The bastard grunt Pomadasys incisus (Bowdich, 1825) (Teleostei: Haemulidae) in Cyprus (eastern Mediterranean Sea) - a late arrival or just a neglected species?

Ioannis Giovos,Fabio Crocetta,Periklis Kleitou,Joachim Langeneck,Nikos Doumpas,Francesco Tiralongo,Valentina Tanduo

doi:10.3897/bdj.8.e58646

Abstract

Pomadasys incisus is a thermophilous coastal subtropical fish species belonging to the family Haemulidae. Originally described from Gambia, this species is widely distributed in the Eastern Atlantic from Galicia to South Africa. It has also been recorded in the Mediterranean Sea since 1840, presumably expanding its distribution in the next decades, although the species could have been already present in the basin, but simply overlooked until the mid XIX century. In this study, we first record P. incisus from Cyprus (eastern Mediterranean Sea), based on two opportunistic observations obtained through a citizen-science project and review the distribution of this species in the Mediterranean Sea. The present sighting raises the question on whether this species is a late arrival in the country or its presence has just been neglected until now. Based on present data, the most likely hypothesis is the latter one, with P. incisus occurring in low densities and being overlooked due to the absence of field studies. Whatever is true, some intrinsic or extrinsic factors may have played a role in limiting its spread or wide establishment in the above-mentioned country.

Highlights

The Mediterranean Sea is a biodiversity hotspot comprising approximately 17,000 marine species, including about 700 fish species (Coll et al 2010, Psomadakis et al 2012)
The bastard grunt P. incisus was originally described from Gambia and is widely distributed along the entire Eastern Atlantic coastline, from South Africa to Galicia (Palacky 1895, Gilchrist and Thompson 1908, Osorio 1909, Bauchot 1963, Bodilis et al 2013, Bañón et al 2014), including the Canary Islands (Vinciguerra 1883, Murray et al 1912, Bianchi 1984), Madeira (Günther 1859, Andrade and Albuquerque 1935, Ribeiro et al 2005) and Cape Verde Islands (Osorio 1909), but it has been recorded in the Mediterranean Sea since the middle of the XIX century
The specimens were identified as P. incisus due to their greyish colouration on the dorsum and a silvery-white colouration on the body side and belly, the dark spot on the upper part of the operculum and the fins orange or yellow, all characteristics that agree with the description of the species (Kaspiris 1970)

Summary

Introduction

The Mediterranean Sea is a biodiversity hotspot comprising approximately 17,000 marine species, including about 700 fish species (Coll et al 2010, Psomadakis et al 2012). Despite its first record in the Mediterranean Sea dating back to 1840 (Guichenot 1850), the species could have been already present in the basin, but overlooked until the mid XIX century. Notwithstanding such doubts, the species was recorded from Algerian, Tunisian, Spanish, French, Italian, Libyan, Egyptian, Israeli, Lebanese, Syrian, Turkish, Greek, Maltese and Croatian coasts (Bodilis et al 2013, Fig. 1)

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