The First Substantiated Record of Blunthead Puffer Sphoeroides pachygaster (Müller and Troschel, 1848), From the Coast of Northern Cyprus (Eastern Mediterranean)

Abstract

Blunthead puffer Sphoeroides pachygaster (Müller and Troschel, 1848) is a circumglobally distributed Tetraodontid found in temperate and tropical waters. It is believed to have colonized the Mediterranean Sea from the Atlantic Ocean. There are relatively few records of this fish in the Mediterranean Sea. On March 2020, a mature female individual was caught incidentally by a commercial fisher in Northern Cyprus. The fish was 520 mm in total length and 1200 grams in total weight. Detailed morphometrics and meristics were reported. This study is the first substantiated record of S. pachygaster from Cyprus waters, and the specimen is the largest blunthead puffer reported with a 455 mm standard length and 520 mm total length.

Keywords

• Tetraodontidae
• Incidental catch
• Morphometrics
• Maximum size report
• Levant Basin
• A rare occurrence

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