Keywords
Adriatic Sea
Lessepsian migration
invasive species
climate change
range expansion
How to Cite
Funding data
-
NextGenerationEU
Grant numbers IP-UNIST-52
Abstract
The silver-cheeked toadfish Lagocephalus sceleratus (Gmelin, 1789) is a highly invasive Lessepsian migrant causing major ecological and socio-economic impacts in the Mediterranean Sea. Although the species was previously rare and sporadic in the Adriatic Sea, this study documents a sudden increase in its records between late March and early May 2026. Data were obtained from recreational and professional fisheries and validated through morphological identification and satellite-derived sea surface temperature (SST) data. Five new records were reported during this period, with four documented within less than two weeks along the eastern Adriatic and Albanian coasts, representing the highest number of records recorded over such a short interval in the region. SST values ranged from 14.69 °C to 15.68 °C. These findings indicate an increasingly regular presence, likely linked to sea warming.
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