First record of the Indo-Pacific yellowtail barracuda, Sphyraena flavicauda (Actinopterygii: Perciformes: Sphyraenidae), in the Western Mediterranean

Abstract

One specimen of the yellowtail barracuda, Sphyraena flavicauda Rüppell, 1838, is recorded for the first time in the Western Mediterranean, on the eastern coast of Algeria. The specimen had a TL of 39.5 cm and was caught in February 2019. Its morphometric characteristics are described and the chronology of its spread in the Mediterranean is given. This species is the ninth Lessepsian migrant fish reported from Algeria.

Keywords

• yellowtail barracuda
• Sphyraena flavicauda
• Lessep