First Mediterranean record of McAdam's scorpionfish Parascorpaena mcadamsi (Scorpaenidae) from the Syrian coast

The present study reports the capture of a specimen of Mcadam's scorpionfish Parascorpaena mcadamsi (Fowler, 1938) from the coast of Syria (eastern Mediterranean Sea). The specimen described in the present paper was small sized, measuring 128 mm in total length, 103 mm in standard length and weighing 44.9 grams. The native habitat of P. mcadamsi is located far from the Mediterranean Sea, in the Indo-Pacific where it is widely distributed. The morphology of the species does not appear to that of a good swimmer and this fish does not seem able of crossing such long distance. The specimen was probably introduced in the study area via ballast waters escape release and/or from an aquarium. This finding constitutes the first record of the species for the Syrian marine waters but also for the Mediterranean Sea. Comments and comparisons are made with other exotic scorpaenid species cited in this sea and the Black Sea.