The first validated record of Epinephelus areolatus (Forsskål, 1775) (Perciformes: Serranidae) from Syrian marine waters

Here, we report the first validated record of the non-indigenous grouper species Epinephelus areolatus (Perciformes: Serranidae) along the Mediterranean coast of Syria. A single specimen of E. areolatus (Forsskål, 1775), was found on 29 September 2021 during a recurrent ichthyological survey, in a rocky habitat from the Mediterranean coast of Syria. This represents the first confirmed record of this species, native to the Red Sea, for the Syrian waters and the fourth for the Mediterranean Sea. The present record fills the gap with species distribution along the eastern Mediterranean and provides further evidence that the environmental alterations due to the combination of human activities and climate change render the Mediterranean waters increasingly likely to accommodate tropical species, possibly at the expense of the native ones.