First record of Triacanthidae Bleeker, 1859 (Actinopterygii: Tetraodontiformes) from the Red Sea

Abstract

The Tetraodontiform family Triacanthidae Bleeker, 1859 is recorded for the first time from the Red Sea. Fishing experiments employing a commercial shrimp trawler off Jizan, Saudi Arabia, revealed species occurrences of short-nosed tripodfish, Triacanthus biaculeatus (Bloch, 1786) at depths ranging from about 11 to 34 m. Currently, this species has only been found in shallow sandy/muddy habitats in the southern Red Sea. Further surveys are imperative to demonstrate the actual distribution of short-nosed tripodfish across a wider range of environmental gradients along the Red Sea.