Erhan IRMAK1* and Uğur ALTINAĞAÇ2
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ACTA ICHTHYOLOGICA ET PISCATORIA (2015) 45 (4): 433–435 DOI: 10.3750/AIP2015.45.4.14 FIRST RECORD OF AN INVASIVE LESSEPSIAN MIGRANT, LAGOCEPHALUS SCELERATUS (ACTINOPTERYGII: TETRAODONTIFORMES: TETRAODONTIDAE), IN THE SEA OF MARMARA Erhan IRMAK1* and Uğur ALTINAĞAÇ2 1 Faculty of Fisheries Izmir, Katip Çelebi University, Izmir, Turkey 2Faculty of Marine Sciences and Technology, Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Çanakkale, Turkey Irmak E., Altinağaç U. 2015. First record of an invasive Lessepsian migrant, Lagocephalus sceleratus (Actinopterygii: Tetraodontiformes: Tetraodontidae), in the Sea of Marmara. Acta Ichthyol. Piscat. 45 (4): 433–435. Abstract. One specimen of the silver-cheeked toadfi sh, Lagocephalus sceleratus (Gmelin, 1789), was obtained for fi rst time from the Sea of Marmara, off Gelibolu, by trammel net in October 2008. The morphological features of this species were examined. The presently reported fi nding also represents the second documented occurrence of a puffer fi sh in the Sea of Marmara. Keywords: invasion, silver-cheeked toadfi sh, puffer fi sh, range expansion, tetrodotoxin The family Tetraodontidae contributed the high- net over a sandy bottom at a depth of approximately 6 m in est number of alien fi sh species in the Mediterra- October 2008 (40°24′N, 26°40′E). The sampled specimen nean Sea: Lagocephalus guentheri Miranda Riberio, was fi xed in 4% formaldehyde solution and deposited in the 1915; Lagocephalus suezensis Clark et Gohar, 1953; fi sh collection of Marine Life Collection Centre of İzmir Lagocephalus sceleratus (Gmelin, 1789); Torquigener Katip Çelebi University (IKCMLCC-PIS-01-12-2008) fl avimaculosus Hardy et Randall, 1983; Tylerius (Fig. 1). Morphomeristic characters of the fi sh caught spinosissimus (Regan, 1908); Sphoeroides spengleri were determined following the methodology provided by (Bloch, 1785); Sphoeroides pachygaster (Muller et Smith and Heemstra (1986). Troschel, 1848); Sphoeroides marmoratus (Lowe, 1938); and Ephippion guttiferum (Bennett, 1831) (see Golani et al. 2002, Corsini et al. 2005, Bilecenoglu et al. 2006, Vacchi et al. 2007, Matsuura et al. 2011). The species be- longing to the Tetraodontidae contain tetrodotoxin (TTX), a very potent poison, making them unmarketable because of the associated serious threat to human life and health. Besides, these species also destroy fi shing nets and incur economic losses for fi shers (Nader et al. 2012). The sil- ver-cheeked toadfi sh, Lagocephalus sceleratus, is one of Fig. 1. Specimen of Lagocephalus sceleratus collected the puffer fi shes of the Indo-Pacifi c origin which have in- from the Sea of Marmar a vaded the eastern basin of the Mediterranean Sea (Nader et al. 2012). After its fi rst occurrence in the Gökova Bay, Family TETRAODONTIDAE Aegean Sea in February 2003 (Akyol et al. 2005), it was Genus Swainson, 1839 reported from the Levantine Sea, Adriatic Sea, Italian Lagocephalus sceleratus (Gmelin, 1789) coasts of the Ionian Sea, and central Mediterranean, re- spectively (Kalogirou 2013, Dulčić et al. 2014, Kapiris et Description. Body elongate and infl atable; naked but cov- al. 2014, Deidun et al. 2015). This paper represents the ered with small spinules on belly and sparsely on dorsal fi rst record of L. sceleratus from the Sea of Marmara and surface extending to origin of dorsal fi n. Spinules on dor- expands the known distribution of this species. sal part not spinous. Dorsal and anal fi ns located far poste- A single specimen of Lagocephalus sceleratus was riorly, containing no spiny rays. Pelvic fi ns absent; caudal caught from Gelibolu coast, Sea of Marmara by trammel fi n lunate. Two quite distinct lateral lines. Gill opening as * Correspondence: Dr Erhan Irmak, Su Ürünleri Fakültesi, Kâtip Çelebi Üniversitesi, Atatürk Organize Sanayi Bölgesi, No: 33/2 35620 Balatçık, Çiğli, İzmir, Turkey, phone: +90 232 3293535 4214, e-mail: (EI) [email protected], (UA) [email protected]. 434 Irmak and Altinağaç single slit in front of pectoral fi ns. Dorsal part of body blu- available in the Sea of Marmara there is no evidence of ish-green with dark spots. Silver coloration from snout to established populations of these species in the area. caudal peduncle. Ventral part of body white. Silver trian- The number of the Mediterranean records of gle blotch anteriorly to eye. Yellowish blotch in middle of Lagocephalus sceleratus—a pufferfi sh of the Indo-Pacifi c caudal fi n. Body size: 95.03 mm total length (TL), 91.02 origin—increases continuously, but published information mm fork length (FL), 82.24 mm standard length (SL). Pre- on its ecological effect follow at much slower pace. Irmak dorsal and preanal length 70.93%SL and 70.52%SL, re- (unpublished*) mentioned that the aggressive expansion spectively. Eye diameter and preorbital length 36.64%HL L. sceleratus could affect the other species in the shared (head length) and 46.42%HL, respectively. Dorsal fi n rays habitats. This calls for a consistent monitoring of possible 12, anal fi n rays 10 and pectoral fi n rays 18. All the other changes in the ecosystem and its biodiversity. diagnostic features of the specimen were in accordance with Kara et al. (2015), Kalogirou (2013), Milazzo et al ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS (2012), and Akyol et al. (2005). This study has been a part of the PhD thesis of the Remarks. Lagocephalus sceleratus has social and eco- fi rst author. The authors wish to thank the fi shermen Yusuf logical importance due to the presence of tetrodotoxin Serim and Ahmet Oktu for providing the material and to (Streftaris and Zenetos 2006, Katsanevakis et al. 2014b). Dilruba Seyhan for her assistance. The species has powerful jaws that easily cut fi shing nets, resulting in a fi nancial loss for fi sheries. REFERENCES Lagocephalus sceleratus obviously showed a success- Akyol O., Unal V., Ceyhan T., Bilecenoglu M. 2005. ful adaptation following its westward migration into the First confi rmed record of Lagocephalus sceleratus Mediterranean Sea. After its fi rst occurrence in the Medi- (Gmelin, 1789) in the Mediterranean Sea. Journal of terranean it became one of the most common Lessepsian Fish Biology 66 (4): 1183–1186. species in the Levantine basin and has showed expansion DOI: 10.1111/j.0022-1112.2005.00667.x reaching the northern parts of the Aegean and Adriatic Ben Souissi J., Rifi M., Ghanem R., Ghozzi L., seas and west to Spanish coast (Katsanevakis and Tsiamis Boughedir W., Azzurro E. 2014. Lagocephalus scel- 2009). Milazzo et al. (2012), Ben Souissi et al. (2014), eratus (Gmelin, 1789) expands through the African and Kara et al. (2015) provided further evidence of its coasts towards the Western Mediterranean Sea: A call occurrence along north-African coasts. In addition to the for awareness. Management of Biological Invasions 5 above-mentioned records, Katsanevakis et al. (2014a) re- (4): 357–362. ported a single specimen from north-western Mediterra- DOI: 10.3391/mbi.2014.5.4.06 nean over muddy bottoms in the Ibiza channel, Spain and Bilecenoglu M., Kaya M., Akalin S. 2006. Range expan- they confi rmed its entry into the western basin of the Med- sion of silverstripe blaasop, Lagocephalus sceleratus iterranean. In addition, the fast movement to the western (Gmelin, 1789), to the northern Aegean Sea. Aquatic basin of the Mediterranean, the silver-cheeked toadfi sh Invasions 1 (4): 289–291. continues its expansion to the north in the eastern basin. DOI: 10.3391/ai.2006.1.4.14 Katsanevakis et al. (2014a) reported the occurrence of L. Bilecenoglu M., Alfaya J.E.F., Azzurro E., Baldacconi sceleratus in Saros Bay located in northern Aegean Sea. R., Boyacı Y.Ö., Circosta V., Compagno L.J.V., The above-mentioned paper represents the northernmost Coppola F., Deidun A., Durgham H., Durucan F., report from the Aegean Sea of the silver-cheeked toadfi sh. Ergüden D., Fernández-Álvarez F.Á., Gianguzza Low salinity and cold water character of the northern Ae- P., Giglio G., Gökoğlu M., Gürlek M., Ikhtiyar gean Sea (principally due to Pontic water coming from S., Kabasakal H., Karachle P.K., Katsanevakis S., the Çanakkale Strait) is an important ecological barrier Koutsogiannopoulos D., Lanfranco E., Micarelli P., for the establishment of thermophilic fauna (Por 1978). Özvarol Y., Peña-Rivas L., Poursanidis D., Saliba This barrier is more effective in the Sea of Marmara be- J., Sperone E., Tibullo D., Tiralongo F., Tripepi cause it is a transition zone between the Black Sea and S., Turan C., Vella P., Yokeş M.B., Zava B. 2013. the Mediterranean and receives both the Mediterranean New Mediterranean marine biodiversity records (De- waters coming from the Çanakkale strait and the Black cember, 2013). Mediterranean Marine Science 14 (2): Sea waters fl owing from the Bosporus. Therefore, there 463–480. are only three Lessepsian fi shes reported from the area. DOI: 10.12681/mms.676 The fi rst one is Lagocephalus spadiceus (Richardson, Corsini M., Margies P., Kondilatos G., Economidis 1845)—misidentifi ed as Lagocephalus guentheri (see P.S. 2005. Lessepsian migration of fi shes to the Aege- Matsuura et al. 2011)—in Gelibolu coast (Tuncer et al. an Sea: First record of Tylerius spinosissimus (Tetra- 2008), the second one is L. sceleratus from Gelibolu coast odontidae) from the Mediterranean, and six more fi sh represented by the presently reported record, and the third records from Rhodes. Cybium 29 (4): 347–354. one is Stephanolepis diaspros Fraser-Brunner, 1940 from Deidun A., Fenech-Farrugia A., Castriota L., the easternmost part of the Sea of Marmara (Bilecenoglu Falautano M., Azzurro E., Andaloro F. 2015. First et al. 2013). Although the records of two puffer fi shes are record of the silver-cheeked toadfi sh Lagocephalus * Irmak E. 2012. Türkiye kıyılarında Lesepsiyen balon balıkları ve beslenme özellilerinin araştırılması. [Lessepsian puffer fi shes on the Turkish coasts and their nutri- tional properties.] Tez 91/2012.