Far from home....the first documented capture of the genus Elops (Actinopterygii, Elopidae) from the Mediterranean

Abstract

The tenpounder fish genus Elops Linnaeus, 1766 was recorded for the first time from the Mediterranean in October 2019, as a single individual was caught in Maltese waters. The genus has a disparate global distribution consisting of west Atlantic and west Pacific tropical and sub-tropical areas. A single individual was caught, but not retained, during artificial lighting-assisted purse seining, and the identification of the genus was determined based upon photographs submitted by the fisherman. The mechanisms of range expansion of the genus from the Atlantic into the Mediterranean are discussed.