Mohamed Mourad BEN AMOR, OUNIFI BEN AMOR K., BDIOUI M., EL HASNI K.
Institut National des Sciences et Technologies de la Mer, port de pêche, 2060 La Goulette,
Tunisie.
E-mail: benamor7@yahoo.fr
ADDITIONAL OCCURRENCE OF COMMON LIONFISH,
PTEROIS MILES IN THE NORTHERN TUNISIAN COAST
Abstract
The record of common lionfish Pterois miles (Bennet, 1828) (Osteichthyes: Scorpaenidae) from
the Tunisian coast confirms the occurrence of the species in Northern Tunisia (Western
Mediterranean). This is the second reported capture of P. miles in northern Tunisia and the
northernmost observation in this country. These records are not sufficient to state that the species
is substantially established in the area, but investigations are rapidly needed to avoid unfavorable
consequences for the local environment and economy.
Key-words: invasion, Pterois miles, geographical expansion, Tunisia, occurrence record.
Introduction
The invasion of the Indo-Pacific lionfishes Pterois volitans (Linnaeus, 1758) and P. miles
(Bennett, 1828) outside of their native range has been reasonably well documented
throughout the past decade (Bariche et al. 2013, Azzurro et al .2017). In the last two
decades, they rapidly spread through the Western Atlantic and Caribbean Sea (Schofield,
2009), becoming a major problem for coastal environments and representing one of the
world’s top conservation issues (Azzurro et al .2017). In the Mediterranean Sea, a lionfish
was first detected in July 1991 by Golani & Sonin (1992), who identified it as Pterois
miles. Despite the conspicuous appearance of this fish, no further observations were made
until 2012, when two new Pterois miles specimens, confirmed by molecular analyses,
were recorded (Bariche et al. 2013). Recent findings in the Gulf of Tunis in 2015, indicate
that two specimens of P. miles were recorded for the first time in Northern Tunisia (Ounifi
Ben Amor & Ghanem 2016). The first specimen was captured in June 2015, in the waters
surrounding Zembra Island (Gulf of Tunis) by gill net (28mm mesh size), on sandy
bottom at a depth of 5m. The second fish was photographed by a diver in Haouaria (Cape
Bon), in September 2015, in a similar habitat and very shallow waters.
Materials and Methods
In the wake of collaboration with Tunisian fishers and special regard to investigations
concerning local ichthyofauna, we were informed that a specimen of P. miles was
captured on 21 October 2020 by trammel-nets, off Ras Jebel (Gulf of Tunis) (37,2701°
N, 10,1029° E) at a depth of about 18-22 m, on rocky bottoms partially covered by
seagrass and algae. The specimen was preserved in 10% buffered formalin and deposited
in the Ichthyological Collection of the National Institute of Marine Sciences and
Technologies, under the catalog numbers: INSTM-miles-02.
2nd Mediterranean Symposium on the Non-Indigenous Species (Genoa, Italy, 22-23 September 2022)
81
Institut National des Sciences et Technologies de la Mer, port de pêche, 2060 La Goulette,
Tunisie.
E-mail: benamor7@yahoo.fr
ADDITIONAL OCCURRENCE OF COMMON LIONFISH,
PTEROIS MILES IN THE NORTHERN TUNISIAN COAST
Abstract
The record of common lionfish Pterois miles (Bennet, 1828) (Osteichthyes: Scorpaenidae) from
the Tunisian coast confirms the occurrence of the species in Northern Tunisia (Western
Mediterranean). This is the second reported capture of P. miles in northern Tunisia and the
northernmost observation in this country. These records are not sufficient to state that the species
is substantially established in the area, but investigations are rapidly needed to avoid unfavorable
consequences for the local environment and economy.
Key-words: invasion, Pterois miles, geographical expansion, Tunisia, occurrence record.
Introduction
The invasion of the Indo-Pacific lionfishes Pterois volitans (Linnaeus, 1758) and P. miles
(Bennett, 1828) outside of their native range has been reasonably well documented
throughout the past decade (Bariche et al. 2013, Azzurro et al .2017). In the last two
decades, they rapidly spread through the Western Atlantic and Caribbean Sea (Schofield,
2009), becoming a major problem for coastal environments and representing one of the
world’s top conservation issues (Azzurro et al .2017). In the Mediterranean Sea, a lionfish
was first detected in July 1991 by Golani & Sonin (1992), who identified it as Pterois
miles. Despite the conspicuous appearance of this fish, no further observations were made
until 2012, when two new Pterois miles specimens, confirmed by molecular analyses,
were recorded (Bariche et al. 2013). Recent findings in the Gulf of Tunis in 2015, indicate
that two specimens of P. miles were recorded for the first time in Northern Tunisia (Ounifi
Ben Amor & Ghanem 2016). The first specimen was captured in June 2015, in the waters
surrounding Zembra Island (Gulf of Tunis) by gill net (28mm mesh size), on sandy
bottom at a depth of 5m. The second fish was photographed by a diver in Haouaria (Cape
Bon), in September 2015, in a similar habitat and very shallow waters.
Materials and Methods
In the wake of collaboration with Tunisian fishers and special regard to investigations
concerning local ichthyofauna, we were informed that a specimen of P. miles was
captured on 21 October 2020 by trammel-nets, off Ras Jebel (Gulf of Tunis) (37,2701°
N, 10,1029° E) at a depth of about 18-22 m, on rocky bottoms partially covered by
seagrass and algae. The specimen was preserved in 10% buffered formalin and deposited
in the Ichthyological Collection of the National Institute of Marine Sciences and
Technologies, under the catalog numbers: INSTM-miles-02.
2nd Mediterranean Symposium on the Non-Indigenous Species (Genoa, Italy, 22-23 September 2022)
81