Unicorn leatherjacket filefish, Aluterus monoceros (Actinopterygii: Tetraodontiformes: Monacanthidae): first record off the Tunisian coast and confirmed occurrence in the Mediterranean Sea

Abstract

Investigations conducted off the northern Tunisian coast (central Mediterranean) allowed the authors to collect a male of the unicorn leatherjacket filefish, Aluterus monoceros (L.). The specimen is described in this note, including morphometric measurements and meristic counts. This finding constitutes the first record of A. monoceros off the Tunisian coast and the second record for the Mediterranean Sea. The occurrence of this species in the area and the Mediterranean Sea is discussed and commented.

Keywords

• Actinopterygii
• Osteichthyes
• Monacanthidae
• Alute