Relevant synonyms None Misidentification Pempheris molucca Pempheris oualensis Meristic formula D, VI + 9; A, III + 31-43; P, 15-19; V, I + 5; LL, 49-58; GR, 26-29 * Note: the family of Pempheride is great need of classification studies.  photo : David Darom

SHORT DESCRIPTION Body deep and strongly compressed. Dorsal fin short, its spines increasing in size and the soft rays progressively decreasing. Anal fin very long, its length close to one-half of standard length. Eye very large. Short snout. Mouth oblique with slightly projected lower jaw which extend back to the vertical of the center of eye. Small teeth, some with tips incurved arranged in bands on jaws. Patches of villiform teeth on the palatine and vomar. Scales finely serrated. Lateral line gently curved, extending into caudal fin. color : body brown bronze. Tip of dorsal fin black. Base of anal fin often black. size : common 5-16 cm (max. 18 cm). DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS The body shape of this species differs significantly from all other Mediterranean species. BIOLOGY / ECOLOGY Nocturnal. During daytime, forms large schools hovering in caves. At dusk, they leave the caves to forage in the open water. At dawn, they retreat to their daytime refuge. Feeds chiefly on planktonic crustaceans and, to a lesser extent, on polychaets. Spawning season lasts from April to September (year-round in the Red Sea). Diameter of riped oocytes 0.5-0.7 mm. Eggs and larvae planktonic. Larvae transparent, have elongated body and settle in the rocky habitats at the size of 6-7 mm; active during daytime. Juveniles live in small groups of fish of similar size. Upon reaching 9 cm, they join adults schools. habitat : day-time: caves and crevices, to depth of 20 m. At night: inshore pelagic.

1st MEDITERRANEAN RECORD Lebanon, 1979. DISTRIBUTION Worldwide : wide Indo-Pacific; Red Sea, eastern Africa to Samoa. Mediterranean : recorded first in Lebanon (Mouneimne, 1979) ; successively recorded in Israel (Golani and Ben-Tuvia, 1986), Dodecaneses (Papaconstantinou and Caragitsou, 1987) and in the Gulf of Gabes (Bradai and Bouain, 2001). More recently Kusadasi Bay, Turkey and Benghazi, Libya. ESTABLISHMENT SUCCESS Very common in the eastern Levant and in Dodecaneses. speculated reasons for success : paucity of nocturnal competitors might facilitate its population growth. MODE OF INTRODUCTION Via the Suez Canal. IMPORTANCE TO HUMANS This fish experienced a population explosion almost immediately after invading the Mediterranean. Due to its relatively small size it has almost no importance in local fishery.

KEY REFERENCES Bilecenoglu M. and Taskavak E., 1999. Some observations on the habitat of the Red Sea immigrant Sweeper, Pempheris vanicolensis, on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey. Zoology in the Middle East, 17: 67-70. Bradai M.N. and Bouain A., in press. Diversité de la faune ichthyologique du Golfe de Gabès. VIIIe Journées nationales des acquis de la recherche agricole, Nabeul, 13 et 14 novembre 2001. INSTM/PEMPH 01, 6p. Golani D. and Diamant A., 1991. Biology of the sweeper, Pempheris vanicolensis Cuvier and Valenciennes, a Lessepsian migrant in the eastern Mediterranean, with comparison to the original Red Sea population. Journal of Fish Biology, 38: 819-827.   Mouneimne N., 1979. Poissons nouveaux pour les côtes libanaises. Cybium, 6: 105-110. FEEDBACK / COMMENTS TO AUTHORS

Last update of the species sheet: November 2013 ©ciesm 2002