AquaNISInformation system on aquatic non-indigenous and cryptogenic species |
Species | Sphoeroides pachygaster | |
Date of the first record (?) | 1991 References (not structured): Kara M.H., Mezali K., Kacher M., Etsouri M., Chaoui L., Francour P., 2020. New multiple records of the blunthead puffer Sphoeroides pachygaster (Müller & Troschel, 1848) along the Western Mediterranean coasts and reassessment of its biogeography. Vie et milieu 70 (1): 55-63 Comments: one specimen observed along the French Mediterranean off the coast of Sète in 1991, one off Saintes-Maries-de-la-mer in 1995, two near la Ciotat in 2006, one in Antibes harbour in 2014, followed by one individual in la Ciotat in 2017 |
Recipient region (?) | Country: France LME: 26. Mediterranean Sea LME sub-region: Western Mediterranean References: Kara, M.H., Mezali, K., Kacher, M., Etsouri, M., Chaoui, L., and Francour, P., 2020. New multiple records of the blunthead puffer Sphoeroides pachygaster (Müller & Troschel, 1848) along the western Mediterranean coasts and reassessment of its biogeography. Vie et Milieu 70(1): 55-63 |
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Source region (?) | Not entered |
Pathway / Vector (?) | Level of certainty: Highly likely Pathway: Natural spread from neighboring countries Vector: (Possible) Water currents |
Habitat type (?) | Not entered | |
Wave exposure (?) | Not entered | |
Salinity range (?) | Not entered | |
Temperature range (?) | Not entered |
Zonation / Substratum (?) | Not entered | |
Reproductive duration (?) | Not entered | |
Reproductive seasonality (?) | Not entered | |
Migration pattern (?) | Not entered |
Population status (?) | Not entered | |
Species status (?) | Cryptogenic Comments: there is general agreement that S. pachygaster entered the Mediterranean through the Gibraltar Strait. This species is now considered as extending its range in the north Atlantic in relation to ocean warming and is reported as a Mediterranean colonizer. This Herculean hypothesis is supported by the first records of the species in the western Mediterranean and the homogeneity of morphometric and meristic data between Atlantic and Mediterranean specimens. Available information, including the recent work of Lipej et al. (2013) using the centroids of spatial istribution and their variance, tends to confirm the general consensus which considers the puffer fish as a recent Herculean species, probably undergoing a rapid eastward spread. |
Created by | Amelia Curd, 2017-02-21 |
Last update by | Amelia Curd, 2020-12-08 |