Occurrence of the Indo-Pacific Stonefish, Synanceia verrucosa Bloch and Schneider, 1801 in the Northeastern Mediterranean Sea

A single adult specimen of the stonefish, Synanceia verrucosa Bloch and Schneider, 1801, was observed on June 13, 2024, from Konacık (Iskenderun Bay), northeastern Mediterranean coast of Türkiye. The occurrence of this species in Turkish Mediterranean waters is probably due to its migration from the Red Sea via the Suez Canal. The present paper reports the second occurrence of the stonefish, S. verrucosa after thirteen years from the coast of Türkiye. Thus, this study is an important record that S. verrrucosa may have settled on the Northern Mediterranean coast of Türkiye.