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The authors report the capture of a specimen of the red seabream Pagrus major (Temminck & Schlegel,1843) from the Syrian coast in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. The present specimen measured 214 mm in total length and weighed 169 g. It is the first record from the Syrian coast and the third from the eastern Mediterranean. It constitutes also the easternmost extension range of the species in this sea. P. major is a non-native species from the Mediterranean, introduced via sea farrming or released from aquariums. It is a highly adaptable to environmental changes in the wild, additionally it is an opportunistic feeder. The successfull establishment of a viable population of the species in the Mediterranean Sea cannot be totally ruled out.

The Mediterranean Large Elasmobranchs Monitoring (MEDLEM) database contains more than 3,000 records (with more than 4,000 individuals) of large elasmobranch species from 21 different countries around the Mediterranean and Black seas, observed from 1666 to 2017. The principal species included in the archive are the devil ray (1,868 individuals), the basking shark (935 individuals), the blue shark (622 individuals), and the great white shark (342 individuals). In the last decades, other species such as the thresher shark (187 individuals), the shortfin mako (180 individuals), and the spiny butterfly ray (138) were reported with increasing frequency. This was possibly due to increased public awareness on the conservation status of sharks, and the consequent development of new monitoring programs. MEDLEM does not have homogeneous reporting coverage throughout the Mediterranean and Black seas and it should be considered as a database of observed species presence. Scientific monitoring efforts in the south-eastern Mediterranean and Black seas are generally lower than in the northern sectors and the absence of some species in our database does not imply their actual absence in these regions. However,the available data allowed us to analyse the frequency and spatial distribution of records, the size frequencies for a few selected species, the overall area coverage, and which species are involved as bycatch by different fishing gears., Sí

The Syrian marine water is one of the least studied areas for cetaceans in the Mediterranean Sea. Lack of basic knowledge, such as species composition and habitat, makes it impossible to develop effective conservation measures. The survey carried out along the Syrian coast by monitoring the stranding individuals on the shore since 2002 showed that there were 11 species of marine mammals living in/or visiting the Syrian marine waters at present of which 10 species belonging to the cetacean order and on belonging to pinnipeds order. The following species have been recorded: Pseudorca crassidens, Megaptera novaeangliae, Physeter macrocephalus, Tursiops truncatus, Stenella coeruleoalba, Delphinus delphis, Ziphius cavirostris, Grampus griseus, Balaenoptera physalus, Balaenoptera acutorostrata, and Manchus manchus. On the other hand, there are four species whose presence in the Syrian marine waters was mentioned a century ago by the researcher Gruvel and his team during three missions (1929–1931), but neither alive nor dead have been seen in this area during the surveys that were carried out since 1996 until the present, these species are: Phocoena phocoena, Globicephalus melas, Phocoena communis, Hyperoodon rostratus, Balaenoptera musculus. These observations reflect the vulnerability of marine mammals to anthropogenic activities, such as fishing operations, shipping, seismic activities, and climate change.

On 8 March 2018, one individual of Leucoraja fullonica was caught during a trawl survey conducted in Syrian territorial water at a depth of 340 m. This specimen was an immature female, measured 365 mm -total length, 210 mm - disc width, and weighted 183.2 g. This paper reports the first documented record of the species in Syrian waters and in the Levantine basin.

The authors present in this paper the first record of Red Sea orangeface butterflyfish Chaetodon larvatus Cuvier, 1831 off the Syrian coast and its second Mediterranean record. The specimen is described including morphometric measurements and meristic counts. The occurrence of this Lepssepsian migrant in the area and the Mediterranean Sea is discussed and commented. The present record shows that the successful establishment of C. larvatus in the Mediterranean remains a suitable hypothesis, although that it is a coral fish species and this sea is rather poor in coral reefs.

The Eastern Mediterranean Sea is one of the least studied areas for cetaceans in the Mediterranean Sea. Lack of basic knowledge such as species composition and habitats makes it impossible to develop effective conservation measures. Therefore, in order to determine the species composition, size and distribution of cetacean populations, cetacean sighting data were collected during a research cruise carried out in summer (11-24 July) 2008 in the international water of the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, as well as the Turkish, Lebanese and Syrian territorial waters. Totally 860 nautical miles (nm) of survey effort was made and 16 sightings were recorded. During the study, five Physeter macrocephalus in one sighting, 53 Stenella coeruleoalba in five sightings, two Grampus griseus in one sighting (associated with S. coeruleoalba individuals), two Delphinus delphis in one sighting and 27 Tursiops truncatus in nine sightings were recorded. The overall sighting rate was 0.18 sightings/10 nm. This is a preliminary study for understanding cetacean populations in the Eastern Mediterrannean Sea, but the results of this study will provide basic information for developing conservation plans in the area.

Three specimens of thornback ray Raja clavata Linnaeus, 1758 presenting tail abnormalities were captured off the Syrian coast. A first specimen was a juvenile male with an ecaudated tail reduced to a stump like structure. The two other specimens, an adult male and an adult female, showed abnormalities of the tail essentially constituted by lack of dorsal and caudal fins. The three specimens were described in the present note, and it appears that these tail abnormalities did not affect their development and they reached similar parameters and swimming activities than the normal ones.