
Ounifi Ben Amor KhadijaFaculté des Sciences de Tunis, Université Tunis El Manar, Tunis Tunisie.University of Tunis El Manar · Laboratoire de Biodiversité, Biotechnologie et Changements Climatique
Ounifi Ben Amor Khadija
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Publications (59)
To enrich spatio-temporal information on the distribution of alien, cryptogenic, and neonative species in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, a collective effort by 173 marine scientists was made to provide unpublished records and make them open access to the scientific community. Through this effort, we collected and harmonized a dataset of 12,64...
– A total of 2103 specimens of an alien species Paracerceis sculpta (Holmes, 1904) was collected between November 2016 and July 2017 in Tunis Southern Lagoon, brack¬ish area located in northern eastern Tunisia. The species is a native from southern California and invaded the Mediterranean Sea during the late seventies. P. sculpta was found below st...
The authors report in the present paper the capture of two specimens of a rare shark, angular rough shark Oxynotus centrina (Linnaeus, 1758), from the northern coast of Tunisia. A first specimen was a juvenile female caught off Ras Jebel, the second specimen was a juvenile male caught off Kelibia. These captures occurred after two decades in the ar...
Over a hundred specimens of the invasive Massawan mantis shrimp Erugosquilla massavensis (Koss-mann, 1880) were captured in Tunisian waters (Gulf of Gabes) in 2018-2019 vs eight individuals recorded for the first time in 2013 in the same area. The species is already established and regularly caught among fishery resources by commercial benthic traw...
Depuis son occurrence en 2014, le crabe bleu Portunus segnis (Forskål, 1775) originaire de l'Indo Pacifique est devenu l'une des pires espèces invasives des côtes tunisiennes. Il a connu une expansion fulgurante avec des impacts socio-économiques et écologiques désastreux. Une seconde invasion biologique, celle par, Callinectes sapidus Rathbun, 189...
Good datasets of geo-referenced records of alien species are a prerequisite for assessing the spatio-temporal dynamics of biological invasions, their invasive potential, and the magnitude of their impacts. However, with the exception of first records on a country level or wider regions, observations of species presence tend to remain unpublished, b...
Good datasets of geo-referenced records of alien species are a prerequisite for assessing the spatio-temporal dynamics of biological invasions, their invasive potential, and the magnitude of their impacts. However, with the exception of first records on a country level or wider regions, observations of species presence tend to remain unpublished, b...
This paper presents the unusual capture of a shoal of Hexanchus griseus in the Strait of Sicily, close to northern Tunisia. In all, 21 specimens were collected. Their Total Length ranged between 180 and 220 cm, and Total Body Weight between 90 and 120 kg. The distribution of the species off the Tuni-sian coast and the conditions of the capture are...
Abstract.- In a sample of garfish Belone belone gracilis Lowe, 1839, collected
off the northern Tunisian coast, the authors report the presence of a first specimen parasited
by the cirripedia Conchoderma virgatum splenger, 1789, and a second specimen
exhibiting an anomaly on upper jaw. Biological observations carried out on normal
specimens reveale...
This paper reports the capture of a specimen of round fantail stingray Taeniurops grabata (Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire,
1817) on the northern coast of Tunisia, caught in deep waters, at a depth of 450 m. It was a large specimen of 1.12
m in disc width, 2.70 m in total length and 110 kg in total body weight. This is the largest and heaviest specimen
know...
Traffic vessels is considered the most important pathway of introduction of Non-Indigenous species (NIS). The spread of organisms and propagules occurs mainly through ballast water and biofouling. Artificial structures in harbors and marinas, provide suitable habitat for the settlement of NIS. Investigations carried out in the marinas of the easter...
Surveys conducted for updating marine biodiversity in Tunisian lagoons showed that 18% of non indigenous Tunisian fauna was firstly recorded in these confined areas: 18 species in Tunis Lagoon, 2 in Bizerte Lagoon, 3 in Boughrara and 2 in Bahiret El Bibane. Most of these species are now established in their new environment and we argue to consider...
On 1 May 2018, five specimens of Centrolophus niger (Gmelin, 1789) were captured by a shrimp trawler on the
sandy bottom at a depth of 35 m in the Gulf of Gabès; they measured between 185 and 433 mm in total length and
weighed between 47.9 and 698.8 g. On 17 May 2018, another, single specimen was captured by a shrimp trawler on the sandy-muddy bott...
Sand sole, Pegusa lascaris (Risso, 1810), was previously reported in the Tunisian marine waters but no details were provided on its description and capture. Two captures of the species off Kélibia, in the northeastern coast of Tunisia allow us to present the first substantiated records in the this area, including description , morphometric measurem...
The authors report an additional record of tripletail Lobotes surinamensis off Ras Jebel in northern Tunisia. The specimen was caught with a trammel net at a depth of 6 m, measuring 430 mm in total length and weighing 1206 g. To date, 9 specimens of this species have been recorded in Tunisian waters, with 35 records documented in the entire Mediter...
A large female sandbar shark Carcharhinus plumbeus (Nardo, 1827), measuring 3 m in total length and weighing 70 kg, was caught in the waters surrounding La Galite Island and the Cani Rocks located 100 km off Tabarka, a city in northern Tunisia. The specimen of C. plumbeus presented in this article is probably the largest and heaviest recorded to da...
The present paper reports the first record of Adriatic sole Pegusa impar (Bennett, 1831) from the Syrian coast. This record confirms the occurrence of the species in the Levant Basin but does not suggest that a viable population is successfully established in this region. Its rarity in the area is probably due to misidentifications with other conge...
A total of 4665 specimens of Sphaeromavenustissimum Monod, 1931 were collected between February 2012 and January 2013, in Tunis Southern Lagoon, a brackish area located in northern Tunisia. This species was mainly recorded in the Atlantic Ocean and recently extended its natural range toward the southern Mediterranean Sea. Biological and ecological...
A total of 4665 specimens of Sphaeroma venustissimum Monod, 1931 were collected between February 2012 and January 2013, in Tunis Southern Lagoon, brackish area located in northern Tunisia. This species was mainly recorded in the Atlantic Ocean and recently extended its natural range toward southern Mediterranean Sea. Biological and ecological trait...
The present paper report unusual and additional records of sharpnose seven-gill shark Heptranchias perlo (Bonnaterre, 1788) from the northeastern Tuni-sian waters. Four specimens were collected in the Gulf of Tunis and two specimens off Bizerte. The specimens were measured for total length and weighed. The specimens from Bizerte were described in t...
The authors present the first record of a Lessepsian migrant identified as Parupeneus forsskali (Fourmanoir & Guézé, 1976) based on an underwater photograph taken by a diver in the waters surrounding the Jerba Island (southern Tunisia). It is the fifth mullid species recorded in the area. The present note provides comments on the distribution of th...
This paper reports the occurrence of Sloane’s viperfi sh Chauliodus sloani Schneider, 1801, from the Tunisian
coast. Two specimens were collected by shrimp trawl during a scientifi c survey carried out in the northern area of
the country. The specimens were caught in deep waters, at a depth of 410 m. The lack of knowledge of this species
in the Med...
This paper reports an additional record of red-eye round herring Etrumeus golanii DiBattista, Randall & Bowen,
2012 from the Tunisian coast. The studied specimen was singled out from a 640 kg haul of E. golanii caught off
the northern Tunisian coast. The abundant catch suggests that an important and viable population has successfully established in...
This paper reports the first record of two specimens of wedge sole Dicologlossa cuneata (Moreau, 1881) from
the Tunisian coast. This record confirms the occurrence of the species off the Maghreb shore, but do not suggest a successful establishment of a viable population in this region. Its rarity in Tunisian waters is probably due to the fact that,...
A common eagle ray Myliobatis aquila (Linnaeus, 1758) exhibiting abnormal male and female traits on the
left side of the genital apparatus was captured off the north-eastern Tunisian coast. As the specimen could not be
considered a functioning adult male and/or female, it was classifi ed as an abnormal hermaphrodite. This is the latest
of the 16 he...
This study presents the capture of a large female Hexanchus griseus in the Gulf of Tunis, northern Tunisia. The total length (TL) of the specimen was 3.5 m and the wet-weight was 220 kg. It was carrying fertilized eggs in both uteri and was at the beginning of the gestation. The distribution of the species off the Tunisian coast and in the Mediterr...
Abstract: Regular surveys, conducted in the Tunis Southern Lagoon from June 2014 to May 2015 in 10 stations, allowed us to sample 44 crustacean species: 31 are autochthonous and 13 allochthonous. These new settlements are the consequences of the successfully environmental restoration of the area, which enhanced the presence of species locally unkno...
Abstract: Regular surveys, conducted in the Tunis Southern Lagoon from June 2014 to May 2015 in 10 stations, allowed
us to sample 44 crustacean species: 31 are autochthonous and 13 allochthonous. These new settlements are the
consequences of the successfully environmental restoration of the area, which enhanced the presence of species locally
unkno...
The present paper represents an additional and unusual record of the long jaw snake eel, Ophisurus serpens (Osteichthyes: Ophichthidae) in the Lagoon of Bizerte, a brackish area located in northern Tunisia. The specimen measured 1890 mm in total length and weighed 1096 g, it is described in the present paper including morphometric measurements and...
The record of bluemouth rockfish Helicolenus dactylopterus (Delaroche, 1809) at low depth suggests that the species is prone to large vertical migrations. This capture confirms the occurrence of the species in the Tunisian waters where it is known as very rare. It confirms also the success of ecological restoration of Tunis Southern Lagoon and the...
This contribution forms part of a series of collective articles published regularly in Mediterranean Marine Science that report on new biodiversity records from the Mediterranean basin. The current article presents 51 geographically distinct records for 21 taxa belonging to 6 Phyla, extending from the western Mediterranean to the Levantine. The new...
The present paper reports on the captures of two female specimens of tripletail Lobotes surinamensis (Bloch, 1790) in a peri-Mediterranean lagoon, the Tunis Southern Lagoon, located in north-eastern Tunisia. Both specimens are herein described and their intrusion in such brackish area is explained. It appears that in the past decade, captures of L....
During investigations conducted after the environmental restoration of the Tunis Southern Lagoon, a total of 44 crustacean species belonging to 27 families were recorded, including 19 decapods, 11 isopods, 10 amphipods, 3 cirripeds and a single stomatopod. Of these 44 species, 31 were autochthonous and 13 allochthonous. Six species were recorded in...
Westernmost occurrence of the dusky spinefoot, Siganus luridus (Osteichthyes, Siganidae) along North African coasts.— A specimen of dusky spinefoot Siganus luridus (Rüppel, 1829) was recorded in the peri-Mediterranean lagoon of Bizerte in northern Tunisia. This record constitutes the northernmost range of the species in Tunisian waters and the west...
An updated inventory of alien marine fauna in coastal and offshore Tunisian waters is presented. Records were compiled from scientific and ‘grey’ publications, presentations at scientific meetings, theses presented in fulfillment of requirements towards MSc and PhD degrees, websites and personal observations. 136 alien species were recorded in Tuni...
Growth of the invasive cockle fulvia fragilis
This study is the first on condition index monitoring for Fulvia fragilis, a nonindigenous
and invasive species in Tunisia. It is a simultaneous hermaphroditic cockle
with a diffuse gonad. Condition indices (total and those relating to the visceral mass
(gonad and digestive gland) and the rest of the flesh) were monitored monthly in two
northern Tu...
Surveys recently conducted throughout the Tunisian coast allow to record, for the first time, the indo pacific
mantis shrimp Erugosquilla massavensis (Kossmann, 1880) in the area. Of the 11 specimens observed, 8 were collected in
the Gulf of Gabes and 3 in Tunis Southern Lagoon. These new records point out an extension range of the species in the
M...
During the last decades, 4 alien isopods have been reported from harbours and nearby lagoons in Tunisia. The intensification of shipping activities and the significant increase in the average water temperature has been enhanced the introduction and the establishment of non indigenous species. Since its occurrence Sphaeroma walkeri was studied. A br...