On the biology of the alien Red Sea goatfish, Parupeneus forsskali (Fourmanoir & Guézé, 1976) in the Aegean Sea, eastern Mediterranean

ABSTRACT

The alien Red Sea goatfish (Parupeneus forsskali) was recently reported in the Mediterranean Sea, as a species that migrated two decades ago through the Suez Canal. In this work, efforts are being made to fill knowledge gaps on its biology, through information based on 131 Red Sea goatfish specimens collected from commercial fishing vessels in the south-eastern coasts of the Aegean Sea, Greece (Eastern Mediterranean). The largest specimen examined measured 26 cm in total length (L_max), while otolith annual ring determination showed that the maximum recorded age was 4 years. The Von Bertalanffy growth function parameters were estimated as follows: L_∞= 32.44 cm, Κ = 0.31 y⁻¹ and t₀= −0.08 y. The diet of the specimens was dominated by Decapoda and Amphipoda (IRI = 66%) with an estimated trophic level of 3.58 (±0.53), characterizing the species as carnivorous with preference for Crustacea prey. Length (L_m) and age (t_m) at maturity were estimated to be 19.6 cm and 2.8 years, respectively. The species exhibited larger reproductive load (L_m/L_max) in the non-native regions compared with its native distribution in the non-native regions compared with its native distribution. In conclusion, further research is required in order to elucidate differences of the species’ life-history traits between its native and non-native distribution.

KEYWORDS:

• Age
• growth
• sexual maturity
• diet
• non-indigenous species
• Greece

Acknowledgements

We would like to express our sincere gratitude and thank the Editor and the anonymous Reviewers for taking the time and effort to review the present manuscript. All the comments and suggestions were valid and valuable and contributed towards the improvement of the quality of the manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data Availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, G.V. The data are not publicly available due to privacy/ethical restrictions.