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Finding Dory: first record of Paracanthurus hepatus (Perciformes: Acanthuridae) in the Mediterranean Sea

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Abstract

A single individual of the palette surgeonfish, Paracanthurus hepatus, is reported for Bat Yam, Israel. This is the first report of this species for the Mediterranean Sea. Since this Indo-Pacific species does not occur in the Red Sea, and is one of the most popular marine aquarium fish, its introduction is referred to as aquarium release. The impact of aquarium trade on biological invasions in the Mediterranean Sea is briefly revised and discussed.

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Fig. 1

Notes

  1. The hypothesis of an aquarium-related introduction of A. coeruleus in the Mediterranean Sea is questioned by Golani et al. (2015), who proposed a natural range expansion fostered by climate change as a more likely explanation. The native range of A. coeruleus, extending eastwards to Ascension Island (Lubbock 1980), but excluding the Eastern Atlantic Ocean, in our opinion, and according to Evans et al. (2015), make this hypothesis less likely; whereas the climate change is very likely to have played a relevant role in the establishment of the species in the Mediterranean Sea.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Bioscience Research Center, Aurelia Vecchia 32, 58015, Orbetello, GR, Italy

    Massimiliano Marcelli

  2. Balfour 53, Bat Yam, 59100, Israel

    Abraham Rami Dayan

  3. Dipartimento di Biologia, Università di Pisa, via Derna 1, 56126, Pisa, Italy

    Joachim Langeneck

Authors
  1. Massimiliano Marcelli
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  2. Abraham Rami Dayan
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  3. Joachim Langeneck
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Correspondence to Massimiliano Marcelli.

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Communicated by O. A. Bergstad

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Marcelli, M., Dayan, A.R. & Langeneck, J. Finding Dory: first record of Paracanthurus hepatus (Perciformes: Acanthuridae) in the Mediterranean Sea. Mar Biodiv 47, 599–602 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12526-016-0573-3

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