First sighting of Zebrasoma flavescens (Teleostei: Acanthuridae) and Balistoides conspicillum (Teleostei: Balistidae) in the Mediterranean Sea: Two likely aquarium releases

Abstract

We hereby provide the first documented occurrence of the yellow tang Zebrasoma flavescens and the clown triggerfish Balistoides conspicillum in the Mediterranean Sea. These tropical fishes were photographed in October 2008 off Sitges (Costa Daurada, Spain: 41°13'27.09" N; 1°47'22.35" E) and in July 2012 in front of Palamós (Costa Brava, Spain: 41°50'56.19" N; 3°8'26.29" E), respectively. Their possible release from private aquaria is discussed.

First record of Acanthurus chirurgus (Perciformes: Acanthuridae) in the Mediterranean Sea, with some distributional notes on Mediterranean Acanthuridae

“…However, some recent occurrences of this species outside its typical geographical range has been reported along the Brazilian and Portuguese coasts (Luiz-Junior et al, 2004;Horta and Costa & Gonçalves, 2013) and in the Mediterranean area, where this species has been recorded in Spain (Crespo et al, 1987), Israel (Golani & Sonin, 1996), Algeria (Hemida et al, 2004) and Tunisia (Ben Souissi et al, 2011). A. coeruleus, on the other hand, has been previously documented in the Mediterranean Sea in Cyprus, where two juvenile specimens were observed in shallow waters (Langeneck et al, 2012), while Z. flavescens has been reported on the basis of one specimen found in the Balearic Sea, near Sitges (Spain) (Weitzmann et al, 2015); these findings have been tentatively attributed to aquarium escapes.…”

“…The introduction of Acanthurus coeruleus, Zebrasoma flavescens and Acanthurus chirurgus into the Mediterranean Sea, on the other hand, is very likely related to human transport, and more precisely to the aquarium fish trade, which seems a likely explanation for the presence of the first two species listed above (Langeneck et al, 2012;Weitzmann et al, 2015) and probably accounts for the newly-reported A. chirurgus as well. Although their quite large adult size and their particular feeding habits make the rearing in captivity of most Acanthuridae difficult, these fish are fairly common in the aquarium trade, and a diversity of species are found in aquarium shops (Papavlasopoulou et al, 2014).…”

“…This could be due to Red Sea Acanthuridae's close association with coral reefs, whose absence in the Mediterranean Sea prevents the majority of the hard bottom Red Sea fish from establishing populations in the Mediterranean (Goren et al, 2011). Conversely, the wider eco- Weitzmann et al (2015) logical spectrum of Atlantic surgeonfishes may enable them to establish themselves in Mediterranean environments (Rocha et al, 2002). While Lessepsian migrants and thermophilic Atlantic species commonly have a high rate of establishment success, the same cannot be said of the few species whose presence in the Mediterranean Sea is due to human transport (Golani et al, 2013).…”

First Record of the African Surgeonfish Acanthurus monroviae (Osteichthyes: Acanthuridae) In the Hellenic Waters

“…The study of Langeneck et al [16] reports the presence of A. coeruleus in Cyprus and the study of Langeneck et al [17] records the species A. chirurgus from Elba Island, Tyrrhenian Sea. In addition, the study of Weitzmann et al [18] reports the presence of the species Zebrasoma flavescens and Balistoides conspicillum; species strongly related with aquarium trade from Spain (Costa Daurada). Moreover, it should be noted that in Vouliagmeni Lake the release from a private aquarium was the vector of introduction of Poecilia sphenops [19].…”

Aquaria kept marine fish species possibly released in the Mediterranean Sea: First confirmation of intentional release in the wild

“…Of the remaining four, Acanthurus coeruleus Bloch et Schneider, 1801 was initially suspected to be aquarium trade release (Langeneck et al 2012), an assumption later rejected in the light of new evidence (Golani et al 2015). However, the presence of sporadic records of the other three species (see Table 1) is likely to be related to accidental releases from tropical aquaria, including the aquaria possibly set up on megayachts, which are very common in summer in touristic areas, like NE Sardinia (Langeneck et al 2015, Weitzmann et al 2015, Guidetti et al 2016. Although their quite large adult size and their particular feeding habits make the rearing in captivity of most Acanthuridae diffi cult, these fi sh are fairly common in the aquarium trade, and a diversity of species can be found in aquarium shops (Papavlasopoulou et al 2014).…”