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This paper is a collection of novel distributional records of 20 species belonging to 8 phyla (Chlorophyta, Rhodophyta, Cnidaria, Ctenophora, Annelida, Mollusca, Arthropoda and Chordata) from 11 Mediterranean countries, namely, Spain: an additional record of the Canary dentex Dentex canariensis is reported from Spain (Valencia), this is the northernmost record of this species in the Mediterranean; Algeria: the first documented record of Caulerpa chemnitzia is reported from the Algerian coast; France: the first record of the Spotted sea hare Aplysia dactylomela is reported from the eastern coast of Corsica; Italy: the first records of the Lessepsian polychaete Dorvillea similis and the alien bivalve Isognomon legumen are reported from Italian waters while additional records of Mnemiopsis leidyi in the south Adriatic are provided;  Libya: the first record of an alien mollusc Crepidula fornicata is reported from Libyan waters; Malta: multiple sightings of gelatinous species Apolemia uvaria, Phacellophora camtschatica and Physophora hydrostatica are reported for the first time from Maltese waters, as well as the first tentative record of the Orange-spotted grouper Epinephelus cfr. coioides; Greece: an occurrence of a rare Bigeye thresher shark Alopias superciliosus is reported from Hellenic Ionian waters, while the first records of the alien Mertens’ prawn-goby Vanderhorstia mertensi, the recently described cyclopoid copepod Oithona davisae and the alien red seaweed Asparagopsis armata are reported from the Aegean Sea. The presence of the micromollusc Euthymella colzumensis is confirmed for Greece; Cyprus: the first record of the red cornetfish Fistularia petimba is reported from Cyprus; Turkey: the first record of the alien jellyfish Marivagia stellata is reported from south-eastern Turkey; Israel: the first records of the sea nettle Chrysaora sp. in the Levant are reported.

The current article presents 18 new records from seven Mediterranean countries. These records include one rhodophyte, fournudibranchs, two crustaceans, one stingray and 10 bony fishes. They are grouped by country as follows: Lebanon - first record ofthe Striped bass Morone saxatilis, the stingray Himantura leoparda, the Areolate grouper Epinephelus areolatus and the Spot-finporcupinefish Diodon hystrix from various parts of the country; Turkey - first record of the invasive red alga Grateloupia turuturufrom the sea of Marmara (region of Bandırma), the sea slug Goniobranchus obsoletus and the crab Arcania brevifrons from theGulf of Antalya and the cladoceran Pleopis schmackeri from several locations along the Aegean Sea; Cyprus - first record of thealien sea slug Berthellina citrina from the region of Cape Greco and an observation of a butterflyfish Heniochus sp. from the northeasternside of the island; Greece - first record of the alien sea slug Anteaeolidiella lurana from the region of Heraklion in Creteand the record of the Atlantic spadefish Chaetodipterus faber and the Black surgeonfish Acanthurus cfr gahhm from SalaminaIsland; Slovenia - first record of the alien sea slug Thecacera pennigera from Izola; Italy - first record of the hybrid Striped bass(Morone saxatilis × Morone chrysops) from the northern Tyrrhenian Sea and a first record of the goldfish Carassius auratus fromthe region of Apulia; Libya - first record of the Red Sea goatfish Parupeneus forsskali and the African surgeonfish Acanthurusmonroviae, respectively from the eastern (Al-Tamimi area) and the western shore (Al-Khums area).

In the period 2013-2015, wild dusky grouper, Epinephelus marginatus (Lowe), caught in Libyan coastal waters and ranging in size from 42 to 92 cm in total length, were observed to have distinctive skin lesions of unknown aetiology. Histopathologically, the lesions comprised a multifocal, unilateral or bilateral dermatitis, involving the epidermis, superficial dermis and scale pockets, and sometimes, in severe cases, the hypodermis. Severe lesions had marked epidermal spongiosis progressing to ulceration. Healing was observed in some fish. Bacteria and fungi could be isolated from severe lesions, although they were not seen histopathologically in early-stage lesions. By contrast, metazoan parasite eggs were observed in the dermis and epidermis of some fish with mild and moderate dermatitis. Unidentified gravid digenean trematode parasites carrying similar eggs were also seen within the blood vessels of the deep and superficial dermis. The cause of this distinctive condition, termed dusky grouper dermatitis (DGD), and its potential impact upon already threatened Mediterranean wild dusky grouper populations and upon cultured grouper more widely have yet to be established.

The Indo-Pacific Sergeant Abudefduf vaigiensis (Quoy & Gaimard, 1825) (Chordata: Pisces: Actinopterygii: Perciformes: Pomacentridae) is first recorded in the south-central Mediterranean Sea (Libya), based on the external morphology and the barcoding of a fragment of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene. Present sightings from field surveys and social media include juveniles, sub-adults, and a single adult specimen, suggesting that the species is now established in Libyan waters. No certainties occur regarding timing and possible pathway of arrival of this species in the area, and it may have simply gone undetected for years. The joint effort of field studies and citizen science projects in collaboration with international organizations continues shedding light on bioinvasions in Libya, with valuable outcomes for the Mediterranean marine biology as a whole.

“New records of rare species in the Mediterranean Sea” (October 2021)

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