Additional Records of Tripletail Lobotes surinamensis (Bloch, 1790), from the Eastern Mediterranean

Abstract

In the Mediterranean Sea, Lobotes surinamensis (Bloch, 1790) is considered as a rare species, albeit an increasing number of individual-based sightings published in the literature. In this study, we present 32 additional records of this thermophilic species from the Greek and Cypriot waters; reinforcing the evidence that the species is becoming more common to the region. All of the records were collected as part of the citizen science project "Is it Alien to you? Share it!!!" by a participatory process involving fishers and taxonomic experts. This work highlights the important role of citizen science as a tool for public engagement and for monitoring species distribution in a changing environment, like the Mediterranean basin.

Citizen Science Helps in Tracking the Range Expansions of Non-Indigenous and Neo-Native Species in Greece and Cyprus (Eastern Mediterranean Sea)

“…was designed and launched with the main aim of gathering data about NIS, cryptogenic, neo-native, and poorly known native species in Greece and other Eastern Mediterranean countries [15]. During the first three years of the project, it allowed researchers to update the distribution of several high-impact NIS that were hitherto considered mostly limited to the easternmost part of the Mediterranean Sea, among which are the cephalopod Sepioteuthis lessoniana d'Orbigny, 1826, the pufferfish Torquigener flavimaculosus Hardy and Randall, 1983, and the lionfish Pterois miles (Bennett, 1828) [15]; additional results were obtained in the following years, regarding both NIS and rare native species [6,12,[16][17][18].…”

Ege Denizi'nin Türkiye Kıyılarından Atlantik Üç Kuyruk Lobotes surinamensis (Bloch, 1790) Yeni Kaydı ve Bazı Biyolojik Özellikleri

“…Atlantic Tripletail has been reported from Barcelona shores in Western Mediterranean (Palom, 1991); from Rasa Bay, Adriatic (Dulcic et al, 2014b); from Izmir Bay, Central Aegean Sea (Akyol and Kara, 2012) and Dardanelles, North Aegean Sea (Tuncer and Onal, 2016). Minasidis et al (2020) were lastly recorded around the Northwesternmost shores of the Aegean Sea (Strimonikos Gulf, Delta Evrou, Thermaikos Gulf, and the Thracian Sea). They were reported 5 individuals in the area between 2018 and 2019.…”

“…This record constituted the Northernmost occurrence of the Atlantic Tripletail in the Turkish part of the Aegean Sea. Minasidis et al (2020) were collected their records as part of the citizen science project. Authors stated that Atlantic Tripletail has become more common in the region.…”

Occurrence of tripletail Lobotes surinamensis (Bloch, 1790) in the inner Bristol Channel, UK

“…Elsewhere in European seas, Roux (1986) noted that L. surinamensis was a cosmopolitan species that occurred over much of the Mediterranean Sea, although it has generally been regarded as an unusual species in Mediterranean waters. Consequently, there have been numerous published accounts of recent sightings, including of juveniles, from the southern, central, and eastern Mediterranean, including the Aegean Sea and Turkish waters (Akyol & Kara, 2012; Ergüden et al, 2018; Minasidis et al, 2020), Maltese waters (Deidun et al, 2010), Adriatic Sea (Bettoso et al, 2016; Dulčić & Dragičević, 2011; Dulčić, Dragičević, Antolović, et al, 2014; Dulčić, Dragičević, Lipej, & Štifanić, 2014), Sicilian waters (Tiralongo et al, 2018; Zava et al, 2007), and the North African coasts of Tunisia (Ounifi‐Ben Amor et al, 2016; Shaiek et al, 2018; Soufi‐Kechaou et al, 2018) and Algeria (Hemida et al, 2003). Although more common in the eastern basin, there have also been occasional captures in the north‐western Mediterranean Sea, including from north‐eastern Spain (Palom, 1991), Balearic Islands (Riera et al, 1999), and Ligurian Sea (De Carlo et al, 2017).…”