First record of the Lessepsian fishParexocoetus mentoin Italian waters and GIS-based spatial and temporal distribution in Mediterranean Sea

Abstract

AbstractThe Strait of Sicily in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea is considered a crossroads between the western and the eastern basins for species immigrating from the Atlantic Ocean and Lessepsian species. Among the latter, the African sailfin flyingfishParexocoetus mentowas recently collected from Lampedusa Island in November 2017, and represents the first documented record in Italian waters. In this paper, the morphological and meristic characteristics of this specimen are reported and discussed, compared with the other species of the genusParexocoetus. Furthermore, as mapping and monitoring the distribution of invasive species is crucial to understanding their establishment and spread and then to manage the invasion process, the occurrences distribution ofP. mentoin the Mediterranean Sea was studied. The application of GIS-based spatial statistics allowed to identify significant clustering areas and dispersion areas of the species, summarizing the key characteristics, and underlining directional trends of distribution. GIS analysis identified two similar groups of records (1935/1966 and 1986/2017 time period), showing a change of distribution spatial pattern over time. An earlier spread direction in the Mediterranean east coast and a settled area ofP. mentowere found. The analysis also includes the specimen caught in Italian waters.