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In the Mediterranean Sea, six species of Mullidae have been recorded, four of them being alien to the area. The most recent arrival in the Mediterranean is the Red Sea goatfish (Parupeneus forsskali), which was first spotted there in the year 2000. Although P. forsskali is endemic to the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, it has recently expanded its distribution; it was confirmed in Cyprus in 2014. Since then, it has established a thriving population around the island, and is now commercially important. In the present study, the spawning season and gonad development of P. forsskali off the coast of Cyprus were studied, along with important biological parameters. Macroscopic and histological analyses of the gonads indicated five maturity phases for both ovaries and testes. The gonadal maturity phases and the gonadosomatic index indicated that P. forsskali spawns in the summer months, with the peak of the spawning season in July. Males were bigger, heavier, and more abundant than females, and the length-weight relationship was found to be TW=0.0065 TL3.17 for males and TW=0.0086 TL3.07 for females, both indicating positive allometric growth. The size at first sexual maturity (LM) was 14.2 cm for males and 11.8 cm for females. Five age groups were identified from the length-frequency distribution (0-4 years old). Age group 1 was the most dominant one, containing almost 60% of the sampled individuals. Natural mortality (M) declined with age, and the mean natural mortality coefficient across ages was 0.563 year-1. Overall, this is the first study that provides important information on the spawning season of the Red Sea goatfish and other estimations on various biological traits in its non-native habitat that can be of great importance for fisheries management.

The alien Red Sea goatfish, Parupeneus forsskali (Fourmanoir & Guézé, 1976), is a Lessepsian migrant, entering the Mediterranean through the Suez Canal. This study explores its seasonal diet and biological traits in Cyprus, its non-native habitat. From August 2019 to July 2021, a total of 249 specimens were collected, ranging in total length (TL) from 5.8 to 27.7 cm, with a mean TL of 15.1 ± 4.54 cm (SD). These specimens were examined with respect to sex and season. Through various methods (F%, N%, W%, and IRI), the feeding habits of the species were analysed, revealing a diet dominated by Crustacea (mainly Decapoda) and Polychaeta, with the secondary consumption of Mollusca, Echinodermata, and others. Significant differences were found between males and juveniles and females and juveniles, with adults preferring Decapoda and juveniles Copepoda, while seasonal variations were mainly influenced by prey availability. The Red Sea goatfish exhibited ontogenetic niche shifts in its depth and habitat distribution, influenced by size and age. The trophic level (TROPH) of P. forsskali ranged from 3.22 to 3.46, corresponding to an omnivorous diet with a preference for animals. These findings suggest that P. forsskali is an opportunistic predator with a diverse diet, thriving in its new habitat and potentially impacting the local marine food webs by competing with economically important native species for resources.

Global warming and Marine Heat Waves (MHWs) are having large-scale impacts on the seagrasses and their effects on the Mediterranean endemic Posidonia oceanica need to be properly defined. This research aimed to sharpen the knowledge on P. oceanica response to the warming by correlating the shoot morphology and the productivity of the seagrass to temperature conditions and MHW occurrence. Two correlative studies, along a Mediterranean temperature range (sites at the same latitude), were conducted: one explored the associations of summer 2021 Sea Surface Temperature (SST) and MHWs on P. oceanica morphology and the other used a reconstruction technique (lepidochronological analysis) to relate past temperature conditions and MHW occurrence to proxies of seagrass productivity for the corresponding periods. The results showed that the mean summer temperature affected the P. oceanica leaf necrosis and that MHWs occurrence changed the morphology of the plant by lowering the leaf area and increasing leaf necrosis. Interesting results were also found relating the past thermal environment, since rhizome biomass has been negatively affected by the number of MHWs and rhizome length by the temperature range. This research provides fundamental insights about P. oceanica changes linked to warming and MHWs, identifying the potential plant indicators assisting future experimental and modelling studies. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time a reconstruction technique is used to evaluate the effects of past MHWs on the morphology and productivity of a plant species.

The European Regulation (EU) 1143/2014 on Invasive Alien Species entered into force in 2015, with the aim to fulfill regional and international biodiversity goals in a concerted manner. To date, the Regulation listed 66 Invasive Alien Species (IAS) that are subject to legal controls. Only one of these is marine. A recent lionfish (Pterois miles) invasion has been closely monitored in the Mediterranean and a detailed risk assessment was made about the profound impacts that this invasive fish is likely to have on the fisheries and biodiversity of the region. In 2016–21, lionfish rapidly became dominant predators along Eastern Mediterranean coasts, yet the process for their inclusion on the EU IAS list has been lengthy and is ongoing. There is an urgent need to learn from this experience. Here, we recommend improvements to the Regulation 1143/2014 and the risk assessment process to protect marine ecosystems and secure the jobs of people that rely on coastal resources.

Biological invasions are considered among the largest threats to native biodiversity. The Mediterranean Sea, connecting the Indo-Pacific and Atlantic oceans, is characterized as a global marine invasion hotspot, due to a multitude of human pathways and vectors such as shipping, aquaculture, tourism, and the opening of the Suez Canal, which have led to the introduction of nearly 700 alien species into the Mediterranean Sea. Among the species introduced, the lionfish Pterois miles could be considered the fastest spreading invasive fish species of the last decade (2012–2022) and has been recorded in all countries of the eastern Mediterranean Sea, reaching as far north as Croatia. Here, we present a Bayesian additive regression tree modelling framework for an updated species distribution modelling invasion map under current and future climate conditions. All climate uncertainty sources have been used, as these are available from the Bio-Oracle, the unique marine predictors database. Important outputs of the current approach are the model’s inadequacy to accurately predict the most recent expansion of species in the Adriatic Sea, and the uncertainty estimation, that are high in areas with confirmed occurrence of individuals, in simulations that can help the decision makers and policy officers understand model limitations and take more informed actions.

Widespread reports over the last six years confirm the establishment of lionfish (Pterois miles) populations in the eastern Mediterranean. Accumulated knowledge on lionfish invasions in the western Atlantic Ocean has shown that it is a successful invader and can have negative impacts on native species, indirect ecological repercussions and economic effects on local human societies. Here we analysed genetic sequences of lionfish from Cyprus as well as data from the whole distribution of the species, targeting the mtDNA markers cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (COI) and the control region (CR). Our results reflect a pattern of repeated introductions into the Mediterranean from the northern Red Sea and a secondary spread of this species west to Rhodes and Sicily. Presented results agree with previously published studies highlighting the genetic similarity with individuals from the northern Red Sea. Nevertheless, some individuals from Cyprus, in addition to those coming via the Suez Canal, were genetically similar to fish from the Indian Ocean, indicating genetic homogeneity among populations of P. miles across its current distribution, possibly facilitated by the ornamental fish trade and/or transport through ballast water.

Background Cyprus is affected by the invasion of non-indigenous ‘lessepsian’ species due to its proximity to the Suez Canal. Thus, recent ongoing studies in the marine area of Cyprus reveal new records of such Erythrean species. Results The first confirmed presence of the Red Sea goatfish Parupeneus forsskali in the coastal waters of Cyprus is reported. Description of the specimen, together with some distributional notes of the species in the Mediterranean are provided. Conclusions This record of P. forsskali from Cyprus, together with the previous occurrences in Israel, Lebanon and Turkey supports further the establishment of a population in the eastern Mediterranean .

Invasive alien species (IAS) are one of the major drivers of change that can negatively affect biodiversity, ecosystem functions and services and human health; islands are particularly vulnerable to biological invasions. Horizon scanning can lead to prioritisation of IAS to inform decision-making and action; its scale and scope can vary depending on the need. We focussed on IAS likely to arrive, establish and affect biodiversity and human health on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus. The scope of the horizon scanning was the entire island of Cyprus. We used a two-step consensus-building process in which experts reviewed and scored lists of alien species on their likelihood of arrival, establishment and potential to affect biodiversity, ecosystems and/or human health in the next 10 years. We reviewed 225 alien species, considered to be currently absent on Cyprus, across taxa and environments. We agreed upon 100 species that constituted very high, high or medium biodiversity risk, often arriving through multiple pathways of introduction. The remaining 125 species were ranked as low risk. The potential impacts on human health were documented for all 225 species; 82 species were considered to have a potentially negative impact on human health ranging from nuisance to disease transmission. The scope of the horizon scanning was the entire island of Cyprus, but the thematic groups also considered the relevance of the top 100 species to the Sovereign Base Areas of Cyprus, given their differing governance. This horizon scan provides the first systematic exercise to identify invasive alien species of potential concern to biodiversity and ecosystems but also human health within the Mediterranean region. The process and outcomes should provide other islands in the region and beyond with baseline data to improve IAS prioritisation and management.

The lessepsian species, Upeneus pori (Pisces), Sepioteuthis lessoniana (Cephalopoda) and Aquilonastra burtoni (Echinodermata) are reported for the first time from Cyprus, while the lessepsian bivalve, Barbatia plicata is reported for the first time from Kastelorizo Island, Greece. Finally, the fish species Pempheris vanicolensis, Sphyraena pinguis and Hemirampus far were collected more northerly than their previous records in the Aegean Sea. The geographical distribution of these species is given. According to the new records, the number of lessepsian fish, mollusc and echinoderm species known from Cyprus increases to 25, 38 and 4 species respectively.

Standardized tools are needed to identify and prioritize the most harmful non-native species (NNS). A plethora of assessment protocols have been developed to evaluate the current and potential impacts of non-native species, but consistency among them has received limited attention. To estimate the consistency across impact assessment protocols, 89 specialists in biological invasions used 11 protocols to screen 57 NNS (2614 assessments). We tested if the consistency in the impact scoring across assessors, quantified as the coefficient of variation (CV), was dependent on the characteristics of the protocol, the taxonomic group and the expertise of the assessor. Mean CV across assessors was 40%, with a maximum of 223%. CV was lower for protocols with a low number of score levels, which demanded high levels of expertise, and when the assessors had greater expertise on the assessed species. The similarity among protocols with respect to the final scores was higher when the protocols considered the same impact types. We conclude that all protocols led to considerable inconsistency among assessors. In order to improve consistency, we highlight the importance of selecting assessors with high expertise, providing clear guidelines and adequate training but also deriving final decisions collaboratively by consensus.