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Monotaxis heterodon (Bleeker, 1854) is widespread in the Indo-Pacific Ocean, however, it was reported that Monotaxis grandoculis (Forsskål, 1775) was the single species of Monotaxis in this area. We collected four M. heterodon specimens from the lagoon waters of Mischief Reef in South China Sea. A morphometric study was taken to confirm the occurrence of M. heterodon in the seawaters of the South China Sea and thoroughly separate them from M. grandoculis. In addition, DNA barcoding was taken for the classification of specimens. The mean genetic distance within M. heterodon group was 0.24 percentage points, group mean distance between M. heterodon and M. grandoculis was 8.71 percentage points. The phylogenetic analysis confirmed the existence of M. heterodon in the lagoon waters of the South China Sea. This study will contribute to species identification within this genus distributed in the South China Sea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The lattice soldierfish, Myripristis violacea Bleeker, 1851, is recorded for the first time from Reunion Island. An aggregation of 12 individuals was observed and photographed on 12 January 2019 and later on the L’Hermitage reef, located on the west coast of the island. Examination of high-resolution photographs of the largest of these individuals shows that its external morphological characteristics agree well with those reported in the description of the species provided by the last revision of the genus. Studies on regional connectivity make it likely that the Reunion Island population of M. violacea originates from the northern Seychelles Island or Chagos Archipelago via stepping-stone populations. Our observations extend the known distribution of the species to the southernmost island of the Mascarene Archipelago, and extend its known depth range.

This short note describes the first record of the Norwegian skate, Dipturus nidarosiensis (Storm, 1881), in the Strait of Sicily. A male specimen of 95.6 cm total length and 3466 g weight was caught on December 2017 during a bottom trawl survey at a mean depth of 551 m. Information on biometric, sexual maturity, stomach content, and age estimation were provided. This finding confirms the occurrence of the species in the Strait of Sicily, previously suggested by the record of an empty egg case in 2015, thus contributing to the knowledge on the distribution of the species in the Mediterranean Sea.

In June 2018 two specimens of recently described fish Spelegobius llorisi Kovačić, Ordines et Schliewen, 2016, were collected at Hvar Island in the central Adriatic Sea at 52 m depth during a SCUBA diving fieldwork, aimed to quantitatively study fishes of rhodolith beds. The findings represent the third known record of this species and the first for the Adriatic Sea. The complete and intact material enabled a study of colouration and morphological details not recorded in the damaged type material from a beam trawl.

The paedomorphic gobioids of the family Schindleriidae, collectively known as infantfishes, live in shallow waters of the Indo-West Pacific. The extremely paedomorphic genus Schindleria is a taxon representing fishes of very small dimensions. Eight specimens of male and female Schindleria praematura (Schindler, 1930) were collected by a light trap in September 2015, from a reef lagoon in Magawish Island in Hurghada on the Egyptian coast of the northern Red Sea. This is the first record of the species in the Red Sea and adds to the high number of species of the family Schindleriidae in the area.

The large caerulean damselfish, Pomacentrus caeruleopunctatus Allen, 2002, is recorded for the first time from Reunion Island. Two individuals were observed and photographed between January and March 2012 on L’Hermitage reef, located on the west coast of the island. A review of high-resolution profile photographs of these two individuals shows that their external morphological characteristics agree well with those reported in the original description of the species. These observations suggest an extension of the known distribution of the species, previously restricted to the Seychelles Islands, Madagascar, and Tanzania, to the Mascarene Archipelago, and moreover the known depth range of this species.

One individual of the brassy chub, Kyphosus vaigiensis (Quoy et Gaimard, 1825) (41.5 cm TL, 1.27 kg TW), was caught off Annaba, on the eastern coasts of Algeria in December 2013. This circumtropical fish is found for the first time on the south-western Mediterranean coasts. The chronology of its records in the Mediterranean supports the hypothesis of its Atlantic origin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The only species of Cephalopholis currently known from the Mediterranean is Cephalopholis taeniops (Valenciennes, 1828), which was recorded from Libya, Malta, and Lampedusa after having autochthonously extended its original Atlantic range. All records of Cephalopholis substantiated by specimens or images from Malta were evaluated, showing that an individual filmed in August 2009 was misidentified and instead represents the first record of Cephalopholis hemistiktos (Rüppell, 1830) from the Mediterranean. Based on these records, C. taeniops is considered to be established in Maltese waters while C. hemistiktos is regarded as a ‘casual’ species, most likely transported by shipping or introduced as an aquarium escapee.

The lattice soldierfish, Myripristis violacea Bleeker, 1851, is recorded for the first time from Reunion Island. An aggregation of 12 individuals was observed and photographed on 12 January 2019 and later on the L'Hermitage reef, located on the west coast of the island. Examination of high-resolution photographs of the largest of these individuals shows that its external morphological characteristics agree well with those reported in the description of the species provided by the last revision of the genus. Studies on regional connectivity make it likely that the Reunion Island population of M. violacea originates from the northern Seychelles Island or Chagos Archipelago via stepping-stone populations. Our observations extend the known distribution of the species to the southernmost island of the Mascarene Archipelago, and extend its known depth range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This short note describes the first record of the Norwegian skate, Dipturus nidarosiensis (Storm, 1881), in the Strait of Sicily. A male specimen of 95.6 cm total length and 3466 g weight was caught on December 2017 during a bottom trawl survey at a mean depth of 551 m. Information on biometric, sexual maturity, stomach content, and age estimation were provided. This finding confirms the occurrence of the species in the Strait of Sicily, previously suggested by the record of an empty egg case in 2015, thus contributing to the knowledge on the distribution of the species in the Mediterranean Sea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In June 2018 two specimens of recently described fish Spelegobius llorisi Kovačić, Ordines et Schliewen, 2016, were collected at Hvar Island in the central Adriatic Sea at 52 m depth during a SCUBA diving fieldwork, aimed to quantitatively study fishes of rhodolith beds. The findings represent the third known record of this species and the first for the Adriatic Sea. The complete and intact material enabled a study of colouration and morphological details not recorded in the damaged type material from a beam trawl. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paedomorphic gobioids of the family Schindleriidae, collectively known as infantfishes, live in shallow waters of the Indo-West Pacific. The extremely paedomorphic genus Schindleria is a taxon representing fishes of very small dimensions. Eight specimens of male and female Schindleria praematura (Schindler, 1930) were collected by a light trap in September 2015, from a reef lagoon in Magawish Island in Hurghada on the Egyptian coast of the northern Red Sea. This is the first record of the species in the Red Sea and adds to the high number of species of the family Schindleriidae in the area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The large caerulean damselfish, Pomacentrus caeruleopunctatus Allen, 2002, is recorded for the first time from Reunion Island. Two individuals were observed and photographed between January and March 2012 on L'Hermitage reef, located on the west coast of the island. A review of high-resolution profile photographs of these two individuals shows that their external morphological characteristics agree well with those reported in the original description of the species. These observations suggest an extension of the known distribution of the species, previously restricted to the Seychelles Islands, Madagascar, and Tanzania, to the Mascarene Archipelago, and moreover the known depth range of this species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three chondrichthyes: Rhincodon typus Smith, 1828; Mobula tarapacana (Philippi, 1892); and Mobula thurstoni (Lloyd, 1908), and seven teleosts: Beryx decadactylus Cuvier, 1829; Peristedion cf. cataphractum (Linnaeus, 1758); Coryphaena hippurus Linnaeus, 1758; Liopropoma emanueli Wirtz et Schliewen, 2012; Chromis cadenati Whitley, 1951; Chromis limbata (Valenciennes, 1833); and Makaira nigricans Lacepède, 1802 were recorded for the first time for São Tomé. These records were based on fishes landed in local markets, captured, or observed while SCUBA diving and from BRUV surveys.

A juvenile specimen of Plectorhinchus gaterinus (Forsskål, 1775), a fish native to the western Indian Ocean, was found in the stomach of a squid caught in the shallow waters of the Thracian Sea (northern Aegean Sea). Apart from the occurrence of the species which is reported for the first time in the Mediterranean, this case is rather interesting but should be considered with some reservation for two reasons: the unusual detection of the species of 10 cm as a prey item of a medium sized cephalopod, and the place of its detection i.e., a marine region that is considered quite inhospitable to alien fish native to tropical environment.

There are several studies of the ichthyofauna of the East China Sea, however, the knowledge of fishes from this region still remains incomplete. This report confirms the occurrence of Chinese fanray, Platyrhina sinensis (Bloch et Schneider, 1801), in the seawaters of Zhoushan by analysing nine specimens of the Chinese fanray obtained in Zhujiajian from May 2017 to December 2017. The morphometric measurements and meristic counts were taken. The principal characters that are conclusive for the species were consistent with P. sinensis and were sufficient for separation of the examined specimens from other Platyrhina species. In addition, the fragment of 12S rRNA was also sequenced for the purpose of classification. The mean genetic distance within P. sinensis group was 0.71%, group mean distance between P. sinensis and other Platyrhina species ranged from 6.01% to 7.71%. Species were also separated from each other at the genetic level. Given the Chinese fanray has not been reported to exist in this region, our findings represent the first record from Zhoushan and extend the distribution range of this species into the north of the East China Sea. The reason behind the observed northward migration of some P. sinensis individuals from their southern habitat might be global warming. Collection of many additional specimens is needed to better define the geographic limits of the Chinese fanray. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first records of the redbanded seabream, Pagrus auriga Valenciennes, 1843 (Sparidae), and the bastard grunt, Pomadasys incisus (Bowdich, 1825) (Haemulidae), from Galician waters (NW Spain) are reported herewith. Both findings constitute the northernmost confirmed records of those fishes in the eastern Atlantic. The Galician waters seem to be an important observation point of this phenomenon as evidenced by the high number of new tropical-affinity fishes recorded during the last years in this area.

The only species of Cephalopholis currently known from the Mediterranean is Cephalopholis taeniops (Valenciennes, 1828), which was recorded from Libya, Malta, and Lampedusa after having autochthonously extended its original Atlantic range. All records of Cephalopholis substantiated by specimens or images from Malta were evaluated, showing that an individual filmed in August 2009 was misidentified and instead represents the first record of Cephalopholis hemistiktos (Rüppell, 1830) from the Mediterranean. Based on these records, C. taeniops is considered to be established in Maltese waters while C. hemistiktos is regarded as a 'casual' species, most likely transported by shipping or introduced as an aquarium escapee. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Mediterranean spiderfish, Bathypterois dubius Vaillant, 1888, is recorded for the first time in Tunisian waters. The specimen was caught in the northwest Tunisian coast. It measured 183 mm in total length and weighed 32.9 g. The specimen is briefly described including morphometric measurements and meristic counts. Its distribution in the Mediterranean Sea is discussed. This capture is the southernmost extension range of the species in the Mediterranean. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A single adult specimen of spotbase burrfish, Cyclichthys spilostylus (Leis et Randall, 1982), was recorded for the first time on 26 December 2011 from the Mersin Bay, north-eastern Mediterranean, Turkey. This is the first record of the spotbase burrfish C. spilostylus from the marine waters of Turkey and third record on the continental shelf in the Mediterranean basin. This is the 61th record of an Indo-Pacific alien fish species present along the marine waters of Turkey.

A specimen of garden eel, Heteroconger tomberua Castle et Randall, 1999, was collected from the traveling water screen of sea water cooling system of the Madras Atomic Power Station (MAPS), Kalpakkam located along the east coast of India. Previously, H. tomberua was recorded in Fiji, Pacific Ocean. The presently reported record greatly extends the fish range to the Indian Ocean and constitutes a new addition to the ichthyofauna of India. The described specimen of H. tomberua, with its total length 55.9 cm, seems to be the largest ever found.

Two specimens of the west African goatfish, Pseudupeneus prayensis (Cuvier, 1829), were found for the first time off the Tunisian coast, in northern area. They constituted the third Mediterranean record of this fish. Both specimens were studied and described, and some biological observations were reported. Same taxonomic characters were concomitantly determined on two west African goatfish caught off the coast of Senegal, for comparison. The occurrence of Pseudupeneus prayensis in the area and the Mediterranean Sea is discussed and commented.

We provide the first record of a coho salmon, Oncorhynchus kisutch (Walbaum, 1792), off the western coast of Baja California Sur, Mexico, approximately 690 km south of the previously reported distribution in the Northwest Pacific. The specimen was captured in the regional commercial fishery. It was a female, 520 mm standard length, weighing 1855 g. Morphometric and meristic data are presented.

The first records of Lampris guttatus in the Mediterranean Sea date back to 1807. Yet, until now it has been considered as a rare species (less than 25 specimens recorded in the literature). Since 2008, at least 23 specimens have been fished or observed along the French Mediterranean coast. In this paper, we present an updated review of records in the Mediterranean and discuss the possible link with the present sea water warming. We hypothesise that the recent Mediterranean specimens could come from the Atlantic, throughout the Gibraltar Strait, following a northward migration along the Northeast Atlantic coast due to present global warming.

Background. Five specimens of Epigonus constanciae (Giglioli, 1880) (deepwater cardinalfish) were captured first time during a bottom trawl survey in Sigacik Bay and off Karaburun, Aegean Sea. This is the first record of the species from the Aegean Sea. A short description certain of morphometric and meristic features of specimens are given.

Three chondrichthyes: Rhincodon typus Smith, 1828; Mobula tarapacana (Philippi, 1892); and Mobula thurstoni (Lloyd, 1908), and seven teleosts: Beryx decadactylus Cuvier, 1829; Peristedion cf. cataphractum (Linnaeus, 1758); Coryphaena hippurus Linnaeus, 1758; Liopropoma emanueli Wirtz et Schliewen, 2012; Chromis cadenati Whitley, 1951; Chromis limbata (Valenciennes, 1833); and Makaira nigricans Lacepède, 1802 were recorded for the first time for São Tomé. These records were based on fishes landed in local markets, captured, or observed while SCUBA diving and from BRUV surveys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A juvenile specimen of Plectorhinchus gaterinus (Forsskål, 1775), a fish native to the western Indian Ocean, was found in the stomach of a squid caught in the shallow waters of the Thracian Sea (northern Aegean Sea). Apart from the occurrence of the species which is reported for the first time in the Mediterranean, this case is rather interesting but should be considered with some reservation for two reasons: the unusual detection of the species of 10 cm as a prey item of a medium sized cephalopod, and the place of its detection i.e., a marine region that is considered quite inhospitable to alien fish native to tropical environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Senegalese sole, Solea senegalensis Kaup, 1858, was recorded for the first time from the southeastern Mediterranean near Tel-Aviv, Israel on 17 May 2013. This eastern Atlantic species is rare in the western Mediterranean, but now also documented from the southeastern Mediterranean.

Background. The first record of oilfish, Ruvettus pretiosus Cocco, 1829, (Gempylidae) from the depth of 65 m, caught off the coast of Benghazi, Libya (Southern Mediterranean), is reported herewith. The present finding appears to be an evidence of the extension in the latitude of its geographical distribution.

Background. The first records of the redbanded seabream, Pagrus auriga Valenciennes, 1843 (Sparidae), and the bastard grunt, Pomadasys incisus (Bowdich, 1825) (Haemulidae), from Galician waters (NW Spain) are reported herewith. Both findings constitute the northernmost confirmed records of those fishes in the eastern Atlantic. The Galician waters seem to be an important observation point of this phenomenon as evidenced by the high number of new tropical-affinity fishes recorded during the last years in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors report in this paper the first record of basking shark, Cetorhinus maximus (Gunnerus, 1765), off the coast of Syria (eastern Mediterranean). The specimen was an adult female, 690 cm total length and weighing approximately 2.5 t. It was a pregnant female at the beginning of gestation and contained 34 egg cases. The first description of C. maximus egg case is provided with short comments on the reproductive biology of the species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A single adult specimen of spotbase burrfish, Cyclichthys spilostylus (Leis et Randall, 1982), was recorded for the first time on 26 December 2011 from the Mersin Bay, north-eastern Mediterranean, Turkey. This is the first record of the spotbase burrfish C. spilostylus from the marine waters of Turkey and third record on the continental shelf in the Mediterranean basin. This is the 61th record of an Indo-Pacific alien fish species present along the marine waters of Turkey. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A specimen of garden eel, Heteroconger tomberua Castle et Randall, 1999, was collected from the traveling water screen of sea water cooling system of the Madras Atomic Power Station (MAPS), Kalpakkam located along the east coast of India. Previously, H. tomberua was recorded in Fiji, Pacific Ocean. The presently reported record greatly extends the fish range to the Indian Ocean and constitutes a new addition to the ichthyofauna of India. The described specimen of H. tomberua, with its total length 55.9 cm, seems to be the largest ever found. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigations conducted off the northern Tunisian coast (central Mediterranean) allowed the authors to collect a male of the unicorn leatherjacket filefish, Aluterus monoceros (L.). The specimen is described in this note, including morphometric measurements and meristic counts. This finding constitutes the first record of A. monoceros off the Tunisian coast and the second record for the Mediterranean Sea. The occurrence of this species in the area and the Mediterranean Sea is discussed and commented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two specimens of the west African goatfish, Pseudupeneus prayensis (Cuvier, 1829), were found for the first time off the Tunisian coast, in northern area. They constituted the third Mediterranean record of this fish. Both specimens were studied and described, and some biological observations were reported. Same taxonomic characters were concomitantly determined on two west African goatfish caught off the coast of Senegal, for comparison. The occurrence of Pseudupeneus prayensis in the area and the Mediterranean Sea is discussed and commented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first records of Lampris guttatus in the Mediterranean Sea date back to 1807. Yet, until now it has been considered as a rare species (less than 25 specimens recorded in the literature). Since 2008, at least 23 specimens have been fished or observed along the French Mediterranean coast. In this paper, we present an updated review of records in the Mediterranean and discuss the possible link with the present sea water warming. We hypothesise that the recent Mediterranean specimens could come from the Atlantic, throughout the Gibraltar Strait, following a northward migration along the Northeast Atlantic coast due to present global warming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A record of bluespotted cornetfish Fistularia commersonii Rüppell, 1835, (Fistulariidae) from the depth of 30 m, caught off the coast of Benghazi, Libya (Southern Mediterranean), is reported herewith. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On 14 July 2007 two metamorphosed males of the Po brook lamprey, Lethenteron zanandreai (Vladykov, 1955), were caught in the Hutovo Blato wetland, Neretva River basin (Adriatic Sea watershed) in Bosnia and Herzegovina. This is the first report on the occurrence of this species in the waters of Bosnia and Herzegovina. New evidence of their original distributional range extended eastward is presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The toothy goby, Pleurosicya mossambica Smith, 1959, is recorded for the first time from Eilat, Israel, Gulf of Aqaba. The status of Pleurosicya sinaia Goren, 1984 is discussed; that nominal species is treated as a junior synonym of P. mossambica. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We provide the first record of a coho salmon, Oncorhynchus kisutch (Walbaum, 1792), off the western coast of Baja California Sur, Mexico, approximately 690 km south of the previously reported distribution in the Northwest Pacific. The specimen was captured in the regional commercial fishery. It was a female, 520 mm standard length, weighing 1855 g. Morphometric and meristic data are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Senegalese sole, Solea senegalensis Kaup, 1858, was recorded for the first time from the southeastern Mediterranean near Tel-Aviv, Israel on 17 May 2013. This eastern Atlantic species is rare in the western Mediterranean, but now also documented from the southeastern Mediterranean. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The burrowing goby, Trypauchen vagina, is recorded for the first time in the Mediterranean. It is believed that it reached the Mediterranean from the Red Sea, despite the lack of a record from there, due to its well documented presence in the Arabian Gulf. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A specimen of Facciola's sorcerer, Facciolella oxyrhyncha (Bellotti, 1883), was caught for the first time in the central Aegean Sea, on January 2007 by a commercial bottom trawler at a depth of about 230 m on the muddy bottom of Southern Sigacik Bay, Aegean Sea, Turkey. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One specimen of lancet fish, Notoscopelus kroyeri (Malm, 1861), was collected in March 2007 by commercial bottom trawl in the Aegean Sea. This record consists the easternmost record of lancet fish in the Mediterranean Sea. Morphometric and meristic characteristics of this species are given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2008, a specimen of a pignosed arrowtooth eel, Dysomma brevirostre (Facciolà, 1887), was caught by a bottom trawling operation at Sigacik Bay (Aegean Sea), Turkey. Total length (TL) and weight of the fish were 23.2 cm and 2.00 g, respectively. This study reports the first record of D. brevirostre from the Aegean Sea and logs a new species for the Turkish Ichthyofauna. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]