The increasing occurrence of the reticulated leatherjacket, Stephanolepis diaspros
(Tetraodontiformes, Monacanthidae), a Lessepsian migrant, within the Strait of Sicily,
central Mediterranean, is documented in this study. This is done through the collation of
records of the species from coastal waters off the Maltese Islands, collected between
August 2007 and May 2011, and through the publication of the second validated record
for the same species, collected on 10 December 2013 from the island of Lampedusa
(Pelagian Islands).peer-reviewe
