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3.6 First record of Seriola fasciata from the Egadi Islands Marine Protected Area

L. Castriota & M. Falautano

capture, measured about 28 cm total length. The narrow
supramaxilla and the typical well-defined colour pattern
- consisting of a dark nuchal bar from eye to nape, seven
irregular and broken dark body bars, and an 8 small dark
th
bar at the end of the caudal peduncle - agree with the de-
scription of S. fasciata at the juvenile stage (Fischer et al.,
1981). Another similar specimen was caught by trammel
net SW of Marettimo Island in September 2016, but no
documentation was provided. In Sicilian waters, juveniles
measuring up to about 20 cm TL are relatively frequent
beneath fish aggregating devices (FADs) used for the dol-
phinfish fishery (Andaloro et al., 2005; Andaloro et al.,
Fig.12: Specimen of Seriola fasciata fished at Marettimo is- 2007), or occasionally recorded under drifting objects
land (Sicily) on 30 October 2016. (Castriota & Spinelli in Karachle et al., 2016), showing
positive thigmotropism towards floating objects. On the
The lesser amberjack Seriola fasciata (Bloch, 1793) contrary, larger juveniles (of sizes comparable to that of
is a subtropical Atlantic carangid, which has extended the present record) are caught by purse seine as by-catch
its natural geographic range, entering the Mediterranean of the greater amberjack Seriola dumerili Risso (1810)
Sea through the Strait of Gibraltar. After its first record fishery or, more rarely, by trolling line and trammel net
(Andaloro et al., 2005), thus confirming that they aban-
in 1989 in the Balearic Islands (Massutí & Stefanescu, don floating objects, passing from epipelagic to bentho-
1993), it has been repeatedly recorded in the Mediterra- pelagic habits. Scanty information is available on the
nean, mostly in its epipelagic juvenile stage. In the central adult stage of S. fasciata; it reaches maturity at 43-47 cm
Mediterranean, this species has been recorded from sever- FL and grows to 67.5 cm FL (Fischer et al., 1981). In the
al locations but never from the Egadi Islands (Tyrrhenian Mediterranean, adults of this species are unreported, since
Sea). On October 30 2016, one specimen of S. fasciata the largest specimen recorded was a juvenile measuring
th
(Fig. 12) was caught by trammel net on a hard bottom 36.5 cm TL from the Sicily Straits (Andaloro et al., 2005).
with Posidonia oceanica (Linnaeus) Delile at about 35 The record of S. fasciata in the Egadi Islands provides a
m of depth, NW of Marettimo Island (37.991939° N, stimulus to monitor the expansion of this species in the
12.021647° E), within the Egadi Islands Marine Protect- new environment, and to preserve the integrity of the ma-
ed Area. The specimen, photographed immediately after rine protected area.

3.7 First record of Siganus luridus in Apulia, a further sign of geographic expansion
R. Gennaio & E. Azzurro

The dusky rabbitfish Siganus luridus has historically This capture constitutes a further indication of geo-
invaded the eastern Mediterranean after its first sighting in graphic expansion for this species. This reinforces the ob-
1955. Nevertheless, since the 70s, the species underwent servations of other authors, who reported multiple sight-
a prolonged lag in geographic spread (sensu Azzurro et ings of S. luridus in the eastern Adriatic Sea (e.g. Djurović
al., 2016) with no signs of expansion until 2003, when an et al., 2014) and increasing abundances of this species in
established population was found at the Island of Linosa the Strait of Sicily (Azzurro et al., 2016).
(Strait of Sicily). News about the capture of a new species in Apulia
On December 12 2016, two S. luridus specimens circulated in the internet (http://www.ansa.it/puglia/
th
(Fig. 13) were captured along the Ionian coasts of Apulia, notizie/2016/12/13/catturati-in-salento-2-pesci-
coniglio_33f6937c-b282-48f6-9c6f-fc9a21e0d347.html)
800 meters off ‘Posto Rosso’, Marina di Alliste, Ugento through the social networks (https://www.facebook.com/
(LE) (39.90101° N, 18.06881° E). Both specimens were groups/1714585748824288/), generating a great inter-
caught by local fishermen operating with trammel nets de- est in the general public. Noteworthy, similar observa-
ployed at a depth of 18-19 m on a seagrass bottom. The tions are timely published (e.g. Vimeo https://vimeo.
first specimen measured 10.5 cm total length (TL) and com/194574917) thus constituting spontaneous and con-
weighted 20 g total weight (TW); the second specimen crete contributions to the early detection of these invaders
measured 10.2 cm TL and weighed 18g TW. in the marine environment.

Medit. Mar. Sci., 18/1, 2017, 179-201 189