Westernmost occurrence of the dusky spinefoot Siganus luridus (Osteichthyes, Siganidae) along North African coasts

Abstract

Westernmost occurrence of the dusky spinefoot, Siganus luridus (Osteichthyes, Siganidae) along North African coasts.— A specimen of dusky spinefoot Siganus luridus (Rüppel, 1829) was recorded in the peri-Mediterranean lagoon of Bizerte in northern Tunisia. This record constitutes the northernmost range of the species in Tunisian waters and the westernmost range on North African coasts. Siganus luridus is the second record known to date of a teleost Lessepsian species in a restricted brackish area. We describe the specimen, include morphometric measurements and meristic counts, and discuss the distribution of this herbivorous species in the Lagoon of Bizerte, in Tunisian waters and in the Mediterranean Sea.