First record of the Lessepsian fishParexocoetus mentoin Italian waters and GIS-based spatial and temporal distribution in Mediterranean Sea

Abstract

The Strait of Sicily in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea is considered a crossroads between the western and the eastern basins for species immigrating from the Atlantic Ocean and Lessepsian species. Among the latter, the African sailfin flyingfish Parexocoetus mento was recently collected from Lampedusa Island in November 2017, and represents the first documented record in Italian waters. In this paper, the morphological and meristic characteristics of this specimen are reported and discussed, compared with the other species of the genus Parexocoetus. Furthermore, as mapping and monitoring the distribution of invasive species is crucial to understanding their establishment and spread and then to manage the invasion process, the occurrences distribution of P. mento in the Mediterranean Sea was studied. The application of GIS-based spatial statistics allowed to identify significant clustering areas and dispersion areas of the species, summarizing the key characteristics, and underlining directional trends of distribution. GIS analysis identified two similar groups of records (1935/1966 and 1986/2017 time period), showing a change of distribution spatial pattern over time. An earlier spread direction in the Mediterranean east coast and a settled area of P. mento were found. The analysis also includes the specimen caught in Italian waters.

Distribution of flying fish species (Exocoetidae) in the waters of Ambon Island

“…The flying fish species composition was analyzed descriptively then presented in tables and figures [29]. The dominant species were analyzed morphologically [30][31][32][33], and the species distribution was analyzed using ArcGis software [34,35].…”

Snapshot of the Distribution and Biology of Alien Jellyfish Cassiopea andromeda (Forsskål, 1775) in a Mediterranean Touristic Harbour

“…The data from the MUV observations were analyzed using ArcGIS 10.3 ESRI and its Spatial Statistics tools (Measuring Geographic Distributions, Analysing Patterns, and Mapping Clusters toolsets). GIS-based spatial statistics analysis is useful in the study of species distribution [ 42 ] and alien species distribution and spread [ 43 , 44 ]. These analyses were carried out to model the spatial and temporal distributions, aggregation patterns, and spatial structure of C. andromeda in the study area; these analyses allowed obtaining information related to the areas of concentration for this species on different sampling dates: the shape of the distributions (dispersed/compact or elongated); the distribution patterns (clustered, dispersed, or random); and their dependency on some environmental parameters such as temperature, salinity, and transparency.…”

Ecological indicators from spatial statistics to describe the Atlantic fangtooth moray distribution in the Mediterranean Sea

“…Detecting and analyzing patterns of distribution shifts and range expansion/contraction is important to understand population dynamics and changes in invasive status of NIS. Analysis of spatial distribution and temporal occurrences, aggregation patterns, and spatial structure allows one to better understand the mechanisms of species invasion and identify the areas of spread and settlement (Falautano et al, 2020; Lipej et al, 2013). The identification of these areas provides valid support to their managers who can thus carry out greater control and implement measures to mitigate the impacts of the invaders in the habitats and on biodiversity and prevent further expansion.…”

“…Geostatistics, or spatial statistics, is a very useful method that allows us to obtain meaningful information regarding spatial and temporal distribution patterns (Bajjali, 2017; Falautano et al, 2020; Lipej et al, 2013; Perzia et al, 2016; Saraux et al, 2014).…”