TY - JOUR T1 - First Record of Half-smooth Golden Pufferfish Lagocephalus spadiceus (Richardson, 1845) in the Black Sea AU - Aydın, Mehmet AU - Karadurmuş, Uğur AU - Güner, Abdurrahman PY - 2025 DA - February Y2 - 2025 DO - 10.26650/ASE20241585226 JF - Aquatic Sciences and Engineering JO - Aqua Sci Eng PB - Istanbul University WT - DergiPark SN - 2602-473X SP - 33 EP - 36 VL - 40 IS - 1 LA - en AB - This study presents the first confirmed record of the half-smooth golden pufferfish (Lagocephalus spadiceus) in the Black Sea, marking a significant extension of its range. A male specimen of L. spadiceus was captured as bycatch off the coast of Ayancık, Sinop, at a depth of 17 meters using a bonito drift gillnet with a mesh size of 32 mm. The specimen was 15.6 cm in total length and weighed 53.0 g. Aside from the known possible spread pathways of invasive species, this species, which is already known to exist in the Sea of Marmara, is thought to have entered the Black Sea through direct invasion. The warming temperatures of the Black Sea, influenced by global climate change, have created suitable conditions for the spread of non-native species, and the Sea of Marmara is likely to have acted as a biological corridor. The spread of this species into the Black Sea indicates potential challenges ahead for local ecosystems, as its aggressive invasive behaviour and competitive characteristics could disrupt native food webs and pose risks to regional fisheries. This finding underscores the need for continuous monitoring and management efforts to address the potential ecological impacts of invasive species in the Black Sea. KW - Range expansion KW - new record KW - Tetraodontidae KW - invasive species KW - Black Sea CR - Aydın, M. (2011). Growth, reproduction and diet of pufferfish (Lagocephalus sceleratus Gmelin, 1789) from Turkey’s Mediterranean Sea Coast. Turkish Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 11, 569-576. http://doi.org/10.4194/1303-2712-v11_4_10 google scholar CR - Aydın, M., Erkan., S., & Dal, İ. (2017). Length-weight relationships of the 3 Tetraodontidae (Lagocephalus sceleratus, Lagocephalus spadiceus, Lagocephalus suezensis) in the Antalya Bay. Turkish Journal of Maritime and Marine Sciences, 3, 67-74. (in Turkish) google scholar CR - Aydın, M., Karadurmuş, U., Verep, B., & Gözler, A.M. (2024). Expansion of the distribution range and size of the invasive blue crab on the Turkish coast of the Black Sea. Journal of Anatolian Environmental and Animal Sciences, 9, 127-131. http://dx.doi.org/10.35229/ jaes.1431081 google scholar CR - Baltaci, H., & Turk, M.K. (2024). Spatiotemporal variability and underlying large-scale atmospheric mechanisms causing the change in the Black Sea surface temperature and associated extreme precipitation events in the northeastern of Türkiye. International Journal of Climatology, 44, 4062-4075. https://doi.org/10.1002/joc.8568 google scholar CR - Başusta, A., Başusta, N., & Özer, E.I. (2013). Length-weight relationship of two puffer fishes, Lagocephalus sceleratus and Lagocephalus spadiceus, from Iskenderun Bay, northeastern Mediterranean, Turkey. Pakistan Journal of Zoology, 4, 1047-1051. google scholar CR - Bianchi, C.N., & Morri, C. (2003). Global sea warming and “tropicalization” of the Mediterranean Sea: biogeographic and ecological aspects. Biogeographia, 24, 319-327. https://doi.org/10.21426/B6110129 google scholar CR - Bilecenoğlu, M., Yokeş, M.B., & Aydın, M. (2023). First record of Sebastes schlegelii Hilgendorf, 1880 along the Turkish Black Sea coast - new addition to the alien species inventory. Turkish Journal of Maritime and Marine Sciences, 9, 119-128. https://doi.org/10.52998/ trjmms.1358814 google scholar CR - Farrag, M.M.S., Soliman, T.B.H., Akel, E.S.K.A., Elhaweet, A.A.K., & Moustafa, M.A. (2015). Molecular phylogeny and biometrics of lessepsian puffer fish Lagocephalus sceleratus (Gmelin, 1789) from Mediterranean and Red Seas, Egypt. The Egyptian Journal of Aquatic Research, 41, 323-335. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejar.2015.08.001 google scholar CR - Fischer, W., Schneider, M., & Bauchot, M.L. (1987). Mediterranee et Mer Noire (Zone de Peche 37). Rome, Italy: FAO google scholar CR - Froese, R., & Pauly, D. (2024). FishBase (Version 06/2024). Retrieved from www.fishbase.org (accessed 15.10.2024) google scholar CR - Habib, K.A., Neogi, A.K., Oh, J., Lee, Y.H., & Kim, C.G. (2019). Chelonodontops bengalensis (Tetraodontiformes: Tetraodontidae): A new species of puffer fish from the Northern Bay of Bengal based on morphology and DNA barcode. Ocean Science Journal, 54, 7986. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12601-018-0054-7 google scholar CR - Kosswig, C. (1950). Erythrâische fische im Mittelmeer und an der Grenze der Âgais, In A. Von Jordans, & F. Peus (Eds.), Syllegomena Biologica (pp. 203-212). Germany, Leipzig: Akademie Verlag (in German). google scholar CR - Matsuura, K., Leis, J.L., Hardy, G., Jing, L., Liu, M., & Shao, K. (2014). Lagocephalus spadiceus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2014: e.T193622A2248751. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-3.RLTS.T193622A2248751.en google scholar CR - Naik, S.D., & Jalihal, D.R. (1998). Biological observations on the pufferfishes of south Konkan coast with special reference to the net-damaging species Lagocephalus spadiceus (Osteichthyes, Tetraodontidae). Indian Journal of Marine Sciences, 27, 426-432. google scholar CR - Oğuz, T., & Öztürk, B. (2011). Mechanisms impeding natural Mediterranization process of Black Sea fauna. Journal of the Black Sea / Mediterranean Environment, 17, 234-253. google scholar CR - Öztürk, B. (2021). Non-indigenous species in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. Studies and Reviews No. 87 (General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean). Rome, Italy: FAO. https://doi.org/10.4060/cb5949en google scholar CR - Öztürk, R.Ç., Karadurmuş, U., & Aydın, M. (2022). Range extension of European Hake from the Eastern Black Sea coasts of Turkey. Journal of Agricultural Faculty of Gaziosmanpasa University, 39, 19-24. https://doi.org/10.55507/gopzfd.1115134 google scholar CR - Rajendiran, P., Jaafar, F., Kar, S., Sudhakumari, C., Senthilkumaran, B., & Parhar, I. S. (2021). Sex determination and differentiation in teleost: roles of genetics, environment, and brain. Biology, 10, 973. https:// doi.org/10.3390/biology10100973 google scholar CR - Tuncer, S., Cihangir, H., & Bilecenoğlu, M. (2008). First record of the lessepsian migrant Lagocephalus spadiceus (Tetraodontidae) in the Sea of Marmara. Cybium, 32, 347-348. https://doi.org/10.26028/ cybium/2009-324-010 google scholar CR - Uzer, U., Karakulak, F.S., & Kabasakal, H. (2024). Range extension of Trachinotus ovatus (Carangidae) through the Western Black Sea off Turkish Coast. Journal of Ichthyology, 64, 716-720. https://doi. org/10.1134/S0032945224700218 google scholar CR - Vidthayanon, C., & Premcharoen, S. (2002). The status of estuarine fish diversity in Thailand. Marine and Freshwater Research, 53, 471-478. google scholar CR - Xu, H., Huang, L., Chen, T., Wang, C., Wu, Z., Cheng, Y., Su, Q., Kang, B., Yan, Y., & Zhang, X. (2024). Phylogeography and population structure of Lagocephalus spadiceus (Richardson, 1845) (Tetraodontiformes, Tetraodontidae) in the South China Sea. Ecology and Evolution, 14, e11320. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.11320 google scholar UR - https://doi.org/10.26650/ASE20241585226 L1 - https://dergipark.org.tr/en/download/article-file/4366171 ER -