First record of red cornetfish Fistularia petimba (Syngnathiformes:Fistulariidae) from Antalya and İskenderun Bays along Turkish Coasts of the Mediterranean Sea

Here, we report the first occurrence of red cornetfish Fistularia petimba in the north-eastern Mediterranean Sea. Altogether four specimens were captured; first two in Antalya Bay on 28 October 2016 and 26 November 2016, and the remaining two in İskenderun Bay on 21 May 2017 during the bottom trawl surveys along the Mediterranean coast of Turkey. All specimens were young and more or less uniform in size (383, 335, 419 and 453 mm standard length). The possibility that F. petimba could become a new potential invader in the Mediterranean as its congeneric F. commersonii is cautioned against. © 2018 Blackwell Verlag GmbHTAGEM/HAYSUD/2015/A11/P-02/3We are very grateful to our colleagues from the Mediterranean Fisheries Research, Production and Training Institute (AKSAM), the captain and crew of R/V Arama 1 for their assistance in sampling. Our gratitude also goes to Dr Yılmaz Emre, the former director of AKSAM and the current administration for their tremendous support in the projects of TAGEM/HAYSUD/2015/A11/P-02/2 “Estimation of Sizes of Demersal Fish Stocks along the Mediterranean Coast of Turkey” and TAGEM/HAYSUD/2015/A11/P-02/3 “Biology of Commercial Shrimp Species in Antalya Bay and Estimation of their Stock Sizes” which were funded by the General Directorate of Agricultural Research and Policies of the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock. -