Short scientific article	UDK 597.556.331.52:574.91(262.2)
Received: 2014-03-22
FIRST RECORDS OF SIDEBURN WRASSE PTERAGOGUS PELYCUS (OSTEICHTHYES: LABRIDAE) OFF THE SYRIAN COAST (EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN)
Ahmad SOLIMAN, Malek ALI & Adib SAAD
Marine Sciences Laboratory, Faculty of Agriculture, Tishreen University, Lattakia, Syria
Christian REYNAUD
Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire de Recherche sur la Didactique, l'Éducation et la Formation, E. A. 3749, case 77, Université Montpellier II, Sciences et Techniques du Languedoc, 34 095 Montpellier cedex 5, France
Christian CAPAPÉ
Laboratoire d'Ichtyologie, case 104, Université Montpellier 2, Sciences et Techniques du Languedoc, 34095 Montpellier cedex 5, France
E-mail: capape@univ-montp2.fr
ABSTRACT
This paper reports the first records of two specimens of sideburn wrasse Pteragogus pelycus Randall, 1981 from the Syrian coast. These records confirm the occurrence of P. pelycus Randall, 1981 in the eastern Mediterranean and suggest that a sustainable population is progressively established since two decades in this sea.
Key words: Lessepsian migrants, description, morphometric measurements, meristic counts, distribution
PRIME SEGNALAZIONI DI PTERAGOGUS PELYCUS (OSTEICHTHYES: LABRIDAE) AL LARGO DELLA COSTA SIRIANA (MEDITERRANEO ORIENTALE)
SINTESI
L'articolo riporta le prime segnalazioni di due individui del labride Pteragogus pelycus Randall, 1981 al largo della costa della Siria. A seguito di tali segnalazioni, gli autori confermano la presenza di P. pelycus Randall, 1981 nel Mediterraneo orientale e ipotizzano che una popolazione sostenibile si sia progressivamente stabilita nell'area negli ultimi due decenni.
Parole chiave: migranti lessepsiani, descrizione, misurazioni morfometriche, conteggi meristici, distribuzione
INTRODUCTION
Sideburn wrasse Pteragogus pelycus Randall, 1981 is widely distributed in the western Indian Ocean, from South Africa coast (Randall, 1986), Mozambique (Smith, 1969), Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar Islands (Randall, 2013) to Red Sea (Golani et al., 2002). P. pelycus migrated toward northern areas and penetrated through Suez Canal into the Mediterranean Sea, where it was recorded for the first time in Haifa Bay by Golani & Sonin (1992).
P. pelycus extended its distribution range in the eastern Mediterranean and was recorded off Rhodes Island (Corsini & Economidis, 1999), northern Cyprus (Kaya et al., 2000), eastern Aegean Sea, where the species is one of the most abundant wrasses in Posidonia beds (Kalo-girou et al., 2010), the coast of Turkey (Taskavak et al., 2000; Oz et al., 2007) and Lebanon (Harmelin-Vivien et al., 2005). Additionally, P. pelycus was recorded off the Mediterranean coast of Egypt which is considered to date as the southwesternmost extension range of the species in the Mediterranean Sea (Halim & Rizkalla, 2011; Azzurro et al., 2012).
Surveys conducted in the Syrian waters since 2000 allowed to collect some Lessepsian migrants (Ali et al., 2010, 2012, 2013a, 2013b), and, in the present paper, we report the capture of two specimens of P. pelycus that allow us to comment and discuss the spread of the species in the broader eastern Mediterranean, to assess its actual status in the same region.
MATERIAL AND METHODS
Two specimens of P. pelycus were caught on 15 February, 2014, using a bottom cage net made of metal wire, at a depth of approximately 38 m, on rocky bottom. The capture site was located 1.5 km off Tartous Harbour (34° 51' N and 35° 48' E; Fig. 1). Both specimens were measured to the nearest millimetre and weighed to the nearest gram. Morphometric measurements with percents of standard length (SL) and counts followed Randall (1981, 1986) and Golani et al. (2002); they are included in Table 1. Samples were preserved in 10 % buffered formalin and deposited in the Ichthyological Collection of the Marine Sciences Laboratory, Agriculture Faculty at Tishreen University, Syria, under the catalogue numbers 260 M.S.L (Fig 2) and 261 M.S.L, respectively.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Both Syrian specimens of P. pelycus were identified referring to Randall (1981, 1986) and Golani et al. (2002) with main characteristic features as follows: moderately deep and compressed body, its depth 2.62.7 in SL, head profile straight to slightly concave, head length 3.43.6 in SL, interorbital convex, eye diameter 3.5 in head length (Tab. 1), no long filaments extending from
Fig. 1: Map of the Mediterranean showing Syria and map of the coast of Syria pointing out the capture sites of sideburn wrasse Pteragogus pelycus (black star). Sl. 1: Položaj raziskovanega območja na zemljevidu Sredozemskega morja z lokalitetami, kjer je bila v sirskih vodah ujeta ustnača vrste Pteragogus pelycus (črna zvezdica).
tips of dorsal fins, caudal fin rounded, lateral line complete with dark brown-red spots, mouth terminal slightly
Fig. 2: Sideburn wrasse P. pelycus captured off the Syrian coast: (specimen referenced 260 M.S.L, in the Ichthyological Collection of Tishreen University, Syria); scale bar = 20 mm.
Sl. 2: Primerek ustnače vrste P. pelycus, ujet v sirskih vodah (primerek s kataloško številko 260 M.S.L. v ihtiolo-ški zbirki Univerze v Tishreenu v Siriji); merilo = 20 mm.
Tab. 1: Morphometric measurements in mm and as a percentage of standard length (% SL), meristic counts and weight in gram recorded in the 2 specimens of sideburn wrasse P. pelycus caught off the Syrian coast. Tab. 1: Morfometrične meritve v mm in izražene v deležu standardne dolžine (% SL), meristična štetja ter teža v gramih pri dveh primerkih ustnače P. pelycus, ujetih ob obali Sirije.
oblique, with two pairs of large recurved canine teeth. Colour olivaceous, an oblique elliptical black spot present on operculum with yellow ring ner its edge, fins yellowish with black spots on the upper part of the first 2-4 interspinous dorsal membrane (Fig. 2).
Morphometric measurements (including percent of SL), meristic counts, morphology and colour are in total agreement with Randall (1981, 1986) and Golani et al. (2002). So, these findings of P. pelycus constitute the first records of the species reported from the Syrian coast. Consequently, the addition of P. pelycus in the local ichthyofauna brings the number of species to 270, including 43 chondrichthyan species and 227 teleost species (Saad et al., 2004; Saad, 2005; Ali et al., 2010, 2013a, 2013b).
These two new records suggest that a sustainable population of P. pelycus is at present established in the eastern Mediterranean. However, the western extension range of P. pelycus seems to be rather limited; since its first record which occurred twenty-two years ago (Go-lani & Sonin, 1992). P. pelycus reached only to date the Mediterranean coast of Egypt (Halim & Rizkalla, 2011; Azzurro et al., 2012). Such pattern could be due to the fact P. pelycus lives in restricted habitats where it feeds on invertebrate species strictly related to endemic Mediterranean Sea grass niches (Kalogirou et al., 2010). Additionally, lacks of information concerning new findings of P. pelycus from the western Mediterranean cannot be totally ruled out.
Reference of specimens	260 M.S.L		261 M.S.L	
Morphometric measurements	mm	% SL	mm	% SL
Standard length	75	100.0	74	100.0
Total length	93	124.0	92	124.3
Head length	21	28.0	21	28.4
Interorbital space	4	5.3	4	5.4
Eye horizontal diameter	6	8.0	6	8.1
Eye vertical diameter	6	8.0	6	8.1
Iris horizontal diameter	2	2.7	2	2.7
Iris vertical diameter	2	2.7	2	2.7
Snout length	7	9.3	8	10.8
Upper jaw length	9	12.0	8	10.8
Lower jaw length	8	10.7	8	10.8
Pectoral fin length	14	18.7	15	20.3
Pectoral fin base	4	5.3	5	6.8
Dorsal fin length	54	72.0	52	70.3
Dorsal fin base	44	58.7	43	58.1
Dorsal fin height	7	9.3	8	10.8
Pelvic fin length	37	49.3	32	43.2
Pelvic fin base	2	2.7	2	2.7
Anal fin length	28	37.3	29	39.2
Anal fin base	20	26.7	19	25.7
Anal fin height	4	5.3	4	5.4
Body depth	28	37.3	28	37.8
Pre-pectoral length	25	33.3	23	31.1
Pre-dorsal length	24	32.0	23	31.1
Pre-anal length	42	56.0	41	55.4
Pre-pelvic length	25	33.3	25	33.8
Caudal peduncle length	10	13.3	10	13.5
Suborbital depth	5	6.7	4	5.4
First dorsal spine length	5	6.7	5	6.8
Longest spine length of dorsal fin	10	13.3	8	10.8
Meristic counts				
Dorsal fin spinous rays	11		11	
Dorsal fin soft rays	9		8	
Pelvic fin spinous rays	1		1	
Pelvic fin soft rays	5		5	
Anal fine spinous rays	3		3	
Anal fin soft rays	8		9	
Pectoral fin spinous rays	-		-	
Pectoral fin soft rays	13		13	
Caudal fin soft rays	13		12	
Lateral line scales	23		23	
Total weight (g)	11.61		10.92	
PRVI ZAPIS O POJAVLJANJU USTNAČE VRSTE PTERAGOGUS PELYCUS (OSTEICHTHYES: LABRIDAE) OB SIRSKI OBALI (VZHODNO SREDOZEMSKO MORJE)
Ahmad SOLIMAN, Malek ALI & Adib SAAD
Marine Sciences Laboratory, Faculty of Agriculture, Tishreen University, Lattakia, Syria
Christian REYNAUD
Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire de Recherche sur la Didactique, l'Éducation et la Formation, E. A. 3749, case 77, Université Montpellier II, Sciences et Techniques du Languedoc, 34 095 Montpellier cedex 5, France
Christian CAPAPÉ
Laboratoire d'Ichtyologie, case 104, Université Montpellier 2, Sciences et Techniques du Languedoc, 34095 Montpellier cedex 5, France
E-mail: capape@univ-montp2.fr
POVZETEK
Prispevek obravnava prvi zapis o pojavljanju dveh primerkov ustnače Pteragogus pelycus (Randall, 1981) iz sirskih voda. Ti podatki vnovično potrjujejo pojavljanje vrste P. pelycus v vzhodnem Sredozemskem morju in kažejo, da se je ta vrsta v vzhodnem Sredozemlju po prvih zapisih izpred dvajsetih let danes že popolnoma ustalila.
Ključne besede: Lessepske selivke, opis, morfometrične meritve, meristika, razširjenost
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