First record of the mottled spinefoot Siganus fuscescens (Houttuyn, 1782) in Mediterranean waters: a Facebook based detection

Abstract

Thanks to the information gathered through a Facebook group, the occurrence of a new non-indigenous fish, Siganus fuscescens (Houttuyn, 1782), was documented for the first time in the Mediterranean Sea. A single individual was captured on March 1st 2020, within the harbor of Gioia Tauro, southern Tyrrhenian Sea (38.44428 N, 15.90459 E). Here we illustrate this new record and discuss its relevance for Mediterranean bioinvasion research.