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Mediterranean invasive species factsheet

Similar species Mediterranean. In the Levant, the redcoat is now one
There is no similar native species in the of the most common species, easily encountered in
Mediterranean. The colour pattern in combination small groups of 5–10 individuals among rocks and in
with the stout spine on the cheek distinguishes this caverns at depths of 15–40 m. It shares the habitat
fish from all other Mediterranean species. with Apogon imberbis, an indigenous Mediterranean
species.
Its closest relative, Sargocentron hastatum, occurs
in the eastern Atlantic but until now has not been At some sites its spread onto artificial reefs has been
recorded in the Mediterranean Sea. It is red with correlated with a decrease in numbers of several
white and yellow stripes (the white ones narrower indigenous groupers and sparids. However, more
than the red) and has distinctive black spots on the studies will be needed to reveal its interactions with
first two spines of the dorsal fins. prey and competitors. Its daily migration out of the
cave to forage at night and back in the morning could
increase the transfer of organic matter into the cave
and thereby have an impact on the cave-associated
Distinctive black spots on the
first two spines of the dorsal fin invertebrate fauna.
White stripes along the body
narrower than the red stripes
Economic impacts
The redcoat is caught in small numbers mainly by
trammel net or occasionally by hook and line, mainly
at night at depths of 20–40 m. Some reports have
associated increased catches of this species with a
decline in the number of groupers and other
commercial species caught.

Management options
These include a) early eradication of new
Sargocentron hastatum
populations by MPA technicians through spear
fishing, and b) maintenance of healthy and abundant
assemblages of top predators to encourage natural
control through predation.
Brief history of its introduction and
pathways References

This is an Indo-West Pacific species, occurring from
Golani, D. & A. Ben-Tuvia, 1985. The biology of the
the Red Sea to the western Pacific, from southern
Indo-Pacific squirrelfish, Sargocentron rubrum (Forsskål), a
Japan to Australia. In the Mediterranean it was first Suez Canal migrant to the eastern Mediterranean. J . Fish
recorded in Palestine in 1947, and subsequently in Biol. 27, 249-258.
Lebanon, Rhodes, Cyprus, Greece, Turkey, and http://www.ciesm.org/atlas/Sargocentronrubrum.php
Libya.

The redcoat squirrelfish is considered to be one of
the first fish species to have spread into the
Mediterranean.

Ecological impacts

The lack of nocturnal competitors may have Drawings: Juan Varela
facilitated the population growth and spread of the
non-indigenous redcoat squirrelfish in the

114 Monitoring Marine Invasive Species in Mediterranean MPAs: A strategy and practical guide for managers