The Mediterranean Large Elasmobranchs Monitoring (MEDLEM) database contains over 3000 records (more than 4000 individuals) of large elasmobranch species from 20 different countries around the Mediterranean and Black seas, observed from 1666 to 2017. The main species included in the archive are the devil fish (1 813 individuals), the basking shark (939 individuals), the blue shark (585 individuals) and the great white shark (337 individuals).In the last decades other species such as the shortfin mako (166 individuals), the spiny butterfly ray (138) and the thresher shark (174 individuals) were reported with an increasing frequency. This was possibly due to an increased public awareness on the conservation status of sharks, and a consequent development of new monitoring programmes. MEDLEM does not have a homogeneous reporting coverage throughout the Mediterranean and Black seas and it should be considered as a database of observed species presence. Scientific monitoring efforts in the south-eastern Mediterranean and Black seas are generally lower than in the northern sectors and the absence in our database of some species does not imply their actual absence in these regions. Some considerations are made on the frequency and spatial distribution of records, size structure of the observed individuals for selected species, general area coverage and species involved as by-catch by fishing gear.

Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) is an invasive and extremely damaging leaf-mining moth of South American origin. It is a serious pest of tomatoes. This species was first recorded outside of its native range in Spain (2006), and has subsequently spread into Asia and Africa. Here we report the first records of this species for the Republic of South Africa, where moths were first trapped in August and October 2016. The species was identified using both morphological and molecular approaches. Monitoring of the spread of tomato leaf miner in South Africa and the implementation of control measures are managed by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF), South Africa.

Local Ecological Knowledge of 92 professional fishers from Tunisia and Libya was used to investigate the occurrence and establishment of the exotic Hemiramphus far and Saurida lessepsianus along the southern Mediterranean coasts. According to fisherman's knowledge, H. far and S. lessepsianus appeared in Libya in 1980 and 1989, respectively. In Tunisia these species were observed later on, in 2004 and 2007. Currently both H. far and S. lessepsianus are well distributed and established, along the entire surveyed area, from Tobruk (eastern Libya) to Tabarka (western Tunisia). A statistical analysis of the qualitative trends in abundance perceived by the respondents shows that both species have significantly increased in abundance in Tunisia. In Libya an increase in the abundance of H. far was also apparent during the first decade of the 21 st century, but the current abundance of S. lessepsianus was found to be stable at the level of occasional captures. Given the lack of regular environmental monitoring programmes in the area, these findings provide information that could not have been obtained otherwise. Besides improving our understanding on the status and chronology of these invasions, this approach highlights the value of fisherman's knowledge to reconstruct ecological processes in the course of rapid historical modifications.

Here we provide an updated review of both native and non-indigenous ichthyofauna occurring in the waters of Libya, one of the largest and less studied marine areas of the Mediterranean basin. With respect to the most recent information, the list of Libyan bony fishes was updated with 104 species for a total of 304 listed taxa. Out of these species, 271 are native, 6 endemic to the Mediterranean, 22 non indigenous of Lessepsian origin and 5 range expanding taxa from Gibraltar. Information on the distribution and abundance of Lessepsian fishes along the Libyan coasts was gained through both field surveys and interviews with local small-scale fishermen, which contributed in filling large information gaps in the area. This combined approach allowed to gather a more complete representation of non indigenous species along the Libyan coasts and indicated three assessment areas, corresponding to the eastern, central and western sectors of the country, which should be considered in future monitoring programs.

This paper presents the first record of two native Mediterranean cymothoid species caught attached to introduced Lessepsian rabbitfishes. This is also the first record of cymothoids from the coastal waters of Libya. Anilocra physodes was collected from Siganus luridus while Nerocila bivittata was found on both Siganus rivulatus and S. luridus. Rabbitfishes in the southern central Mediterranean have acquired native Mediterranean cymothoids but do not seem to be infested along the Levantine coast.