Not another first: the ‘first’ Mediterranean record of Pomacanthus asfur (Forsskal, 1775) is probably based on a misidentification

Abstract

Two species of Pomacanthus were recently reported from Maltese waters: P. maculosus, recorded in December 2012, and P. asfur, recorded in September 2015, with the latter representing the first Mediterranean record for the species. However, examination of the published images of the ‘P. asfur’ specimen suggests that it may has been misidentified, and more likely represents another record of P. maculosus. Therefore, to date, P. asfur has not yet been introduced into the Mediterranean Sea.