Abstract

Among the new fish arrivals in the Mediterranean, one of the most emblematic is the case of species belonging to the Tetraodontidae family. The first sighting of the silver-cheeked toadfish Lagocephalus sceleratus (Gmelin, 1789) for the Adriatic Sea was on October 17th 2012. Since then, 7 additional specimens have been recorded (5 were caught with total length (TL) range 478- 663 mm, 2 were observed by the fishermen) all in the southern and middle Adriatic. Although there is no strong evidence of a permanent population in the study area, the captures described here are an indication of an expansion of the distribution of the silver-cheeked toadfish in recent years in the Adriatic Sea. It has probably extended its distribution from populations established in the Ionian Sea. The first record of the oceanic puffer Lagocephalus lagocephalus (Linnaues, 1758) in the Adriatic Sea was on 16-17 September 2004 when one specimen was caught (181 mm TL). Two additional records were near Kornati archipelago on 16 June 2015 and near the island Rab on 17 June 2015 (480 and 500 mm TL). Although there is no evidence of a permanent population in the study area, the captures might be an indication of a northernmost expansion of the distribution of the oceanic puffer in the Adriatic Sea in recent years. Expansion of these species, especially of L. sceleratus, is an additional motivator for the need of increased monitoring effort targeting nonindigenous marine species in this geographical area