Orthopristis chrysoptera (Actinopterygii: Perciformes: Haemulidae): A new alien fish for the Mediterranean Sea

Abstract

An individual of Pigfish, Orthopristis chrysoptera (Linnaeus, 1766), is recorded for the first time for the Mediterranean Sea, raising to six the number of species of the family Haemulidae in the basin. The fish was caught on 12 September 2020 in the harbor of Siracusa (Ionian Sea) by an angler and had an estimated total length of about 16 cm. Possible pathways of introduction and the importance of citizen science for the early detection of alien fish are discussed.

Keywords

• Ionian Sea
• grunts
• citizen science
• non-indigenou