Frontiers in Marine Science (Nov 2015)
More records on the tripletail, Lobotes surinamensis (Bloch, 1790) from the Aegean Sea
Abstract
Tripletail, Lobotes surinamensis, is a cosmopolitan widely distributed marine species. It appears also in the Mediterranean Sea, having rather Atlantic origin, but is characterized as a very rare fish. Here there are presented results on the occurrence of the species in the Aegean Sea. Five specimens were caught in Thermaikos Gulf (Mediterranean, North Aegean Sea) from 2005 to 2010 between April to August. The total length range from 27.8 to 49 cm, and the total weight from 494 to 3162 g. The length-weight relationship was estimates as W=0.0112*TL3.193 (R2=0.98, SEb=0.265), indicating an isometric growth (P>0.05). Also the same length-weight relationship (W=0.0107*TL3.182, R2=0.98) and an isometric growth was estimated from the literature on 843 individuals collected in the Western Atlantic (TL range 28-80 cm). The presence of the species in the Aegean Sea has been sporadically reported in several areas. The first record was in 1943 (Rhodes Island, South Aegean Sea, Greece). Later, it was reported in North Aegean Sea first in September 1969 (Athos peninsula, Greece) and then in August 2005, April 2009, July 2009 and June 2010 (Thermaikos Gulf, Greece). In Central Aegean Sea, there was one record in October 2011 (Evoikos Gulf, Greece), two records in June-July 2012 (Izmir Bay, Turkey) and one in September 2014 (Maliakos Gulf, Greece). Taking into consideration the pattern of the surface sea currents in the Mediterranean and the reports, collected from the literature, from different parts on the Mediterranean, the tripletail appears to be a dweller of the warmest parts of the Mediterranean Sea (seasonal resident) utilizing the surface currents for dispersing to new areas. It seems to perform seasonal movements; northwards during summer for foraging, disperse to new areas and for spawning (given the gonadal maturity) and southwards at late autumn and winter for overwintering (higher temperatures).
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