect to the Mediterranean lionfish invasion. As with other major biological invasions, lionfish are unconstrained by political borders and their control will require rapid and strategic management approaches with broad cooperation among and between governments and stakeholders