First record of the oceanic puffer Lagocephalus lagocephalus (Linnaeus, 1758) from the Syrian marine waters (eastern Mediterranean)

Abstract

Background: The puffer fish species (Tetraodontidae) inhabit tropical and subtropical coastal waters around the world, and some species exist in many parts of the Mediterranean Sea. In the Syrian marine waters (eastern Mediterranean), five species are known to exist but Lagocephalus lagocephalus (Linnaeus, 1758) was not recorded there before. Method: Samples were collected from a depth of 300 m off Banyas coast, Syria, using bottom longline, the morphometric measurements and meristic measurements were recorded. Results: One specimen of the oceanic puffer Lagocephalus lagocephalus (Linnaeus, 1758) was caught from the marine water of Syria. Conclusion: This is the first record of Lagocephalus lagocephalus (Linnaeus, 1758) in the Syrian marine waters.

First record of the flat needlefish Ablennes hians (Valenciennes, 1846) from Syrian marine waters (eastern Mediterranean)

“…The previous record of this species in the Egyptian coast of the Red Sea (Golani and Fricke, 2018), and not that of other areas of Mediterranean Sea (Galil et al, 2015, Haroun et al, 2017, Golani and Fricke, 2018 supports this hypothesis. This record adds an additional species to fish checklist of the Syrian marine waters, and confirms that the changes in the environmental conditions of the Mediterranean facilitate species introduction (Coll et al, 2010, Hallom et al, 2014, Alshawy et al, 2019c. However, despite the presence of these two individuals, in addition to the previous observations of this species in the catches, more studies should be conducted to verify whether the Flat Needlefish A. hians had established itself in the marine water of Syria.…”

On the occurrence and health risks of the Silver-cheeked Toadfish (Lagocephalus sceleratus Gmelin, 1789) in the marine ecosystem of the Gaza Strip, Palestine

“…As far as the Silver-cheeked Toadfish is concerned, all local fisheries parties confirmed that the first record of the species in the Mediterranean waters of the Gaza Strip, Palestine was in 2006; which means three years after its first record in 2003 in Gokova Bay of Turkey (Akyol et al 2005). Nowadays, the species has been caught off the coasts of nearly all Mediterranean countries as pointed out by many authors (Golani and Levy 2005;Nader et al 2012;Alshawy et al 2019). Local morphometric measurements of a single sample of the Silver-cheeked Toadfish caught in the Mediterranean waters of the Gaza city, Gaza Strip in 2019 were done using a measuring board ( Table 1).…”

“…They added that the species proved to be a serious hazard to consumers, causing paralysis of the mouth and limbs. Puffers include approximately 130 species worldwide within the Tetraodontidae family, among which many are found in the eastern and western Mediterranean Sea (Chamandi 2009;Kalogirou et al 2010;Rousou et al 2014;Enajjar et al 2015;Farrag et al 2015a and b;El-Haweet et al 2016;Vella et al 2017 andAlshawy et al 2019). The Suez Puffer (Lagocephalus suezensis Clark & Gohar, 1953), which is considered rare in the Mediterranean waters of the Gaza Strip, was recorded in the by-catch of other Mediterranean countries (Bilecenoglu et al 2002;Saad 2005;Ben-Abdallah et al 2011;El-Haweet et al 2016).…”

First Record of the Broadbanded cardinalfish Ostorhinchus fasciatus (White, 1790) from the Syrian Marine Waters (Eastern Mediterranean)

“…The morphometric measurements (length to the nearest mm, weight to the nearest g), and meristic counts were recorded. They were then photographed, preserved in 7% formaldehyde, and placed at the Biological Laboratory of the High Institute of Marine Research (Tishreen University -Lattakia, Syria) as reference samples [17].…”