Abstract
The Eastern Mediterranean Sea is the most invaded sea on the planet, with 666 non-indigenous species now recorded in the region. However, not all of these become successful in their new environments. Success here is defined by wide geographical spread, increased abundances, and larger maximum sizes than their native range. The silver-cheeked toadfish Lagocephalus sceleratus (Gmelin 1789) was first recorded in the Mediterranean Sea in 2003. It has now spread to all corners of the basin and is increasingly abundant in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea where it reaches monstrous sizes compared to the maximum sizes reported from its native range. This contribution presents three well-documented new weight records from the Dodecanese Islands, Greece: one specimen weighing 8.5 kg from 2012, and two specimens weighing 8 and 9 kg, respectively, from 2021. The latter is also confirmed with other well-documented larger-size records, along with a physiological hypothesis suggesting how such large sizes are reached.
Highlights
IntroductionThe Eastern Mediterranean Sea is currently undergoing ‘tropicalization’, i.e., the transition to a tropical sea with similar biotic and abiotic characteristics to the Red Sea [1]
The Eastern Mediterranean Sea is currently undergoing ‘tropicalization’, i.e., the transition to a tropical sea with similar biotic and abiotic characteristics to the Red Sea [1]. This phenomenon has been mainly attributed to increased sea surface temperatures (SSTs), as an effect of climate change and the increased establishment of Lessepsian, or nonindigenous species (NIS), of tropical origin
We present a tentative prediction of maximum length based on extreme value theory [24], and a hypothesis for the physiological mechanism likely used by large individuals of L. sceleratus to reach even larger sizes under the conditions currently prevailing in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea
Summary
The Eastern Mediterranean Sea is currently undergoing ‘tropicalization’, i.e., the transition to a tropical sea with similar biotic and abiotic characteristics to the Red Sea [1]. This phenomenon has been mainly attributed to increased sea surface temperatures (SSTs), as an effect of climate change and the increased establishment of Lessepsian, or nonindigenous species (NIS), of tropical origin. Until 2019, 666 NIS (excluding Foraminifera) became established in the Mediterranean basin [3], with the Eastern Mediterranean being more highly affected due to the Suez Canal, which is the principal pathway for Lessepsian invasions from the Red Sea and Indo-Pacific region. It indicated that these three indicators were annually increasing by 1.9%, 2.8%, and 1.4%, respectively [6]
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