First record of the Berber ponyfish Leiognathus berbis Valenciennes, 1835 (Osteichthyes: Leiognathidae) from Syrian marine waters (Eastern Mediterranean)

Abstract

Results: This study reports that Berber ponyfish Leiognathus berbis, a member of Lessepsian species, was found in Syrian marine waters and recorded for the first time there. Conclusion: This is the first record for Leiognathus berbis in the Syrian costal waters, and observations for the first time from the fishermen, There are several factors helped this specimen to arrive to this area of Mediterraean; one of these factors is ballast water.

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

“…The advanced testis maturity of this specimen gives a preliminary indication that this species breeds in the area. The survival of this species in the Syrian waters and the recent sea water warming (Vallerga et al 2003, Aldo Drago et al 2004, RAC 2009, Ben Haj et al, 2009, Ibrahim et al 2010, Alshawy et al, 2016, Alshawy et al 2019) may assist this species to expand its original range and establish itself there. Compared to the other puffer fish species in the Syrian marine water, L.lagocephalus has the highest level of toxicity, especially in the edible parts, where~300 g of flesh are enough to kill a human, (Saoudi et al 2008;Saoudi et al 2011;Rahman 2015).…”

First record of the razorbelly scad Alepes kleinii (Bloch, 1793) (Carangidae) along the coast of Bangladesh

“…Species distribution is influenced by a large number of environmental factors such as the geological history of the area, environmental stability, ecosystem productivity, habitat heterogeneity and suitability, and competition and predation (Legalle et al 2008;Alshawy et al 2016). Several vectors including patterns of water circulation, currents, and sea warming may provide suitable conditions for the expansion of its distribution range (Gurlek et al 2016).…”

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

“…As a consequence, the Mediterranean Sea becomes a biodiversity hotspot [7]. Most non-indigenous species in the Mediterranean Sea have entered through the Suez Canal, where it is one of the most important waterways for those species [8[,[9], [10]. Apogonidae family contains 353small colourful species, which exist in the tropical and subtropical waters [11].…”