First record of the Marbled spinefoot Siganus rivulatus in Italy

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230 Medit. Mar. Sci., 17/1, 2016, 230-252
New Mediterranean Biodiversity Records (March 2016)
P. K. KA R AC H LE 1, A. ANGELIDIS2, G. APOSTOLOPOULOS3, D. AYAS4, M. BALLESTEROS5, C. BONNICI6,
M.M. BRODERSEN1, L. CASTRIOTA7, N. CHALARI1, J.M. COTTALORDA8, F. CROCETTA1, A. DEIDUN6,
9, A. DOGRAMMATZI110, F. FIORENTINO11, O. GÖNÜLAL12, J.G. HARMELIN13,
G. INSACCO14, D. IZQUIERDO-GÓMEZ15, A. IZQUIERDO-MUÑOZ1617, S. KAVADAS1,
M.A.E. MALAQUIAS18, E. MADRENAS19, D. MASSI11, P. MICARELLI20, D. MINCHIN21, U. ÖNAL22, P. OVALIS23,
D. POURSANIDIS24, A. SIAPATIS1, E. SPERONE20, A. SPINELLI25, C. STAMOULI1, F. TIRALONGO26,
S. TUNÇER22, D. YAGLIOGLU27, B. ZAVA28 and A. ZEN ETOS 1
1 Hellenic Center of Marine Research, Institute of Marine Biological Resources and Inland Waters, 46.7 km Athens
Sounio ave., P.O. Box 712, 19013 Anavyssos Attiki, Greece
2 Kapetan Vangeli 5, 54646 Thessaloniki, Greece
3 Kallidromiou 41, Athens, GR 10681, Greece
4 Fisheries Faculty, Mersin University, Mersin, Turkey
5 Department of Animal Biology, University of Barcelona, Avda. Diagonal, 643, 08028 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
6 Department of Geosciences, University of Malta, Msida MSD 2080 Malta
7 Institute for Environmental Protection and Research, ISPRA, STS-Palermo, 90143 Palermo, Italy
8 Université de Nice Sophia Antipolis, CNRS FRE 3729, ECOMERS, Parc Valrose, 06108 Nice Cedex 2, France
9 University of Dubrovnik, Department for Aquaculture, 20000 Dubrovnik, Croatia
10 Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries, P.O.Box 500, 21000 Split, Croatia
11 Institute for Coastal Marine Environment (IAMC), Italian National Research Council (CNR), Via L. Vaccara, 61 - 91026
Mazara del Vallo (TP), Italy
12 Istanbul University, Gökceada Marine Research Department, Kaleköy Canakkale, Turkey
13 Aix-Marseille Université, GIS Posidonie & Mediterranean Institute of Oceanography (MIO), OSU Pytheas, Station
Marine d’Endoume, 13007 Marseille, France
14 Museo Civico di Storia Naturale, via degli Studi 9, 97013 Comiso (RG), Italy
15 Marine Science and Applied Biology Department, University of Alicante, 03080 Alicante, Spain
16 Center of Marine Research of Santa Pola, (CIMAR), Cuartel Torre d’en Mig, 03130 Santa Pola, Alicante, Spain
17 Institute of Marine Biology, P.O.Box 69, 85330 Kotor, Montenegro
18 Phylogenetic Systematics and Evolution Research Group, Section of Taxonomy and Evolution, Department of Natural
History, University Museum of Bergen, University of Bergen, PB 7800, 5020-Bergen, Norway
19 VIMAR Research Group, OPK-Opistobranquis; http://opistobranquis.info/es/vimar/#gsc.tab=0
20 Centro Studi Squali – Aquarium Mondo Marino Massa Marittima, Italy
21 Marine Organism Investigations, 3 Marina Village, Ballina, Killaloe, Co Clare, Ireland
22 
23 
24 Institute of Applied and Computational Mathematics, Foundation for Research and Technology, Nikolaou Plastira 100,
Vassilika Vouton, P.O. Box 1385, GR-71110, Heraklion, Crete, Greece
25 Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, 98166 Messina, Italy
26 Ente Fauna Marina Mediterranea, Avola Siracusa Italy, Via M Rapisardi, trav.VIII-n°2, 96012, Italy
27 Department of Biology, Faculty of Arts and Science, Duzce University, Duzce, Turkey
28 Wilderness studi ambientali, via Cruillas 27, 90146 Palermo, Italy
Abstract
In this Collective Article on “New Mediterranean Biodiversity Records”, we present additional records of species found
in the Mediterranean Sea. These records refer to eight different countries mainly throughout the northern part of the basin, and
Spain: Callinectes sapidus
and Chelidonura fulvipunctata; Monaco: Aplysia dactylomela; Italy: Charybdis (Charybdis) feriata, Carcharodon carcharias,
Seriola fasciata, and Siganus rivulatus; Malta: Pomacanthus asfur; Croatia: Lagocephalus sceleratus and Pomadasys incisus;
Montenegro: Lagocephalus sceleratus; Greece: Amathia (Zoobotryon) verticillata, Atys macandrewii, Cerithium scabridum,
cf. folium, Ergalatax junionae, Septifer cumingii, Syphonota geographica, Syrnola fasciata, Oxyu-
richthys petersi, Scarus ghobban, Scorpaena maderensis, Solea aegyptiaca and Upeneus pori; Tu r key: Lobotes surinamensis,
Ruvettus pretiosus and Ophiocten abyssicolum. In the current article, the presence of Ta r ac t e s r u be s c en s (Jordan & Evermann,
Italy. The great contribution of citizen scientists in monitoring


Mediterranean Marine Science
Indexed in WoS (Web of Science, ISI Thomson) and SCOPUS
The journal is available on line at http://www.medit-mar-sc.net
DOI: 10.12681/mms.1684

Medit. Mar. Sci., 17/1, 2016, 230-252 231
Introduction
The importance of reporting new records of species,
        -
ferent areas of the basin (distribution expansion range),
-
nity as a means for detecting and monitoring biodiversity
-
creasing submission rate of communications in the Col-
lective Article Series A of the Mediterranean Marine Sci-

since the launch of the series.
Table 1. List of species presented in “New Mediterranean Biodiversity Records (March 2016)”, including sub-chapter (SC),
locality of record and country. LN = location number (Fig. 1).
Taxon SC Location/Area Country LN
Phylum BRYOZOA Ehrenberg, 1831
Amathia (Zoobotryon) verticillata 7.1 Aegina Island Greece 1
Phylum ARTHROPODA von Siebold, 1848
Callinectes sapidus 1.2 Guardamar del Spain 2
Segura, Pinedo
Charybdis (Charybdis) feriata 3.1 Livorno Italy 3
Phylum MOLLUSCA Linnaeus, 1758
Aplysia dactylomela 2.1 Monaco Monaco 4
Atys macandrewii 7.3 Saronikos Gulf Greece 5
Cerithium scabridum 7.4 Apella, Kastellorizo Island Greece 6
 7.3 Faliraki, Rodos Island Greece 7
 7.4 Kastellorizo Island Greece 8
Chelidonura fulvipunctata 1.1 S’Algar, Menorca Spain 9
cf. folium 7.3 Faliraki, Rodos Island Greece 10
cf. folium 7.4 Kastellorizo Island Greece 11
Ergalatax junionae 7.4 Kavala Greece 12
Septifer cumingii 7.4 Chalki Island Greece 13
Septifer cumingii 7.4 Kastellorizo Island Greece 14
Syphonota geographica 7.2 Drepano, Korinthiakos Gulf Greece 15
Syrnola fasciata 7.3 Saronikos Gulf Greece 16
Phylum CHORDATA Haeckel, 1874
Carcharodon carcharias 3.2 Lampedusa Italy 17
Lagocephalus sceleratus 6.1  Montenegro 18
Lagocephalus sceleratus 6.1 Lapad Bay Croatia 19
Lobotes surinamensis 8.2 Çanakkale Strait Turkey 20
Oxyurichthys petersi 7.6 Kastellorizo Island Greece 21
Pomacanthus asfur 4.1 SE coast Malta 22
Pomadasys incisus 5.1 Pelješac peninsula Croatia 23
Ruvettus pretiosus 8.3 Mersin Bay Turkey 24
Scarus ghobban 7.6 Kastellorizo Island Greece 25
Scorpaena maderensis 7.7 Saronikos Gulf Greece 26
Seriola fasciata 3.3 Canale Faro Italy 27
Siganus rivulatus 3.4 Donnalucata, Ragusa, Sicily Italy 28
Solea aegyptiaca 7.7 Malliakos Gulf Greece 29
Taractes rubescens 3.5 Southern Tyrrhenian Sea Italy 30
Upeneus pori 7.5 Saronikos Gulf Greece 31
Phylum ECHINODERMATA Bruguière, 1791 [ex Klein, 1734]
Ophiocten abyssicolum 8.1 Gökçeada island Turkey 32
Fig. 1: Locations of records of new species in the Mediterranean Sea presented in “New Mediterranean Biodiversity Records (March -11
2016)”. Numbers of locations are given in Table 1.

232 Medit. Mar. Sci., 17/1, 2016, 230-252
In this, we present 32 new records of 28 species in
the Mediterranean Sea (Table 1; Fig. 1), with the pres-
ence of Taractes rubescens (Jordan & Evermann, 1887)
        
       
namely Bryozoa (one species), Arthropoda (two spe-
cies), Mollusca (10 species), Chordata (14 species) and
Echinodermata (one species). The vast majority of the
new records are reported from the East Mediterranean,

number of records in this country resulted from those
reported by citizen scientists (sub-chapters 7.3, 7.4 and

increasing. Indeed, out of the 40 co-authors of this Col-
lective Article, three are citizen scientists, who contrib-
uted 12 additional records (10 Mollusca and 2 Chordata),

Apart from the contributors of this article, the overall in-

acknowledgements of the authors of this article to peo-

specimens presented here. Hence, the role and contribu-
tion of citizen-scientists in biodiversity records is essen-
-

in close collaboration with experts.
M.A.E. Malaquias, E. Madrenas and M. Ballesteros
The cephalaspidean gastropod Aglajidae sea slug
species Chelidonura fulvipunctata   
from Seto in Japan and is widespread across the tropical
    

Sea, in Turkey, and, at the time, it was described as a
new species named C. mediterranea (Swennen, 1961),
later synonymized with C. fulvipunctata. For a long time,
the Mediterranean record appeared to be an accidental
observation until more than two decades later, when a
second specimen was sighted in Israel (Mienis & Gat,
1987) and then three additional specimens in the Maltese
islands (see Sammut & Perrone, 1998), while during the
current decade, two specimens of this slug were reported
in Cyprus (Tsiakkiros & Zenetos, 2011).
Over the years, C. fulvipunctata has spread across the
eastern and central parts of the Mediterranean Sea, but
it was only recently that a specimen was observed in its
western part, along the coast of France (Horst, 2015).
This contribution aims to report a new occurrence
in the Mediterranean Sea, representing the westernmost
observation to date of C. fulvipunctata in this realm. A
single specimen of approximately 10 mm (Fig. 2) was
found on August 21st 2015 at 5 m deep and photographed
in situ in the locality of S’Algar, Menorca Island, Bal-
earic Islands (39.49772° N, 04.18183° E). The specimen
was crawling on coarse sand with small pebbles, shell
debris, and scattered patches of green algae probably of
the species .
 
tropical species in the western Mediterranean and sup-
ports the view that the species is expanding across the en-
tire Mediterranean Sea, occurring from Israel to Menorca
Island. However, more than half a century after being re-

(1961), the total number of specimens observed during
this period is notably low (only 9), which raises questions
about whether this species has in fact established viable
populations and is reproducing in the Mediterranean Sea.
1.2 Evidence on the establishment of the American
blue crab, Callinectes sapidus (Rathburn 1896) in the
Levantine coast of Spain (Western Mediterranean
Sea)
D. Izquierdo-Gómez and A. Izquierdo-Muñoz
The natural range distribution of Callinectes sapidus
Rathbun, 1986 (Decapoda: Portunidae), spans across the
1. SPAIN
Chelidonura fulvipunctata in the

Fig. 2: Live specimen of Chelidonura fulvipunctata (length
ca. 10 mm) crawling at 5 m deep. Menorca Island, Balearic Is,
western Mediterranean Sea. A, dorsal view of whole animal. B,
detail of head region.

Medit. Mar. Sci., 17/1, 2016, 230-252 233
Atlantic coast of America, from Nova Scotia to North-
ern Argentina (Williams, 1974). According to Galil et
al
species in the Mediterranean Sea, is from Venice, north-
ern Adriatic Sea, in 1949. However, the species did not
disperse as widely as in the Eastern basin, and it is not
until the early 2010s that the presence of the species was
reported from the Iberian Peninsula (Castejón & Guerao,
2013), although, there is no evidence of a self-maintained
population.
On the 2nd and the 15th
    
one male specimens were captured by trammel netters
at two different locations 150 km apart (Fig. 3), in Guar-
damar del Segura (38.110669° N, 0.643989° W; Alicante,
Spain) and in Pinedo (39.410889° N, 0.333394° W; Va-
lencia, Spain), both near fresh water outputs (Segura and
Turia rivers). The carapace length (mean ± SE) of the
female and male specimens (Fig. 4; A and B) measured
13.46 ± 0.49 cm (range: 13.01-13.98 cm) and 19.8 cm
respectively. Additionally, a number of reports in local
newspapers evidenced the extensive presence of the spe-
cies in the region.

populations of C. sapidus in the western Mediterranean
Sea, which have been already described in other areas
  et al., 2011).
Additionally, other invasive species of either crustaceans
-
tine coast of Spain (i.e. Percnon gibbesi, Fistularia com-
mensonii and Lagocephalus sceleratus), all being among
the 100 “worst invasive” species in the Mediterranean
(Streftaris & Zenetos, 2006).
To conclude, an extensive monitoring project in the
Levantine area of Spain should be set up for early de-
tection of potential establishment of populations of al-
ien species to help the understanding and prevention of
  
protected Natura 2000 areas.
Fig. 3: Locations where Callinectes sapidus was captured
across the Levantine coast of Spain in 2015. Black marks: cap-
ture locations of ovigerous females; white marks: capture loca-
tions that have been reported in local newspapers.
Fig. 4: Ovigerous females of Callinectes sapidus captured by

with a male on the October 2nd 2015 in Guardamar Del Segura
(38.110669° N, 0.643989° W; Alicante, Spain). B) A single fe-
male captured in Pinedo (39.410889° N, 0.333394° W; Valen-
cia, Spain) on the October 15th 2015.
A sing le ind ividu al of the spotted sea hare Aplysia
dactylomela Rang, 1828 was discovered during a diving
survey at Monaco (Principality of Monaco, NW Mediter-
ranean) on October 19th 2015 at 3m depth outside the Her-
cules harbour breakwater (43.73306° N, 7.42878° E). This
individual was 20-22 cm long, beige to yellowish in colour
with typical large black rings and mottling (Fig. 5). It was

covered with a thin multi-species red algal turf.
The taxonomic status and range of A. dactylomela
were recently revised on the basis of molecular data
(Valdés et al., 2013). It is now established that Indo-Pa-
  A. dactylomela belong to a
sister species, A. argus (Rüppell & Leuckart, 1828) and
that the actual range of A. dactylomela includes tropical
to warm-temperate areas from both sides of the Atlantic,
and also the recently colonized Mediterranean.
     -
ranean by A. dactylomela was provided by its record at
Lampedusa Is. (Sicily Channel) in 2002 (Trainito, 2003),
followed by numerous further records (references in
Valdés et al., 2013). However, until 2012, these records
concerned only the central and eastern Mediterranean
and the east coast of the Adriatic, with a northward ex-
pansion into the southern Tyrrhenian Sea during the most
recent period (2009-2012: distribution maps in Valdés et
al., 2013).
2. MONACO
2.1 Occurrence of the tropical Atlantic sea hare Aplysia dactylomela (Mollusca: Opisthobranchia) in the Ligu-
rian Sea (Monaco, NW Mediterranean)
J.G. Harmelin and J.M. Cottalorda

234 Medit. Mar. Sci., 17/1, 2016, 230-252
A. dactylomela in the
northern part of the western Mediterranean. The occurrence
of the observed individual in this area is most likely the re-
sult of a natural larval supply and settlement. This raises
certain issues: (i) Was this individual alone, or part of a lo-
cal population? (ii) In the case of the presence of several
individuals, was this ‘population’ potentially functional in
terms of reproduction, or solely composed of scattered im-
migrants unable to meet for reproduction (pseudo-popula-
tion)? (iii) In the case of successful reproduction and hatch-
ing, what are the chances of survival of larvae considering
the east-west Ligurian-Provençal circulation pattern and the
climatic conditions in potential settlement areas, colder than
in southern Mediterranean areas? (iv)Where was the source
population of the observed individual located?
As adults cannot move over long distances, the range
expansion of Aplysia spp. is directly dependent on the
dispersal of pelagic larvae, i.e. on the larval cycle dura-
tion and the circulation of water bodies. The life cycle
of the planctotrophic veliger larvae of Aplysia before
metamorphosis can well exceed one month, and can thus
be transported over long distances by currents (Carefoot,
1987). Among recorded occurrences of A. dactylomela,
the nearest to Monaco are those located in the southern
Tyrrhenian Sea. This basin is subject to very active mes-
oscale circulation with gyres and the Tyrrhenian current
et al., 2010). This current is
a vector of seasonal supply of larvae produced by south-
ern populations of thermophilic species (Astraldi et al.,
1995). This scenario most probably applies to the case
of the spotted sea hare found at Monaco. As stressed by
Astraldi et al. (1995), warm-water species settled in the
Ligurian Sea are subject to cold winter conditions and
normally form sterile populations only (pseudo-popula-
tions), but the current climatic trend tends to allow these
southern species to form self-reproducing populations.
Thus, this conspicuous sea hare offers an interesting
model for testing the combined effects of the coloniza-
tion dynamics of a new thermophilic species and climate
warming in a region where oceanographic circulation
and zooplankton distribution are thoroughly studied, and
where there are numerous underwater observers.
Fig. 5: Aplysia dactylomela, Monaco, 3 m, October 19th 2015.
Photo by J.G. Harmelin.
Charybdis (Charybdis) feriata (Linnaeus, 1758) is a

East Africa to China and Japan. In its natural distribution
area, it is common on sandy and muddy bottoms but can
also be found on rocky bottoms, between 5 and 80 m
in depth. It is a high commercial value species caught
         th
2015, an adult specimen was caught near the harbour of
Livorno, in the Ligurian Sea (43.57191° N, 10.29239°
E). It was caught by trammel net at a depth of about 5 m,
on muddy bottom. The specimen had a carapace width
of about 9 cm. The typical colour pattern of this portu-
nid crab was clearly visible on the carapace: dorsally the
background colour was dark brownish with two lateral
and irregular pale brownish-whitish bands and a central
cross-shaped pattern of the same pale colour (Fig. 6). Af-
-
pano, 2006), in December 2004, where a single adult fe-
male specimen of C. feriata was caught with gillnets off
the coast of Barcelona, the current record is the second

3. ITALY
3.1 First Italian record of Charybdis (Charybdis) feriata (Linnaeus, 1758)
F. Tiralongo
Fig. 6: Adult specimen of Charybdis (Charybdis) feriata from
Livorno.

Medit. Mar. Sci., 17/1, 2016, 230-252 235
Considering the proximity between the area in which the
species was recorded and the harbour of Livorno (one of
the largest in Italy), the species was probably introduced
by ballast water, as was assumed in the case of the other
-
ters: C. (Charybdis) lucifera (Mizzan & Vianello, 2009;

Furthermore, a juvenile specimen of C. feriata was found
in the sediment of ballast water tanks of a ship docking
in Germany (Gollasch, 2002). Although C. feriata actu-
ally seem to be rare in the Mediterranean Sea, we cannot
exclude the possibility of a future spread in the Basin, as
in the case of the invasive Atlantic species Callinectes
sapidus (Stasolla & Innocenti, 2014).
3.2 New record of the great white shark Carcharodon
carcharias from Lampedusa
P. Micarelli and E. Sperone
The great white shark Carcharodon carcharias
(Linnaeus, 1758) is widely distributed throughout most
oceans in temperate and subtropical regions, and it is
relatively abundant in some areas such as Australia, Cali-
fornia and South Africa (Sperone et al., 2010, 2012a).
Records of this species in the Mediterranean are well
documented. Regarding the Italian seas, a high frequency
of records is reported, in particular along the coasts of
Sicily, with 56 records from 1666 to 2009, but also along
the coasts of Calabria, Tuscany and Sardinia (Micarelli
et al., 2011; Sperone et al., 2012b). However, with the

on white sharks in the Italian seas is actually carried out.
This note reports a new record of the white shark from
the Central Mediterranean Sea. On December 23rd 2015,
the specimen was incidentally caught by a professional
-
ing, off Lampedusa Island (Sicily), 500 m from the coast.
A colleague at the Shark Study Centre of Massa Marit-
tima managed to collect some biometric data. The white
shark measured approximately 200 cm in total length and
weighed 35 kg. It was an immature female (Fig. 7A, B).
The teeth of the upper jaw (Fig. 7C) were of typical ju-
venile shape, not being perfectly triangular, with lateral
serrations; the crown was high (17 mm). The lower teeth
presented lateral cuspids and no serrations. The specimen
-
sible to preserve any tissues.
  -
ranean, and Sicilian coasts in particular, still represent
a key area for the population of Mediterranean white
sharks, but also for other shark species (Bilecenoglu et
al        
the Italian seas (Micarelli et al., 2011) are from this area.
Moreover, the fact that the female was an immature spec-
  
of white shark sub-adults observed in the Italian seas
originated from Sicily. These data support the hypothesis
suggested by Fergusson (1996) that the waters around
Sicily could represent a potential reproductive site for
this species in the Mediterranean Sea.
3.3 First record of Seriola fasciata (Carangidae) in
the SCI of Capo Peloro - Laghi di Ganzirri, Sicily
L. Castriota and A. Spinelli
The lesser amberjack Seriola fasciata (Bloch, 1793)
is a subtropical Atlantic carangid, which has extended
its natural geographical range by entering the Mediter-

record in 1989, in the Balearic Islands (Massutí & Stefa-
nescu, 1993), S. fasciata has been reported from several
different locations within the Mediterranean, both in the
western and in the eastern Basin, mostly in its epipelagic
juvenile stage.
On November 28th 2014, at 11:30 a.m., one specimen
of S. fasciata was observed by the authors (A. Spinelli)

the Canale Faro (38.265333° N, 15.642626° E; Fig. 8), a
Fig. 7: Specimen of the young white shark in the cold room of
the boat (A, B) and details of a tooth from the upper jaw (C).
Fig. 8: SCI of Capo Peloro - Laghi di Ganzirri, the black dot
indicates the record site.

236 Medit. Mar. Sci., 17/1, 2016, 230-252
420-m long open canal, which connects the coastal pond
of Lake Faro to the waters of the Strait of Messina in
a south-east direction, within the SCI of Capo Peloro -
Laghi di Ganzirri (site code ITA030008). Lake Faro is
also connected to the north with the Tyrrhenian Sea by
another open canal, the Canale degli Inglesi (about 180
m long), and to the south-west with the Lake of Ganzirri
by Canale Margi, about 900 m long. At the time of obser-
vation, the main physicochemical parameters measured
using a multiparameter probe were: surface water tem-
      
ml/l, pH 7.41.
The observed specimen (Fig. 9) had an approximate
total length of 13 cm; it was at a distance of about 100
m from the canal mouth, swimming towards the sea in
the direction of the main current. The narrow supramax-
-
mated length agree with the description of S. fasciata at
the juvenile stage (Fischer et al., 1981). Around Sicily, S.
fasciata at this stage has been reported previously in the
-
-
Coryphaena
hippuruset al., 2005, 2007). The lesser
amberjack has been reported previously from both the
Ionian and the southern Tyrrhenian waters (see distribu-
tion map in Andaloro et al., 2005), as well as in the Strait
of Messina (Cavallaro & Navarra, 1999), which connects
the two water bodies, but never in the coastal lakes of
Faro and Ganzirri or in their canals. Although Lake Faro
and its canals are monitored at least twice a month since
June 2011, during this period, S. fasciata has only been
observed once (present record); thus, the observed speci-
men can be considered as a stray in this area.
3.4 First record of the Marbled spinefoot Siganus
rivulatus Forsskål & Niebuhr, 1775 (Osteichthyes,
Siganidae) in Italy
G. Insacco and B. Zava
The native distribution of the Marbled spinefoot Si-
ganus rivulatus Forsskål & Niebuhr, 1775 ranges from
South Africa to the Red Sea, including Madagascar, the
Comoros and the Seychelles. It also recently entered the
Mediterranean via the Suez Canal and spread northward
         
S. rivulatus gradually colonized the Levantine Basin up
to the Aegean Sea and then the central Mediterranean,

then from Tunisia in 1974 (Golani et al., 2002). In 2004,
       
2004). This species has also been reported from Malta
but, recently, Schembri et al. (2012) suggested that “Si-
ganus rivulatus has never been recorded from the Mal-
tese Islands”.
  Si-
ganus rivulatus in Italy. On October 27th 2015, a speci-
men of S. rivulatus was caught, at night, by a local
      

off Donnalucata (Ragusa, Sicily, Italy: approximate co-
ordinates 36.452250° N, 14.38405° E; Fig. 10A), on a
rocky and Posidonia oceanica meadow bottom, at about
15-18 m depth. The specimen was caught together with
the following species: Mullus barbatus, Lithognathus
mormyrus, , Seriola dumerili, and Se-

    
Fig. 9: Specimen of Seriola fasciata observed in Canale Faro
(Sicily) on November 28th 2014.
Fig. 10: A. Records of Siganus rivulatus in the Mediterranean
Sea (red circles = literature data; blue square = present work -
B. Siganus rivulatus specimen
from off Donnalucata (Ragusa, Italy) MSNC 4511.

Medit. Mar. Sci., 17/1, 2016, 230-252 237
is known that all the spines are slightly venomous, and
stinging is very painful but not lethal. The fresh speci-
men (Fig. 10B) was measured, weighed, photographed
et al. (2006). Morpho-
metric data and measurements are (in mm): Total length
208.0; Standard length 197.0; Fork length 163.8; Body
depth 61.2; Predorsal length 40.1; Preanal length 86.9;

  
        

Head length 38.9; Preorbital length 11.2; Eye diameter
9.7; Interorbital width 19.5; Total weight (gr) 121. Mer-
-
vic I, 3, I; anal VII, 9. The fresh specimen displayed the
following colours: upper half of body grey-olive green
          
light-gray to white on the belly. Many faded yellow-gold
stripes on the lower half of the body, below the lateral
     
collection of Museo di Storia Naturale di Comiso (Prov-
ince of Ragusa), MSNC 4511.
3.5 A new arrival of a circumtropical species in the
Mediterranean: the Keeltail pomfret Taractes rubes-
cens (Jordan & Evermann, 1887) (Pisces: Bramidae)
F. Fiorentino, D. Massi and B. Zava
Taractes rubescens (Jordan & Evermann, 1887)
(Pisces, Bramidae) is an uncommon and cosmopolitan
mesopelagic species living in tropical offshore waters of


in the Mediterranean Sea.
Our specimen was caught on September 22nd 2014
in the Southern Tyrrhenian Sea (Central Mediterranean),
off the northern coast of Sicily (38.1250° N, 13.7375°
E) between 435 and 460 m depth by mid-water long line
targeting the Atlantic pomfret, Brama brama, a species
belonging to the same family. The measurements were
recorded to the nearest 1 mm. In accordance with Thomp-
son & Russel (1996), all measurements were expressed
as a percentage of standard length (SL). Total weight was
recorded to the nearest 50 g. Meristics, gonadic states
and stomach contents were logged. Taractes rubescens
was photographed and stored in the collection of the Mu-
seo Civico di Storia Naturale of Comiso (Ragusa), Sicily
(MSNC 4512).
The individual examined was a female of 77.2 cm
total length (TL) and 8.150 g in weight. The morphologi-
cal characteristics for diagnosis were in agreement with
the literature (Carvalho-Filho et al., 2009 and references
therein). The colour of the specimen was almost black
to dark brown on the dorsal side with a silvery sheen,
and silver on the sides and the belly. The branchyostegal
       
displayed the same dark colour of the body with a silvery

anterior part and silvery in the posterior part. The caudal

portion and a posterior white margin less discernible on
the upper lobe (Fig. 11). The ovary appeared asymmetric
with the left lobe being smaller than the right one; it was
yellowish with a granular appearance. Small eggs were
visible to the naked eye through the ovaric tunica, al-
though they were not translucent yet. An evident web of
blood vessels covered the gonad. All these characteristics
allowed attributing the individual to a maturing stage.
The stomach was empty. The main meristics and meas-
urements of the specimen are summarised in Table 2.
Due to its rarity, information on this species is scarce.


or hand lines for Alfonsinos (Thompson & Russel, 1996;
Carvalho-Filho et al., 2009; Jawad et al., 2014). Taractes
rubescens adults are uncommon and solitary, living from
the surface to about 600 m depth (Froese & Pauly, 2015).
According to Froese & Pauly (2015), reproduction and
the larvae of T. ru be scens are unknown. The meristics and
biometry of the Mediterranean specimen overall agreed
Fig. 11: a) Taractes rubescens, whole specimen. b) Taractes rubescens, caudal peduncle keel MSNC 4512.

238 Medit. Mar. Sci., 17/1, 2016, 230-252
with those of oceanic individuals, with the exception of
the predorsal length, and the length and height of the dor-

with individuals of the same length range (61.7-65.0 cm
SL (Thompson & Russel, 1996)) from the Gulf of Mexico,
  
Mediterranean specimen. Furthermore, the length at the
  
the Indian Ocean specimens (Jawad et al., 2014 and refer-


number of “warm” species in this sea. The warming phase
of the Mediterranean Sea, whose temperature has been
increasing since the early 1980s, has been shown to be
coupled with an increasing occurrence of “warm” species
coming from both the tropical Eastern Atlantic and the Red
Sea and, thus, contributing to a change in the biodiversity
of the Mediterranean Sea from “temperate” to “tropical”
(Bianchi et al      
clarify whether we recorded the beginning of colonization
by a non-native species in the Mediterranean, or rather a
vagrant adult individual or a specimen developed from an
   -
rents of the Strait of Gibraltar into the Mediterranean.


escalated since the year 2000 (Arndt & Schembri, 2015),
mainly due to the warming of the Basin and due to suc-
cessive enlargement phases of the Suez Canal.
       Poma-
canthus asfur extends along most of the western Indian
Ocean, from the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and south to
Zanzibar (Randall, 1983). Adults reach a maximum total
length of 40 cm, preferring crevices and caves in shallow
(depth range of 3 to 15 m) coral-protected reefs (Allen et
al., 1998).
On September 20th 2015, a single individual of Poma-
canthus asfur was harpooned by one of us (Clint Bonnici)
from a depth of 15m, at a location off the south-eastern
coast of the island of Malta in the Central Mediterranean
     
The same individual was subsequently re-photographed
once out of the water (Fig. 12) and weighed (700 g). Un-
like other members of the family Pomacanthidae, includ-
ing Pomacanthus imperator and P. maculosus, which
have been recorded several times from the coasts of Is-
rael and Lebanon, this record from Maltese coastal wa-

The livery exhibited by the caught individual is con-
sistent with the diagnostic one cited for adult P. asfur in-
    
a broad, yellow crescent-shaped band running vertically
along the middle part of the body (Allen et al., 1998).
Unfortunately, the caught individual was not properly
preserved at an early stage and had to be discarded, be-
fore further meristic and morphometric measurements
were taken.
The species is highly valued within the aquarium
trade. In order of importance, as regards an introduc-
tion pathway for non-indigenous marine species into the
Mediterranean, the aquarium trade is ranked third, after
shipping corridors and shipping (fouling, ballast water)
(Zenetos et al., 2012).
Since P. a s f u r was found off the Maltese Islands, which
are distant from the two entry points of the Mediterranean,
coupled with the large size of the species (making its intro-
duction through the ballast pathway unlikely) and consider-
ing the popularity of the species with the saltwater aquarium
4. MALTA
Pomacanthus asfur (Forsskal, 1775) from
the Mediterranean
A. Deidun and C. Bonnici
Table 2. Main meristics and biometry of Taractes rubescens.
Scales in lateral line 481Head length231.3 Anal base length229.4
 30 Pre-orbital length2 9.3 235.9
 20 Eye diameter26.3 212.7
 19 Pre-pectoral length231.5 Maximum body depth239.2
 7 Pre-dorsal length234.0 Minimum body depth26.2
Total length (cm) 77.2 Pre-anal length263.6 220.3
Fork length (cm) 68.1 Dorsal base length250.2 216.6
Standard length (cm) 63.2
1excluding the scutes of the caudal peduncle
2expressed as a percentage of standard length

Medit. Mar. Sci., 17/1, 2016, 230-252 239
trade, it is most probable that the caught specimen is in fact
an aquarium release. This (aquarium trade) putative mode
of introduction has already been implicated in the arrival of
Scatophagus argus:
Zammit & Schembri, 2011) or other parts of the Mediterra-
nean (e.g. Platax teira: Bilecenoglu & Kaya, 2006).
The high range-expansion potential of P. asfur is sup-
ported by its occurrence in reefs off the coast of Florida,
along the western Atlantic (Semmens et al., 2004), where
its introduction was once again attributed to the aquarium
trade, thus suggesting that this is not the last time that the
species will be encountered in the Mediterranean.
Fig. 12: left: The Pomacanthus asfur individual soon after being harpooned in Maltese coastal waters, September 2015. Photo:
Clint Bonnici. Right: another aspect of the P. asfur individual caught in Maltese coastal waters.
The bastard grunt, Pomadasys incisus (Bowdich,
1825), is a native species of the eastern Atlantic and
Mediterranean Sea. This subtropical species naturally
entered the Mediterranean Sea through the Strait of Gi-
-
rently colonizing the entire Mediterranean coastline, with
the exception of the Adriatic Sea (Bodilis et al., 2013). It

cm - total length), characterized by quick growth in the

marine and brackish waters, usually near sandy or muddy
substrate, at depths ranging from 10 to 100 m but often
not far from 50 m (Kapiris et al., 2008).
One specimen of the bastard grunt (Fig. 13) (total
length=14.3 cm, weight =39 g) was caught with a gill-
net in the shallow coastal waters (at around 10 m depth)
  
    
15th      
species for the Adriatic Sea. Specimen: total length 14.3
cm, standard length 11.9 cm, head length 3.8 cm, pre-

  Pomadasys incisus is easily distinguishable
from P. stridens (present in the Mediterranean Sea) by
P. incisus
versus 13-14 in P. stridens and 11-13 in P. incisus versus
8-10 in P. stridens. It was caught with sparids (
spp). Unfortunately, the specimen was misplaced during

obtain a specimen for the ichthyological collection of the
Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries in Split.
5. CROATIA
5.1 First record of the bastard grunt, Pomadasys incisus (Bowdich, 1825) (Haemulidae), for the Adriatic Sea

Fig. 13: Specimen of Pomadasys incisus caught on August 15th
    
(TL=14.3 cm). Photo by Dragan Lopin.

240 Medit. Mar. Sci., 17/1, 2016, 230-252
The ecological role of the bastard grunt in the ec-
osystem is important, since it can be considered as an
indicator of changing marine conditions towards ‘tropi-
calisation’. Villegas-Hernandez et al. (2015) showed that
the plasticity of two key life-history traits of the bastard
grunt in relation to different sea water temperature re-
gimes may contribute to the successful establishment of
this thermophilic species in new, colder habitats, in a
climate change scenario. The current distribution of this
species in the Mediterranean Sea and the recent records
from the French Mediterranean coast may involve two
non-exclusive phenomena: a recent warming of the
       
waters from the Atlantic through the Straits of Gibral-
tar (Bodilis et al., 2013). Accordingly, this record in the
Adriatic Sea could also be related to a ‘tropicalisation’
process and the effect of the BiOS (Bimodal Oscillating
System, the North Ionian Gyre (NIG) changes its circu-
lation sense on a decadal scale due to the Bimodal Oscil-
lating System, i.e. the feedback mechanism between the
Adriatic and the Ionian) and oceanographic changes in
the Adriatic Sea (Civitarese et al., 2010). The presence
of non-indigenous organisms from the Atlantic/Western
Mediterranean and Eastern Mediterranean/temperate
zone in the Adriatic is concurrent with the anticyclonic
and cyclonic circulation of the NIG, respectively (Civi-
tarese et al., 2010). This can also be supported by the
presence of the bastard grunt in the Ionian Sea (Tiralon-
go & Tibullo, 2013).

Sea is changing but to what extent non-indigenous spe-
cies will affect its ecological balance remains to be seen
and continuous monitoring is essential.
   Lagocephalus sceleratus
(Gmelin, 1789) is considered one of the “worst” biological
invaders of the Mediterranean Sea (Streftaris & Zenetos,
-
sity and human health (Kalogirou, 2013). It is a Lessep-

Suez Canal from the Red Sea but is native to the Indo-West
      
populations along the coasts of many countries of the East-
ern Mediterranean (Kalogirou, 2013 and references there-
in), whilst still rapidly expanding westwards (Deidun et al.,
-
atic Sea was recorded on October 17th 
measuring 66.3 cm total length, on the northern side of Ja-
et al., 2014).
Two ad dit io nal si ghtin gs we re obs er ved o n Mar ch 17 th
2013 near Tribunj (middle eastern Adriatic), a specimen of
 et al., 2014) and on April 8th
2014 near Vodice (middle eastern Adriatic), a specimen of

Two new additional records of L. sceleratus are from
Lapad Bay near Dubrovnik (Croatian coast) (around
42.657852° N 18.082675° E, May 5th 2015) and near

(around 42.276104° N 18.880580° E, July 20th 2015).

this species for the Montenegrin coast. Two specimens
of approximately the same length were also observed by

       
(TL)=48.2 cm, Weight (W)= 1169 g) was captured from a
depth of ca 1-4 m with a hand-line, while the second one

a depth of 5 m with a trammel net. The second specimen
was stored in the Ichthyological collection of the Institute
of Marine Biology in Kotor.
Our observation provides further evidence of the occur-
rence of L. sceleratus in the Adriatic Sea (along the eastern
coast) and these records increase the number of recorded

is no strong evidence of a permanent population in the
study area, the captures described here are an indication of
a current expansion of the distribution of the silver-cheeked

probably extended its distribution from populations estab-
lished in the Ionian Sea. This expansion strengthens the case
for a greater monitoring effort, targeting non-indigenous
marine species in the same geographical area.
6. MONTENEGRO & CROATIA
6.1 New additional records of the Lessepsian invader Lagocephalus sceleratus (Gmelin, 1758) (Tetraodonti-
dae) in the Adriatic Sea

Fig. 14: The specimen of Lagocephalus sceleratus caught near
th 2015).

Medit. Mar. Sci., 17/1, 2016, 230-252 241
Several colonies of the spaghetti bryozoan, meas-
uring up to ~25cm, Amathia verticillata were found at-
tached to the quay wall, and close to the water surface,
-
gina (37.74611° N, 23.42750° E). Colonies, seen on Octo-
ber 6th 
colonies were found attached to mooring ropes and boat
hulls, extending up to ~50cm (Fig. 15). This species is
now considered to be a pseudo-indigenous species, a non-
indigenous species having been considered to be a native
species, according to Ferrario et al. (2014). The species
continues to expand within the Mediterranean Sea and
Macaronesia (Marchini et al.,-
ous records from Hellenic waters; these are from Piraeus,
~30km to the NE, in 1969 and 1978. More distant records
in Greece are from Chalkis, 85km to the NNE and from
Korinthiakos and Patraikos gulfs and Rodos >400km to
the east. All these records (Castritsi-Catharios & Ganias,
1989) were reported more than thirty years ago. In 2014,
A. verticillata was discovered while snorkelling close to a
marina in Rodos. This is the only other recent record from
the Aegean Sea (Corsini-Foka et al., 2015).
This species can be frequent in sheltered harbours,
   
et al., 2015). Its frequent occurrence on the hulls of small
craft implicates hull transmission as a likely spreading
mode. Other localities for this species are likely to be re-
ported in the future.
The species has undergone a recent nomenclature
revision of ctenostome bryozoans and the genus of Zoo-
botryon is now considered to be a junior synonym of Am-
athia. Currently, the name A. verticillata (Delle Chiaje,
1822) is used (Waeschenbach et al., 2015).
Material has been supplied to the University of
Pavia.
7.2 Syphonota geographica (A. Adams & Reeve,
1850) spreading in Greece
D. Poursanidis and F. Crocetta
The sea slug Syphonota geographica (A. Adams &
Reeve, 1850) is a conspicuous sea slug species that has
entered the Mediterranean basin in the last two decades,

2012), in Turkey in 2002 (incorrectly reported in 1999
in Cinar et al., 2011: Bilal Öztürk, personal communi-
cation), in Greece in 2002 (Mollo et al., 2008) and in
Lebanon in 2003 (Crocetta et al., 2013). So far, the spe-
cies is only known by a few Mediterranean records due to
-
lated that its actual distribution is partially overlooked, in
-
terranean Sea. In Greece, the species is known from the
Porto Germeno coasts (Korinthiakos Gulf), where eight
individuals were reported by Mollo et al. (2008). We
   
       
establishment in the country. One specimen was found by
Giorgos Karelas in May 2013 in Drepano, Achaia (Kor-
inthiakos Gulf) (~38.3402967° N, 21.8525472° E), whilst
a second specimen was observed in Kolymbari (Chania,
Kriti) (~35.555184° N, 23.784677° E) in June 2014 by
the team of the Oceanis Diving Centre (Fig. 16). Both
specimens were found on a muddy bottom at ~15 m of
depth. The key role of citizen scientists in reporting newly
introduced species or further spreading of species already

invaluable parallel source of information.
7. GREECE
7.1 A new locality for Amathia (Zoobotryon) verticillata (Delle Chiaje, 1822) from Aegina Island, Saronikos
Gulf, Greece
D. Minchin
Fig. 15: A colony of Amathia verticillata attached to the hull of

Fig. 16: Syphonota geographica from Drepano, Achaia (left)
and Kolymbari (right).

242 Medit. Mar. Sci., 17/1, 2016, 230-252
7.3 Contribution to the alien molluscs in Greek Seas
P. Ovalis and A. Zenetos
Information on marine alien species in Greece, which
is archived in ELNAIS (Zenetos et al., 2015) is based on
the literature, including input from citizen scientists (Zene-
tos et al., 2013). Due to the fact that most marine studies
focus on coastal areas and in particular soft substrata, the
diversity of the hard substrata is under-reported. In this
work, the presence of four molluscan species is presented.
The data originates from personal collections, during div-
ing in two of the most vulnerable areas as regards bioinva-
sion in Greece, i.e. the Rodos island (Dodecanese) and the
Saronikos Gulf (Zenetos et al., 2011).
      
from Fokia Bay (Karpathos Island, Dodecanese) in 2011
(Crocetta & Russo, 2013). Here, its presence in Greece is

alive in May 2005 from Faliraki (Rodos Island, Dodeca-
nese) [36.340072° N, 28.207767° E] (Fig. 17). The speci-
mens were found attached on stones at 6-8 m. depth.
cf. folium (Linnaeus, 1758)  -
ported from Vai Bay (Astypalaia Island, Dodecanese) in
2010 (Zenetos et al., 2011). Here, its presence in Greece is
backdated to 2005, as it was found in the aforementioned
location, as a cluster with  (Fig. 17).
Syrnola fasciata Jickeli,
Kalymnos Island (Dodecanese) in 2012 (Perna, 2013). Here,
its presence in Greece is documented on the basis of both
live specimens and empty shells found in Saronikos Gulf.

empty shells in September 2012, from a biogenic substrate
at Psili Ammos (Salamina, Saronikos Gulf; 37.980637° N,
23.466510° E) (Fig. 18). A further six shells were collected
in July 2013 during diving at 6-8 m depth, biogenic substrate
at Lagonisi (Saronikos Gulf; 37.776263° N, 23.896616° E).
Atys macandrewii
from Lambi (Kos Island, Dodecanese) in 2009 (Perna, 2013).
Here, its presence in Greece is documented on the basis of its
presence in a biogenic substrate from Anavyssos (Saronikos
Gulf; 37.722909° N, 23.94212° E) (Fig. 19) in September
2012. So far, no living specimens are known from Greece.
      
sighting/collection dates in Greece for two of the most in-
vasive molluscan species in the Levantine basin, namely
 and  cf. folium. In addition, it
reports on the presence in Saronikos Gulf of another two
species (Syrnola fasciata and Atys macandrewii) previ-
ously known from the Dodecanese area.

localities in Greek waters
A. Angelidis

the well-established alien species in the Levantine Basin,
in Greece, based on personal observations by the author.
These are: (a) a population of Broderip,
1835 well-established in Kastellorizo (b)  cf.
folium (Linnaeus, 1758) associated with   in
Kastellorizo; (c) Cerithium scabridum (Philippi, 1848)
thriving in Karpathos; (d) Septifer cumingii (Récluz, 1849)
from Chalki and Kastellorizo islands; and (e) Ergalatax
junionae (Houart, 2008) recorded near the city of Kavala.
All reported specimens are kept in the author’s collec-
Fig. 18: Syrnola fasciata from Saronikos, left: from Lagonisi
and right: from Salamina.
Fig. 19: Atys macandrewii from Anavyssos, Saronikos Gulf.
Fig. 17: and cf. folium from Fali-
raki, Rodos.

Medit. Mar. Sci., 17/1, 2016, 230-252 243
tion. -
cies, commonly named red sea Jewell box, was reported
from the Mediterranean as early as the early 1900s and
spread all along the eastern Mediterranean coast of Israel
Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, Cyprus and Greece (http://www.
ciesm.org/atlas; Crocetta & Russo, 2013). During a per-
sonal snorkelling survey performed by the author, the spe-
cies were found to be well-established and thriving in Kas
gulf on the Turkish coast in close vicinity to Kastellorizo
-
mation of its expected spreading in Greek waters where it
has already been reported recently from the Dodecanese
islands, in particular Karpathos (Crocetta & Russo, 2013)
and Rodos (Corsini-Foka et al., 2015). The suveyed coast
of Kastellorizo (36.1505404° N, 29.6216178° E) lies in
vicinity of the popular beach of St. Andreas and can be de-
scribed as very steep and rocky. The underwater surfaces
consist of very irregular solid rock full of holes and large
stone extrusions. All the surfaces were covered by short
and even algae. More than 60 specimens were counted
along a short distance of less than 100 m. The individuals
were attached solidly on the rock and distances between
them ranged from 0.5 to 2 m and in 2 to 5 m depth. All the
individuals observed were well covered by organic mate-
rial and only some white, tooth like, short spines on their
upper lip were clean and conspicuous. The majority of the
observed individuals measured 60mm in height (average).
Five individuals of  cf. folium were observed to-
gether with the population described above.
One  specimen was found growing on a C.
. The cluster of the two specimens was detached
from the rock and collected (Fig. 20). Any organic mate-
rial on the shell’s surface was removed using a chlorine
solution. A vivid red colour was revealed on the surface
of the Chama between the white spines.
Cerithium scabridum (Philippi, 1848) is considered
one of the earliest recorded and most successful Lessep-
sian Immigrants, which is now established in the Eastern

Port Said, Egypt, and then successively from the coasts of
the Eastern Mediterranean and Southern Italy (http://www.
-
dos island (Zenetos et al., 2009). A dense population of the
species was observed to be abundant in Karpathos Island,
Dodecanese. In August 2012, the author performed a snor-
kelling survey in the rocky surroundings of the popular
sandy beach of Apella (35.6043599° N, 27.1562363° E).
It was found at a depth of 4-5 m, with large wave-rounded
stones, whose clear surface was occupied by large clusters
of C. scabridum individuals. The whole phenomenon had
the aspect of a matting episode due also to the adult size
(12mm in average) of the individuals. (Fig. 21).
Septifer cumingii (Récluz, 1849) in
Greek waters was from Astypalaia Island (Zenetos et al.,
2011), followed by a record from Sigri Bay, Lesvos Island
(Evagelopoulos et al., 2015) and Rodos island (Corsini-Foka
et al., 2015). Here, the species is reported from two new
localities in Greek waters, Kastellorizo Island and Chalki
Island, both southern Dodecanese Islands. In Kastelorizo,
three live specimens were found in coralligenous material

N, 29.5241783° E) (Fig. 22). In Chalki, one specimen and
a single valve were found in shell grit taken from a depth of
6 m next to a Posidonia oceanica (Linnaeus) Delile 1813
meadow, (36.214321° N, 27.608937° E) (Fig. 22). All the
above specimens were found in August 2015.
Fig. 20: Left:  found in Kastellorizo; right: -
dostrea cf. folium growing on  from Kastellorizo
Fig. 21: Cerithium scabridum (Philippi, 1848) from Apella gulf,
east Karpathos.
Fig. 22: Septifer cumingii (Récluz, 1849). 1: Chalki Island, the
specimen’s greenish colour is possibly due to living in a Posi-
donia oceanica meadow, in shallow water. 2-3: Kastellorizo Is-
land, a specimen living on a coralligenous reef at a depth of 55
m. which may explain the prevailing reddish colour.

244 Medit. Mar. Sci., 17/1, 2016, 230-252
Ergalatax junionae (Houart, 2008), Muricidae fami-
ly, is a post 1992 Red sea immigrant, in the Eastern Medi-
terranean waters. Recent works describing the expansion
of the species along the eastern Mediterranean coasts,
record established populations from Syria to Turkey and
in Greek waters from Vai beach in Kriti (Zenetos et al.,
2008) to Rodos Island (ELNAIS, 2015 in Corsini-Foka et
al
observed to expand in natural ways, shipping is also as-
sumed to be a possible mechanism for its expansion. This
may also justify the remote occurrence of the species as
far north as Kavala (harbour city), in the north Aegean,
reported herein. In September 2013, a single individual
(Fig. 23) was found while snorkelling along the rocky
shore in the vicinity of Kavala Harbour (40.9081012° N,
-
sure next to a young mussel bed. It measured 19 mm in
height and 9 mm in width.
Upeneus pori
Ben-Tuvia & Golani, 1989 in Saronikos Gulf
C. Stamouli and A. Dogrammatzi
Upeneus pori Ben-Tuvia & Golani, 1989, is a

sea via the Suez canal. The species represents one of the

Mediterranean Sea (Cicek & Avsar, 2003).
Since its initial detection, U. pori is considered to
be successfully established in the Mediterranean Sea.
Westwards, it has reached the Tunisian Sea (Ben Souissi
et al., 2005) and northwards it has been reported form
Gokova Bay (Ogretmen et al
the species in Hellenic seas was in 2003 on the SE coast
of Rodos, Aegean Sea (Corsini et al., 2005). This record
from Rodos Island is the last sighting of the species in
Hellenic seas.
On October 24th 2015, one individual of U. pori was
caught in Saronikos Gulf (37.55020° N, 23.08215° E) at

nets (inner net mesh size: 36 mm stretched). The indi-
vidual was a female, at stage III (Nikolsky, 1963), having
a total length of 165 mm and a total weight of 51.267 gr.
The present record of U. pori in Saronikos Gulf dem-
onstrates the gradual range expansion of the species to the
northern parts of the Mediterranean and Hellenic Seas.
      -
ters (Kastellorizo Island): Scarus ghobban (Forsskal,
1775) and Oxyurichthys petersi (Klunzinger, 1871)
G. Apostolopoulos and P.K. Karachle
The presence of approximately 20 individuals of
Oxyurichthys petersi was recorded in September 2010,
at Kastellorizo Island (Greece), in the port of Mandraki
        
holes deep in the mud, only a single specimen has been
photographed (Fig. 25). Oxyurichthys petersi individuals
were observed at a depth of 2 m, on a muddy substrate,
close to Posidonia oceanica meadows and near the shore.
The photographed specimen had the external character-
istics, typical of the species (Golani et al., 2002): body
elongated and compressed; head broad with eye dorsally,
      
and grey on the back; side with a series of 4 dark blotches

considered a Red Sea endemic, yet has expanded to the
Mediterranean via the Suez Canal (Golani et al., 2002).
It is considered as very common in the eastern part of
the basin, being recorded from Syria, Turkey and Tunisia
(Golani et al., 2002). The last record of the species is
from Gökova Bay in May 2005 (Akyol et al., 2006).
Fig. 23: Ergalatax junionae (Houart, 2008), from Kavala, N.
Greece.
Fig. 24: Upenaeus pori (TL=165 cm) caught in October 2015,
Saronikos Gulf, Aegean Sea.

Medit. Mar. Sci., 17/1, 2016, 230-252 245
In September 2014, a single specimen of Scarus
ghobban(Spari-
soma cretense)
the port of Kastellorizo (36.15017° N, 29.59203° E), in
shallow waters not exceeding 50 cm. The specimen was
preserved alive in a small plastic tank, in which it was
photographed (Fig. 25). A few days later, it was trans-
  -
poulos) in Athens together with a small S. cretense and it
is alive to date (Fig. 25). Its behaviour in a 450 l aquarium
is very peaceful. At the time of capture, the total length
of the specimen was approximately 110 mm, whereas
after one year in captivity it has reached the length of
about 130 mm. The body shape and colour pattern of the
individual is in accordance with previous descriptions:
scales turquoise blue and head with turquoise blue ir-

-
       
-
quoise blue, membrane between the rays and the rest of
Scarus
ghobban
a rare species in the Mediterranean (Golani et al., 2002).

2001 (Goren & Aronov, 2002), it has also been reported
from Lebanon and the Turkish Levantine coasts (Turan
et al., 2014), as well as Cyprus (Ioannou et al., 2010).

thus further expanding its known distribution westwards
in the Mediterranean Sea.
7.7 On the occurrence of the Egyptian sole Solea
aegyptiaca Chabanaud, 1927 (Soleidae: Pleuronecti-
formes) in Maliakos Gulf (E. Mediterranean)
S. Kavadas and A. Siapatis
  Solea aegyptiaca Chabanaud,
1927 (Soleidae: Pleuronectiformes) is a cryptic species,
often confused with its sympatric species Solea solea
(Linnaeus, 1758) (Quignard et al., 1984). The difference
among species has been assessed through molecular data
studies (Boukouvala et al., 2012) and morphological
studies (Vachon et al., 2008). Both species prefer living
on sandy and muddy bottoms (Froese & Pauly, 2015).
It seems to form sympatric demes in the southern and
eastern part of the Mediterranean (Mehanna, 2007), the
Gulf of Lions and the southern Adriatic coasts (Borsa &
Quignard, 2001).
In our study, we report on the occurrence of Solea
aegyptiaca in Maliakos Gulf, in sympatry with S. solea.
Maliakos Gulf is a semi-enclosed embayment, located on
the central west mainland of Greece, occupying an area
of 110 Km2

the Gulf.
Fish samples were collected within the framework
of the research project “Development of an integrated
management system for basin, coastal and marine zones”
(KRIPIS) (www.spercheios.com) in the period from June
2014 to December 2015, on a monthly basis, using a bag-
seine net and static nets. Additionally, bottom trawl sur-
veys were conducted in July 2014, November 2014 and
March 2015. Both species were caught throughout the
area of the Gulf at depths ranging from the surface down
to 45 m. Morphometric characteristics and meristics
from 213 individuals of both species were measured and
Fig. 25: Bottom: Oxyurichthys petersi recorded in the port of
Mandraki, Kastellorizo Island (September 2010). Top & mid-
dle: Scarus ghobban caught in Greek coastal waters in the port
of Kastellorizo (top: specimen photographed after capture (Sep-
tember 2014); middle: specimen in captivity (February 2016).

246 Medit. Mar. Sci., 17/1, 2016, 230-252
otoliths from 120 individuals were removed. The differ-
entiation between the two cryptic species is documented
by mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis. According to
the mtDNA analysis report, 35 individuals were identi-
Solea aegyptiaca (Total length (TL) range: 25.43 -
317 mm) and 42 as Solea solea (TL range: 35 - 340 mm).
In addition, differences in otolith structure between the
species have been detected (Kavadas et al., in prepara-
tion) (Fig. 26).
    Scor-
paena maderensis Valenciennes, 1833 in Saronikos
Gulf (West Aegean Sea, Greece)
M.M. Brodersen and N. Chalari
The family Scorpaenidae is a commercially impor-
   
species (Papaconstantinou, 2014). Scorpaena maderen-
sis is one of the most poorly known scorpaenids. Accord-

in the eastern Atlantic islands (Canaries, Madeira, Cape
Verde, Azores) area and in several localities along the
coasts of the Mediterranean, such as Spain, Sicily, Leba-
-
nian Sea in 1975 (Papaconstantinou, 2014 and references
therein). This species was also found in Rodos, Kriti (Ah-
nelt, 1983) and recently in Mytilini Island (Gerovasileiou
et al., 2015).
Samplings were conducted in Saronikos Gulf dur-
ing November and December 2015, within the frame-
work of the Greek National Data Collection Frame-
work Program, using trammel nets (28 mm mesh size
knot-to knot). In the coastal area of Batis (37.91944°
N, 23.69167° E), one male S. maderensis (total length
(TL)=129 mm; total weight (TW)=37 g) was caught on
November 14th 2015. Additionally, a female (TL=104
mm; TW=21 g) was caught on November 30th 2015, in
the coastal area of Hellinico (37.89389°N, 23.71306°
E). On December 13th 2015, in the area of Agios Kos-
mas (37.89056° N, 23.71194° E), another four individu-
als (female: TL= 117 mm; TW= 26g; males: TL range
= 102-118 mm; TW range = 19 – 31 g) were caught
(Fig. 27). The individuals were immature, at stage I and
II (Nikolsky, 1963). The specimens were caught at a
depth ranging from 5 to 18 m, on a bottom covered by
seaweed.
  S. maderensis in Greek
waters dates back to 40 years ago, there are limited
        S.
porcus (La Mesa, 2005), which is more abundant and


the past ten years. The past and current status of occur-
rence and abundance of S. maderensis in Greece should
be carefully and completely re-assessed considering that
many S. porcus reports actually seem to be S. maderensis.
Fig. 27: Scorpaena maderensis (Total length 113 mm) caught
in Saronikos Gulf, Aegean Sea (December 2015).
Fig. 26: Appearance of the eyed side, blind side and otolith for Solea aegyptiaca (up) and Solea solea (down).

Medit. Mar. Sci., 17/1, 2016, 230-252 247
8. TURKEY
8.1 A note on the occurence of Ophiocten abyssicolum (Forbes, 1843) in the Northern Aegean Sea
O. Gönülal
Ophiocten abyssicolum was originally described by
         
Ophiura abyssicola. It have been caught alive at 360 m
depth. Ophiocten abyssicolum is considered by Mortensen
(1927) to be a synonym of O. sericeum (Forbes, 1852).
These two species are distinguished by the scales of the
disk, the arm spines and the papillae on the dorsal plates.
Mortensen (1927) claims that specimens known from the
British seas probably belong to this variety. Finally, the syn-
onyms and status of species of the genus Ophiocten have
been revised by Paterson et al. (1982). They recognized that
O. sericeum is restricted to Arctic Seas and indicative of
cold Norwegian Sea Deep Water; Ophiocten abyssicolum is
recorded from the Mediterranean, as far north as south west
Ireland on the eastern Atlantic slopes, in association with the
salinity maximum due to Gibraltar water.
One specimen of O. abyssicolum was collected in
August 2015 in the far north of Gökçeada Island (north-
eastern Aegean Sea) using a baited trap at 830 m depth

(12 m long, 120 hp). We used 30×30×60 cm rectangular
cuboid shaped traps covered with a 7 mm mesh poly-
propylene net. A funnel-shaped opening allowed the en-
trance of animals through each trap.
Diagnosis: Disk circular, 11 mm diameter. Dorsal
arm plates strongly arched; the ventral arm plates wider
than long with a distinctly convex outer edge and widely
separated; their roximal edge with an acute peak in the
middle and an angular distal edge; arm spines stubby and
of equal size, just shorter than the corresponding arm
segment. Oral shield longer than broad, its proximal an-
gle acute, with parallel sides and a semi-circular distal
end (Fig. 29).
Remarks: Ophiocten abyssicolum is reported for

The only record for O. abyssicolum known to date from
the Turkish coast is from Çanakkale strait (Ostrou-
moff, 1896). The species is also known from the Bal-
earic Sea, Gulf of Lion, Gulf of Genoa and Aegean Sea
(Tortonese, 1980).
8.2 The occurrence of the Atlantic Tripletail, Lobotes
surinamensis (Bloch, 1790), in the Çanakkale Strait
S. Tunçer and U. Önal
The Atlantic tripletail, Lobotes surinamensis (Bloch,
1790) belongs to the family Lobotidae and is a cosmopoli-
tan species that inhabits tropical and subtropical seas (Tor-
tonese, 1990). Adult tripletails inhabit deep waters with
rocky bottoms and wrecks (Brown-Peterson & Franks,
2001). Both the adults and the juveniles are often found

-
egy for feeding and avoiding predators as well as rafting
that can enhance species dispersal over long distances.
On October 21st 2015, a male specimen of the Atlantic
-
man, using a lift net in the Çanakkale Strait (40.09166° N;
26.3° E). The specimen was deposited at Çanakkale On-
sekiz Mart University, Piri Reis marine museum (PRM-
PIS 2015-006). Total length, standard length and weight
          -
tively. Other major morphometric characteristics were as
follows: head length 12.8, preanal length 27.5; predorsal
length 12.6, preorbital length 3.5, and maximum body
depth 39.9 percent of total length. The external morphol-
Fig. 28: Sampling station.
Fig. 29: Ophiocten abyssicolum (Forbes, 1843) a. dorsal view.
b. ventral view.

248 Medit. Mar. Sci., 17/1, 2016, 230-252
ogy of the present specimen is very characteristic and is
in accordance with other reports (Akyol & Kara, 2012;
Kavadas & Bekas, 2014). The specimen is within the size
range of sexually mature males, as reported by Brown-
Peterson & Franks (2001). The specimen was actively
feeding as indicated by the stomach contents comprised
      
and a cuttlebone belonging to Sepia spp.
Earlier records of L. surinamensis in the Aegean
Sea are rather rare. In recent years, it has been reported
from Thessaloniki Bay (Minos & Economidis, 2007),
and Maliakos Gulf in Greece (Kavadas & Bekas, 2014).
The only documented case from the Turkish waters of the

-
pletail in the Çanakkale Strait, the northernmost record
for this species in the Turkish waters of the Aegean Sea.
Despite increasing reports of this species in recent years
form the Aegean Sea, the species is considered to be a
very rare occurrence in the Turkish waters of the eastern
Mediterranean and can be considered a vagrant species.
 Ruvettus pretiosus
(Cocco 1833 Gempylidae) in Mersin Bay, Turkey
D. Ayas and D. Yaglioglu
The Gempylidae family (Snake mackerels) includes
-
sist of sixteen genuses and twenty four species (Nelson,
   Ruvettus pretiosus (Cocco, 1833),
which is the only species found in the Ruvettus genus of
this family, has a widespread distribution throughout the
-
-
rine and oceanic waters and occur near the bottom areas,
between 100-800 m (Froese & Pauly, 2015). R. pretiosus

crustaceans, and cephalopods (Froese & Pauly, 2015).
At a depth of 110-120 m, a commercial bottom trawl
caught one female R. pretiosus on December 24th 2014
 N, 33.61972°
E). Total length and weight measurements were carried
out. The total length of the specimen was 64 cm and its
weight 1802 g. The specimen (Fig. 31) was preserved

collection of EKOSFER, (catalogue number: EKOS-
FER/2014-001). The body of the specimen had very
rough skin, scales with spiky bony tubercles and black
  
dark brown.
Ruvettus pretiosus      
in the Mediterranean waters of Turkey in 1999 (Alanya
coast, Antalya Bay) (Kaya & Bilecenoglu, 1999); Gurlek
et al. (2013) also reported the occurrence of this species
in the north-eastern Mediterranean (Iskenderun Bay).
Vasilakopoulos et al. (2011, 2015) studied the reproduc-
tion, diet and growth of this species from 50 specimens
caught in the Cretan Sea, the central Aegean Sea and the
Fig. 30: Lobotes surinamensis from the Çana-
kkale Strait, north-western Turkey (Aegean Sea).
Table 3. Ruvettus pretiosus caught in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Present study Gurlek et al. (2013) Vasilakopoulos et al. (2011) Kaya & Bilecenoglu
(1999)
Total Length (cm) 64.0 55 89-166 24.6
Standard Length (cm) 56.5
Fork Length (cm) 59.0
Head Length (cm) 17.2
Body Height 14.8
Total Weight (g) 1802 1272
Sample Number 1 1 50 1
Location Mersin Bay, north-
eastern Mediter-
ranean
Iskenderun Bay,
north-eastern Medi-
terranean
Cretan Sea, the central
Aegean Sea and the Levan-
tine Sea
Alanya, Antalya Bay
Fig. 31: Ruvettus pretiosus caught in Mersin Bay (Silifke-


Medit. Mar. Sci., 17/1, 2016, 230-252 249
Levantine Sea (eastern Mediterranean). This report is
  R. pretiosus in Mersin Bay (Silifke-

Aknowledgements
D. Izquierdo-Gómez and A. Izquierdo-Muñoz are

-
servations. They also convey thanks to the staff of the
-
ing landings data and cooperating for animal handling,
respectively. Alfonso Ramos Esplá also provided the
authors with valuable insights into improve the manu-
script; P. Micarelli and E. Sperone are very grateful to A.
Barreca for assistance in recording the biometric data of
the specimen; G. Insacco and B. Zava are grateful to Mr
Angelo Carnemolla, owner of the vessel 2CT 682, for
his prompt information and to Mr Lino Buscema (Co-
operativa Pescatori “U Scaru”, Donnalucata, Ragusa)
who provided the specimen. The authors warmly thank
Maria Corsini-Foka (HCMR, Hydrobiological Station of
Rodos) for useful comments, which improved a previ-
ous draft of their note; F. Fiorentino, D. Massi and B.
Zava thank Salvatore and Sergio La Ciura (Isola delle
Femmine, Palermo) and Luigi Di Salvo (Porticello, Santa
Flavia, Palermo) for allowing them to collect the speci-


a photo and providing data on the specimen of the bastard
-

D. Poursanidis and F. Crocetta would like to thank Gior-
gos Karelas (Greece) and the team of the Oceanis Div-
ing Centre (Greece) for providing the unpublished data
reported herein and Bilal Öztürk (Turkey) for discussing

-
nakis for providing the specimen; M.M. Brodersen and
-
los, C. Markomichelakis and P. Michaletos for provid-
       
the maturity stage; O. Gönülal thanks Sabine Stöhr for
   
Brittle Stars; S. Tunçer and U. Önal thank Mr. Hakan
Kaya who kindly donated the specimen to ÇOMÜ, Piri
Reis Museum; D. Ayas & D. Yaglioglu would like to
thank Ekosfer for supporting their study. They also thank
“Ekosfer Environmental Consulting Limited” and all
the staff; F. Crocetta, P.K. Karachle and A. Zenetos also
acknowledge the East and South European Network for
Invasive Alien Species - a tool to support the manage-
ment of alien species in Bulgaria (ESENIAS-TOOLS),

for supporting the study of alien species from central and
eastern European countries.
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