This work presents refined, updated subregional and regional non-indigenous species (NIS) invento... more This work presents refined, updated subregional and regional non-indigenous species (NIS) inventories for the Mediterranean Sea, validated by national and taxonomic experts, with species records observed until December 2020. These datasets will be used as the baselines for the implementation of the Integrated Monitoring and Assessment Programme for the Mediterranean (IMAP) and the Mediterranean Quality Status Report 2023. In total, 1006 non-indigenous species have been found in Mediterranean marine and brackish waters. The highest numbers of NIS were observed in Israel, Türkiye, Lebanon and Italy. Approximately 45 species were categorized as data deficient, either due to lack of consensus on their alien status or the validity of their identification. Polychaeta, Foraminifera and macroalgae were the groups with the highest numbers of controversial species. There was a general increase in the yearly rate of new NIS introductions after the late 1990s, which appears to be slowing down i...
In the present Collective Article information on 26 taxa belonging to 8 Phyla and extended from t... more In the present Collective Article information on 26 taxa belonging to 8 Phyla and extended from the western Mediterranean to the Levantine Sea are presented. The new records were found in 9 countries as follows: Spain: first record for the Mediterranean of the crab Cancer bellianus; Algeria: further records of the alien fish Lagocephalus sceleratus to the west Algerian waters; Italy: first report on the presence and establishment of the ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi in Lessina and Varano Lagoons (W. Adriatic) and of Penaeus aztecus in Corigliano Gulf (Italian Ionian). Moreover, the extension of the distribution range of the polychaete Branchiomma bairdi to W. Sicily as well as that of the crab Ocypode cursor and the bryozoan Catenicella paradoxa to E. Sicily are cited. Slovenia: the record of the rare saccoglossan gastropod Placida cremoniana from Piran (Gulf of Trieste) is the first for the Adriatic; Greece: the native sea slug Eubranchus farrani is the first from the Eastern Medite...
Heteropriacanthus cruentatus (Lacepède, 1801) was reported for the first time in the Mediterranea... more Heteropriacanthus cruentatus (Lacepède, 1801) was reported for the first time in the Mediterranean Sea from the Lebanese deep sea. A photograph of the glasseye fish was posted on the social media network Facebook. The specimen was caught from the deep sea of Lebanon on 29 April 2019 by a recreational longline fishermen.
International audienceThe Action Plan for the conservation of habitats and species associated wit... more International audienceThe Action Plan for the conservation of habitats and species associated with seamounts, underwater caves and canyons, aphotic hard beds and chemosynthetic phenomena in the Mediterranean Sea follows a series of eight Action plans adopted by the Mediterranean countries within the framework of the Barcelona Convention, devoted to the conservation of species or groups of species. These Action plans are:•Action Plan for the management of the Monk Seal•Action Plan for the conservation of marine turtles•Action Plan for the conservation of cetaceans•Action Plan for the conservation of marine vegetation•Action Plan for the conservation of bird species registered in annex II of the SPA/BD Protocol•Action Plan for the conservation of cartilaginous fi shes (Chondrichtyans) in the Mediterranean Sea•Action Plan concerning species introduction and invasive species•Action Plan for the conservation of the coralligenous and other calcareous bio-concretions in the Mediterranean S...
An excavating sponge, which covers extensive areas of limestone rock, has been found at several l... more An excavating sponge, which covers extensive areas of limestone rock, has been found at several locations of the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. This zooxanthellate clionaid, brown with yellow oscula, may have an extension of several square meters under the b-form, similar to what has been described in coral reef areas. It has been observed at 3‐30 m depth, generally in clear water in the Ionian Sea, Crete, Cyprus and Lebanon. The gross morphology and the spicule characters are described from all the collected specimens. The spicule complement, with variable tylostyles and rare, sometimes absent, thin spirasters, is compared with that of Cliona parenzani Corriero & Scalera-Liaci 1997 from the Apulian coast (Ionian Sea, Mediterranean Sea), and of several Caribbean and Indo-Pacific clionaid species, which display the same morphology and rather similar spicule characters. The sponge is tentatively identified as C. parenzani, although there are some differences with the type specimens in the highly variable spiculation, suggesting that it may represent a species complex similar to what is known for other species in the Caribbean and Indo-Pacific areas. Although the sponge appears to be closely related to large brown spreading clionaids from tropical areas and was previously practically overlooked in the Eastern Mediterranean, it does not appear to be a recent introduction. It is suggested that it could be a survivor in the warmer area of the Mediterranean of an ancient thermophilous fauna, which did not survive in the colder Western Basin during glacial episodes of the Pleistocene.
A young specimen of the blackfish, Centrolophus niger (Gmelin, 1789) was reported for the first t... more A young specimen of the blackfish, Centrolophus niger (Gmelin, 1789) was reported for the first time from the Lebanese waters. It was caught and photographed by a professional fisherman in Beirut, on 15th November 2014. The present note reports details about this first record.
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, 2008
Despite the hydroid fauna of the Mediterranean Sea being considered one of the best known in the ... more Despite the hydroid fauna of the Mediterranean Sea being considered one of the best known in the world, the eastern basin of the Mediterranean Sea remains nearly unexplored. This paper reports on 38 species collected along the Levant Sea coast (mainly Lebanon), of which three are new records for the Mediterranean and nine for the Levant Sea. Six alien species, i.e. Eudendrium carneum, Sertularia marginata, Sertularia techocarpa, Macrorhynchia philippina, Diphasia digitalis and Dynamena quadridentata, are described in detail and illustrated on the basis of Levant Sea material. The last four species are considered as immigrants from the Red Sea. The synonymy of Sertularia stechowi, described from Japan, with S. techocarpa is established. Taken as a whole, the collection comprised a majority of circum-(sub)tropical species, and a reduced proportion of Atlantic–Mediterranean elements and Mediterranean endemics. The ecology (seasonality, depth distribution and habitat preference) of the ...
Schizoretepora hassi sp. nov., one of the most frequent bryozoans in shaded rocky habitats sample... more Schizoretepora hassi sp. nov., one of the most frequent bryozoans in shaded rocky habitats sampled along the coasts of Lebanon between 3 and 36 m depth, is described here. Its status as steno-endemic in the Levantine basin versus successful Erythraean immigrant is unresolved. Colonies erect and typically with a distinct abfrontal surface occupied by kenozooids, are variable in shape, from ramose with dichotomic branching to reteporiform. The great similarity of its autozooids and avicularia with those of the bilaminate Schizotheca serratimargo argues for classing the latter in the genus Schizoretepora.
Action plan for the conservation of the oralligenous and other calcareous bio-concretions in the ... more Action plan for the conservation of the oralligenous and other calcareous bio-concretions in the mediterranean sea Note:The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this document do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNEP concerning the legal status of any State, Territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of their frontiers or boundaries.
The presence of the black wing flyingfish Hirundichthys rondeletii (Valenciennes, 1846) was repor... more The presence of the black wing flyingfish Hirundichthys rondeletii (Valenciennes, 1846) was reported for the first time from the Lebanese waters. It was caught by a professional fisherman in Beirut on 27 December 2009. The present note reports details about this record.
The recent paper by Bariche Fricke (2020) presents an updated checklist of the marine fish specie... more The recent paper by Bariche Fricke (2020) presents an updated checklist of the marine fish species in Lebanon including 367 fish species, 70 non-indigenous and 28 new records. According to Bariche Fricke (2020), the inventory is based on the published scientific papers related to the marine fishes in Lebanon, since Gruvel (1928, 1931), as well as grey literature, images published in newspapers or on local websites and social media. However, important scientific papers and published reports, providing important data on marine fishes in Lebanon, were missed. Hereby we cite twelve scientific papers: [Nafpaktitis (1963), Bath (1977), Shiber (1981), Moosleitner (1988), Lakkis et al. (1996), Bariche (2006), Bariche et al. (2006); Bitar et al. (2007), Bariche Trilles (2008), Bitar (2010), Khalaf et al. (2014), and Bitar (2015) in Zenetos et al. (2015)], twelve national reports [the national report of Abboud Abi Saab et al. (2003) under the framework of a Libano-Franco cooperation, the nati...
The Action Plan for the conservation of habitats and species associated with seamounts, underwate... more The Action Plan for the conservation of habitats and species associated with seamounts, underwater caves and canyons, aphotic hard beds and chemosynthetic phenomena in the Mediterranean Sea follows a series of eight Action plans adopted by the Mediterranean countries within the framework of the Barcelona Convention, devoted to the conservation of species or groups of species. These Action plans are: •Action Plan for the management of the Monk Seal •Action Plan for the conservation of marine turtles •Action Plan for the conservation of cetaceans •Action Plan for the conservation of marine vegetation •Action Plan for the conservation of bird species registered in annex II of the SPA/BD Protocol •Action Plan for the conservation of cartilaginous fi shes (Chondrichtyans) in the Mediterranean Sea •Action Plan concerning species introduction and invasive species •Action Plan for the conservation of the coralligenous and other calcareous bio-concretions in the Mediterranean Sea Dark Habita...
New records of fish of the genus Abudefduf observed and photographed in the Lebanese coastal wate... more New records of fish of the genus Abudefduf observed and photographed in the Lebanese coastal waters are reported in the paper. The individuals from photos were examined on the basis of visible external morphological characters and geographical location already known in the Mediterranean Sea, as well as compared with photos taken elsewhere in their natural environments from various origins. In agreement with that reported by other authors, a careful analysis of these photos shows uncertainties in the validity of the visual characters previously used to distinguish between the two congeners A. vaigiensis and A. saxatilis already reported in the Mediterranean Sea, and even their possible confusion with A. troschelii. In some individuals, new morphological features are emphasized and may provide visual evidence for the presence of Abudefduf cf. troschelii (Gill, 1862). Sympatry and possible hybridization are discussed.
This work presents refined, updated subregional and regional non-indigenous species (NIS) invento... more This work presents refined, updated subregional and regional non-indigenous species (NIS) inventories for the Mediterranean Sea, validated by national and taxonomic experts, with species records observed until December 2020. These datasets will be used as the baselines for the implementation of the Integrated Monitoring and Assessment Programme for the Mediterranean (IMAP) and the Mediterranean Quality Status Report 2023. In total, 1006 non-indigenous species have been found in Mediterranean marine and brackish waters. The highest numbers of NIS were observed in Israel, Türkiye, Lebanon and Italy. Approximately 45 species were categorized as data deficient, either due to lack of consensus on their alien status or the validity of their identification. Polychaeta, Foraminifera and macroalgae were the groups with the highest numbers of controversial species. There was a general increase in the yearly rate of new NIS introductions after the late 1990s, which appears to be slowing down i...
In the present Collective Article information on 26 taxa belonging to 8 Phyla and extended from t... more In the present Collective Article information on 26 taxa belonging to 8 Phyla and extended from the western Mediterranean to the Levantine Sea are presented. The new records were found in 9 countries as follows: Spain: first record for the Mediterranean of the crab Cancer bellianus; Algeria: further records of the alien fish Lagocephalus sceleratus to the west Algerian waters; Italy: first report on the presence and establishment of the ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi in Lessina and Varano Lagoons (W. Adriatic) and of Penaeus aztecus in Corigliano Gulf (Italian Ionian). Moreover, the extension of the distribution range of the polychaete Branchiomma bairdi to W. Sicily as well as that of the crab Ocypode cursor and the bryozoan Catenicella paradoxa to E. Sicily are cited. Slovenia: the record of the rare saccoglossan gastropod Placida cremoniana from Piran (Gulf of Trieste) is the first for the Adriatic; Greece: the native sea slug Eubranchus farrani is the first from the Eastern Medite...
Heteropriacanthus cruentatus (Lacepède, 1801) was reported for the first time in the Mediterranea... more Heteropriacanthus cruentatus (Lacepède, 1801) was reported for the first time in the Mediterranean Sea from the Lebanese deep sea. A photograph of the glasseye fish was posted on the social media network Facebook. The specimen was caught from the deep sea of Lebanon on 29 April 2019 by a recreational longline fishermen.
International audienceThe Action Plan for the conservation of habitats and species associated wit... more International audienceThe Action Plan for the conservation of habitats and species associated with seamounts, underwater caves and canyons, aphotic hard beds and chemosynthetic phenomena in the Mediterranean Sea follows a series of eight Action plans adopted by the Mediterranean countries within the framework of the Barcelona Convention, devoted to the conservation of species or groups of species. These Action plans are:•Action Plan for the management of the Monk Seal•Action Plan for the conservation of marine turtles•Action Plan for the conservation of cetaceans•Action Plan for the conservation of marine vegetation•Action Plan for the conservation of bird species registered in annex II of the SPA/BD Protocol•Action Plan for the conservation of cartilaginous fi shes (Chondrichtyans) in the Mediterranean Sea•Action Plan concerning species introduction and invasive species•Action Plan for the conservation of the coralligenous and other calcareous bio-concretions in the Mediterranean S...
An excavating sponge, which covers extensive areas of limestone rock, has been found at several l... more An excavating sponge, which covers extensive areas of limestone rock, has been found at several locations of the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. This zooxanthellate clionaid, brown with yellow oscula, may have an extension of several square meters under the b-form, similar to what has been described in coral reef areas. It has been observed at 3‐30 m depth, generally in clear water in the Ionian Sea, Crete, Cyprus and Lebanon. The gross morphology and the spicule characters are described from all the collected specimens. The spicule complement, with variable tylostyles and rare, sometimes absent, thin spirasters, is compared with that of Cliona parenzani Corriero & Scalera-Liaci 1997 from the Apulian coast (Ionian Sea, Mediterranean Sea), and of several Caribbean and Indo-Pacific clionaid species, which display the same morphology and rather similar spicule characters. The sponge is tentatively identified as C. parenzani, although there are some differences with the type specimens in the highly variable spiculation, suggesting that it may represent a species complex similar to what is known for other species in the Caribbean and Indo-Pacific areas. Although the sponge appears to be closely related to large brown spreading clionaids from tropical areas and was previously practically overlooked in the Eastern Mediterranean, it does not appear to be a recent introduction. It is suggested that it could be a survivor in the warmer area of the Mediterranean of an ancient thermophilous fauna, which did not survive in the colder Western Basin during glacial episodes of the Pleistocene.
A young specimen of the blackfish, Centrolophus niger (Gmelin, 1789) was reported for the first t... more A young specimen of the blackfish, Centrolophus niger (Gmelin, 1789) was reported for the first time from the Lebanese waters. It was caught and photographed by a professional fisherman in Beirut, on 15th November 2014. The present note reports details about this first record.
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, 2008
Despite the hydroid fauna of the Mediterranean Sea being considered one of the best known in the ... more Despite the hydroid fauna of the Mediterranean Sea being considered one of the best known in the world, the eastern basin of the Mediterranean Sea remains nearly unexplored. This paper reports on 38 species collected along the Levant Sea coast (mainly Lebanon), of which three are new records for the Mediterranean and nine for the Levant Sea. Six alien species, i.e. Eudendrium carneum, Sertularia marginata, Sertularia techocarpa, Macrorhynchia philippina, Diphasia digitalis and Dynamena quadridentata, are described in detail and illustrated on the basis of Levant Sea material. The last four species are considered as immigrants from the Red Sea. The synonymy of Sertularia stechowi, described from Japan, with S. techocarpa is established. Taken as a whole, the collection comprised a majority of circum-(sub)tropical species, and a reduced proportion of Atlantic–Mediterranean elements and Mediterranean endemics. The ecology (seasonality, depth distribution and habitat preference) of the ...
Schizoretepora hassi sp. nov., one of the most frequent bryozoans in shaded rocky habitats sample... more Schizoretepora hassi sp. nov., one of the most frequent bryozoans in shaded rocky habitats sampled along the coasts of Lebanon between 3 and 36 m depth, is described here. Its status as steno-endemic in the Levantine basin versus successful Erythraean immigrant is unresolved. Colonies erect and typically with a distinct abfrontal surface occupied by kenozooids, are variable in shape, from ramose with dichotomic branching to reteporiform. The great similarity of its autozooids and avicularia with those of the bilaminate Schizotheca serratimargo argues for classing the latter in the genus Schizoretepora.
Action plan for the conservation of the oralligenous and other calcareous bio-concretions in the ... more Action plan for the conservation of the oralligenous and other calcareous bio-concretions in the mediterranean sea Note:The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this document do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNEP concerning the legal status of any State, Territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of their frontiers or boundaries.
The presence of the black wing flyingfish Hirundichthys rondeletii (Valenciennes, 1846) was repor... more The presence of the black wing flyingfish Hirundichthys rondeletii (Valenciennes, 1846) was reported for the first time from the Lebanese waters. It was caught by a professional fisherman in Beirut on 27 December 2009. The present note reports details about this record.
The recent paper by Bariche Fricke (2020) presents an updated checklist of the marine fish specie... more The recent paper by Bariche Fricke (2020) presents an updated checklist of the marine fish species in Lebanon including 367 fish species, 70 non-indigenous and 28 new records. According to Bariche Fricke (2020), the inventory is based on the published scientific papers related to the marine fishes in Lebanon, since Gruvel (1928, 1931), as well as grey literature, images published in newspapers or on local websites and social media. However, important scientific papers and published reports, providing important data on marine fishes in Lebanon, were missed. Hereby we cite twelve scientific papers: [Nafpaktitis (1963), Bath (1977), Shiber (1981), Moosleitner (1988), Lakkis et al. (1996), Bariche (2006), Bariche et al. (2006); Bitar et al. (2007), Bariche Trilles (2008), Bitar (2010), Khalaf et al. (2014), and Bitar (2015) in Zenetos et al. (2015)], twelve national reports [the national report of Abboud Abi Saab et al. (2003) under the framework of a Libano-Franco cooperation, the nati...
The Action Plan for the conservation of habitats and species associated with seamounts, underwate... more The Action Plan for the conservation of habitats and species associated with seamounts, underwater caves and canyons, aphotic hard beds and chemosynthetic phenomena in the Mediterranean Sea follows a series of eight Action plans adopted by the Mediterranean countries within the framework of the Barcelona Convention, devoted to the conservation of species or groups of species. These Action plans are: •Action Plan for the management of the Monk Seal •Action Plan for the conservation of marine turtles •Action Plan for the conservation of cetaceans •Action Plan for the conservation of marine vegetation •Action Plan for the conservation of bird species registered in annex II of the SPA/BD Protocol •Action Plan for the conservation of cartilaginous fi shes (Chondrichtyans) in the Mediterranean Sea •Action Plan concerning species introduction and invasive species •Action Plan for the conservation of the coralligenous and other calcareous bio-concretions in the Mediterranean Sea Dark Habita...
New records of fish of the genus Abudefduf observed and photographed in the Lebanese coastal wate... more New records of fish of the genus Abudefduf observed and photographed in the Lebanese coastal waters are reported in the paper. The individuals from photos were examined on the basis of visible external morphological characters and geographical location already known in the Mediterranean Sea, as well as compared with photos taken elsewhere in their natural environments from various origins. In agreement with that reported by other authors, a careful analysis of these photos shows uncertainties in the validity of the visual characters previously used to distinguish between the two congeners A. vaigiensis and A. saxatilis already reported in the Mediterranean Sea, and even their possible confusion with A. troschelii. In some individuals, new morphological features are emphasized and may provide visual evidence for the presence of Abudefduf cf. troschelii (Gill, 1862). Sympatry and possible hybridization are discussed.
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