First record of the Indo-Pacific fish the Jarbua terapon (Terapon jarbua) (Osteichthyes: Terapontidae) in the Mediterranean with remarks on the wide geographical distribution of this species

Abstract

The Indo-Pacific fish Terapon jarbua is recorded for the first time in the Mediterranean. This record is evidentially the result of T. jarbua entering the Mediterranean via the Suez Canal (Lessepsian migration). The present record increases the total number of known Lessepsian fish to 74. A comparison of Mediterranean and Red Sea specimens of T. jarbua with specimens from the Far East suggests the necessity for genetic studies in order to clarify the unity of this taxon.