Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/43517
Title: The first record of the African Sergeant, Abudefduf hoefleri (Perciformes : Pomacentridae), in the Mediterranean Sea
Authors: Vella, Adriana
Vella, Noel
Agius Darmanin, Sandra
Keywords: Abudefduf
Introduced organisms -- Mediterranean Sea
Introduced organisms -- Malta
Morphophonemics
Perciformes -- Mediterranean Region
Pomacentridae -- Mediterranean Region
Perciformes -- Malta
Pomacentridae -- Malta
Issue Date: 2016
Publisher: BioMed Central Ltd.
Citation: Vella, A., Vella, N., & Darmanin, S. A. (2016). The first record of the African sergeant, Abudefduf hoefleri (Perciformes: Pomacentridae), in the Mediterranean Sea. Marine Biodiversity Records, 9(1), 1-5.
Abstract: Background: Alien fish species are increasing in the Mediterranean Sea, urging closer monitoring of coastal habitats and biodiversity towards achieving timely assessment and management. Among the alien fish species found in Maltese waters there are members of the Abudefduf genus. Methods: Research work undertaken with the cooperation of fishermen allows for additional monitoring effort to record the presence of alien species and their possible impacts. One such alien fish specimen collected from Maltese waters in January 2014 was studied through morphological, meristic and genetic analyses. Mitochondrial DNA barcoding analyses were undertaken to confirm the species' identity given that the specimen found belonged to the genus Abudefduf which is composed of a number of congeners that have similar morphological characters. Results and conclusion: This research led to the identification of the first record of the African Sergeant, Abudefduf hoefleri (Steindachner 1881) (Perciformes: Pomacentridae), in the Mediterranean Sea. This alien tropical species is native of the East Atlantic and may aggressively compete with native Mediterranean reef species for territories and resources.
URI: https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar//handle/123456789/43517
Appears in Collections:Scholarly Works - FacSciBio

Files in This Item:
File Description SizeFormat 
The_first_record_of_the_African_Sergeant_Abudefduf_hoefleri.pdf1.02 MBAdobe PDFView/Open


Items in OAR@UM are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.