The Indo-Pacific jellyfish Aequorea globosa Eschscholtz, 1829 was reported last year for the first time in the Mediterranean Sea from Iskenderun Bay (S. Turkey). This jellyfish was observed in the coast of Syria, on 8 January 2012, during a regular monthly sampling program.

This paper discusses the first documented record of the Rosy goatfish Parupeneus rubescens in Syrian coastal waters. A specimen (200 mm TL) was captured on 21st May 2020, using trammel nets at a depth of 120 m. in the Ras al-Basit region, 60 km north of Lattakia (35°50′ N, 35°50′E). Morphological and taxonomic analysis showed that the type of individual described in the present work is a newly introduced species of Indo-Pacific origin to the area, identified as P. rubescens (Lacepede, 1801). It should be noted that this species was monitored with individuals of the species Parupeneus forsskali in the framework of our research project on the biology of the Mullidae family in the Syrian marine waters. The number of Lessepsian fish migrants in the Syrian marine waters has reached 82 species.

This study was aimed to investigate the infection of internal parasites of Dentex macrophthalmus in Syrian marine coastal waters. A total of 409 individuals were collected from Ras Al-Basit in the north to Tartus in the south from the following research stations: Ras Al-Basit, different areas along the Lattakia beach, Jableh and Tartous, during the period from January 2019 to December 2020. The internal organs (stomach, intestine and body cavity) of all fish specimens were examined to detect infection with internal parasites. The third stage larvae of the parasite Anisakis simplex, which belongs to the nematode worms, was isolated from the stomach and gonad walls of D. macrophthalmus, where the number of fish infected with this worm reached 53 out of 409 fish individuals studied, with an infection rate of 12.96% and infection intensity of 2.70 parasites/fish. This study represents the first record of Anisakis simplex isolated from the abdominal cavity of D. macrophthalmus in the Syrian marine waters.

This paper aims to present the first record of Pagellus bogaraveo (Brünnich, 1768) from Syria marine waters. One specimen was caught by trawl nets at about 300 m depth in Rass Albassit, north of Lattakia, on 25 February 2019, and 6 additional specimens were caught by gill nets at a depth of 120 m off Jablah coast on 7 April 2019. This record represents the first sighting of this immigrant Atlantic species introduced in the Eastern Mediterranean (Levantine Basin). These specimens were found mixing in the same net haul with populations other Sparidae species such as: Pagellus acarne and Dentex macrophthalmus.