First record of the silver-cheeked toadfish Lagocephalus sceleratus (Gmelin, 1789) from Malta

Alan Deidun,Andreina Fenech-Farrugia,Franco Andaloro,Luca Castriota,Manuela Falautano,Ernesto Azzurro

doi:10.3391/bir.2015.4.2.11

Abstract

The occurrence of the silver-cheeked toadfish, Lagocephalus sceleratus, is reported for the first time from Maltese waters. The specimen was caught at a depth of 15 m in a sparse sea grass Posidonia oceanica meadow. The need for a public information campaign on the danger to human health posed by the species, and to develop an early warning system of its spread, is discussed.

Highlights

One of the ‘worst’invaders of the Mediterranean Sea (Streftaris and Zenetos 2006), the silver-cheeked toadfish Lagocephalus sceleratus (Gmelin, 1789) (Tetraodontidae) has exhibited a remarkable westward expansion within the Mediterranean Sea since its first record from Gökova Bay, Turkey, in 2004 (Filiz and Er 2004)
Morphometric data of the specimen of L. sceleratus collected in Maltese waters and relative length proportions (Table 1) generally corresponded to those reported in the literature for the specimens recorded from the Mediterranean Sea
The only exceptions were proportions involving head length, which were higher than those reported in the relevant literature, likely because the head length of our specimen was relatively short

Summary

Introduction

One of the ‘worst’invaders of the Mediterranean Sea (Streftaris and Zenetos 2006), the silver-cheeked toadfish Lagocephalus sceleratus (Gmelin, 1789) (Tetraodontidae) has exhibited a remarkable westward expansion within the Mediterranean Sea since its first record from Gökova Bay, Turkey, in 2004 (Filiz and Er 2004). The occurrence of the silver-cheeked toadfish, Lagocephalus sceleratus, is reported for the first time from Maltese waters.

Results

Conclusion