Caesio varilineata carpenter, 1987 (Osteichthyes: Caesionidae) a new alien fish in the southeastern mediterranean sea

Abstract

The variable-lined fusilier Caesio varilineata Carpenter, 1987 is firstly reported from the northwestern coast of Egypt in February 2018, constituting the first record in the Mediterranean Sea. Several dozen of individuals were encountered at two fish landing sites in Alexandria suggesting that this species may have an established population in the southeastern Mediterranean Sea. Considering the nearness of the Suez Canal, it is likely that this new alien fish migrated through the canal.