A new record of the Lessepsian invasive fish Etrumeus teres ( Osteichthyes : Clupeidae ) in the Mediterranean Sea ( Aegean , Greece )

The Lessepsian invasive fish Etrumeus teres was recorded for the first time off Crete, Greece in July 2005. Their abundance suggests that the species may become of commercial importance in the south Aegean Sea.

The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 connected the Red Sea to the Mediterranean and allowed the introduction of numerous Indo-Pacific species into the Mediterranean (Golani 1998a(Golani , 1998b)), including Etrumeus teres (Whitehead 1963).This is the first record of the species off Crete, Greece (Figure 1).
In July 2005, 360 specimens of E. teres, weighing 2.5 kg, were collected in Malia Bay, Crete (35°19'30'' N -25°25'32'' E) (Figure 2) at depth 59-62 m, on sandy bottom covered by algae.The total length of 50 of the specimens ranged from 83-110 mm.Local fishermen reported that the species is occasionally abundant in the western Cretan Sea, with a haul of 2500 kg taken by a purse-seine in Chania Bay in June 2004.They refer to the species as "gavrofrisa", a combination of the common Greek names for anchovy and round sardinella.The suggested Greek common name is "stroggulosardela" (round sardine) (Economidis and Koutrakis 2001).During its invasion in the Mediterranean Sea, E. teres, extended its in a pattern similar to many other Red Sea aliens, i.e. from Suez Canal eastwards, along the Levantine coast and then westwards along the south Turkish coast to Rhodes Island and the Aegean.The expansion of E. teres seems to accelerate in the past decade.Following its first record in Haifa Bay, E. teres was rare until the early 1990s, when it reappeared in large quantities in the Israeli commercial catches (Golani 2000) and soon spread across the Levantine basin.The recent observation of a single specimen in Central Mediterranean may represent a different invasion route along the North African coast.We believe the quick succession of records is not an artefact of increased scientific interest in marine invasions in recent years.Accelerated rates of expansion have been also observed in other Red Sea alien fish, like in Fistularia commersonii Rüppell, 1835(Karachle et al. 2004).The causes of the expansion have yet to be studied, and explanations may include environmental changes in the Mediterranean (e.g.possible increase of sea temperature) and/or adaptation of the species to local conditions.Etrumeus teres is the most important species in the Gulf of Suez fishery (Sanders and Kedidi 1984).Since 1990 it is caught in large numbers off the Israeli coast and it is caught regularly in the Gulf of Antalya (Yilmaz and Hossucu 2003).If it continues to expand, E. teres may become an important species for the Greek fisheries as well.

Figure 1 .
Figure 1.Etrumeus teres specimen from Malia Bay, Crete (Photo: P. Peristeraki).The characteristic W-shaped scute at the base of the dorsal fin is shown in magnification.

Figure 2 .
Figure 2. First records of Etrumeus teres in the Mediterranean.The open circle represents record for which no samples has been provided (see also Annex).
Golani D (1998a) Impact of Red Sea fish migrants through the Suez Canal on the aquatic environment of the eastern Mediterranean.Bulletin of Yale School of Forestry and Etrumeus teres) caught by purse seine in the Gulf of Suez.FAO, document no RAB/81/002/13, Rome, pp.36 Whitehead PJP (1963) A revision of the recent round herrings (Pisces: Dussumieriidae).Bulletin of British Museum of Natural History (Zoology) 10: 305-380 Yılmaz R and Hoşsucu B (2003) Some Biological Parameters of Round Herring, Etrumeus teres (De Kay, 1842) in the Gulf of Antalya (Mediterranean Sea).E.U.Journal of Fisheries & Aquatic Sciences 20 (1-2): 1-8