Page 127 - Invasive_Species_2013

Mediterranean invasive species factsheet

Similar species Mediterranean via the Suez Canal, it was first
Five species of the family Mullidae occur in the recorded in Palestine in 1947 (as Mulloides
Mediterranean: two are non-indigenous Red Sea auriflamma) and subsequently in Lebanon, Syria,
species, the goldband goatfish Upeneus Turkey, Rhodes, Egypt, Cyprus and Libya. The
moluccensis and the brownband or Por’s goatfish U. goldband goatfish is now very abundant along the
pori; and two are the indigenous Mediterranean Levant coasts.
goatfishes, the red mullet Mullus barbatus and the
striped mullet M. surmuletus. The fifth member of the Ecological impacts
family is the west African goatfish, Pseudupeneus Each of the Mullidae species occupies a different,
prayensis. depth-related habitat; however, interaction and
possible competition between them for the same
Both Mullus species are easily distinguished from
prey (small crustaceans, molluscs, etc.) might occur.
the goldband goatfish U. moluccensis by the lack of
The non-indigenous mullets occupy shallow waters
teeth in their upper jaws, and their steep- or very (20–30 m in depth), whereas the indigenous species
steep-sloping heads. Upeneus pori has no yellow dominate greater depths. High densities of the non-
longitudinal stripe; both tail fin lobes are striped; and indigenous Upeneus moluccensis and U. pori might
it has seven dorsal spines. Pseudupeneus prayensis therefore displace the native species (Mullus spp.).
has a spine on the bony flap that covers the gills,
Conversely, the goldband goatfish is reported to be
and no stripes on the tail fin.
one of the prey species consumed by Saurida
undosquamis, another Red Sea migrant.

Economic impacts
The goldband goatfish is commercially important in
trawl fisheries in the Levant Sea. It is sold fresh in
markets, or utilized for fish meal. In the eastern
Mediterranean, the two non-native Upeneus species
A spine on the bony flap account for a significant proportion of commercial
that covers the gills No stripes on the tail fin; the Mullidae catches. However, there are no precise data
upper and lower corner of the
tail dark red for the annual catch of goldband goatfish. Fishermen
Pseudupeneus prayensis
normally find it difficult to separate goatfishes into
different species and so they are considered to be a
single catch category in most fishery statistics.

Head very steep The reduction in catches of native goatfishes (red
mullet and striped mullet) and its possible correlation
with the non-indigenous species have not yet been
assessed.

Management options
These include a) early eradication of new
The body colour is uniformly populations by MPA technicians through fishing, and
pink, the back is darker and the
belly is white. b) maintenance of healthy and abundant
Mullus barbatus assemblages of top predators to encourage natural
control through predation.

Brief history and route of References
introduction Ozvarol Z.A.B. et al., 2010. Growth and Reproduction of
Goldband Goatfish (Upeneus moluccensis Bleeker (1855)) Drawings: Juan Varela
The goldband goatfish is an Indo-West Pacific from the Gulf of Antalya (Turkey). J. Animal and Veterinary
species recorded from the Red Sea to New Advances, Vol. 9, Iss. 5, 939-945.
Caledonia, and north to Japan. Introduced to the http://www.ciesm.org/atlas/Upeneusmoluccensis.php

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