Several pufferfish species belonging to the Tetraodontidae family are currently present in the Mediterranean Sea. Since 2013 Lagocephalus sceleratus is increasingly reported also along Italian ...coasts, where other two species of less concern, Lagocephalus lagocephalus and Sphoeroides pachygaster, have also occured since a long time. This study represents one of the first attempts to sistematically describe the occurrence in the Mediterranean, and in particular along Italian coasts, of the three aforesaid species, in order to characterize an emerging public health hazard. Reports were searched in scientific articles and dedicated online databases. The following data were collected: number of specimens and type of record, geographical location and date of report, fish size, depth and type of seabed. Overall, at least 111079 individuals of the three species were found in the Mediterranean Sea, including 110237 specimens of L. sceleratus (since 2003), 126 of L. lagocephalus (1878–2017) and 716 of S. pachygaster (1979–2017). The evident differences confirm the invasive character of the toxic Lessepsian immigrant L. sceleratus, the species of main public health concern. Despite this species was recorded along Italian coasts in low numbers (0.08% of the total individuals of L. sceleratus) and its current distribution is limited to southern regions, the picture could change rapidly. Moreover, the collected data show that most L. sceleratus specimens have a large size and are mainly caught by commercial fishing gears. These factors may increase the risk of this species entering the seafood chain with serious consequences for consumers’ health. Results suggest that the presence of L. sceleratus should be strictly monitored. Institutional measures should be implemented to inform people as regards a new hazard that has the potential to affect the Italian seafood chain.
•Pufferfish species are spreading in the Mediterranean Sea.•L. scleratus, L. lagocephalus and S. pachygaster are also present along Italian coasts.•The risk associated to the presence of these 3 species was assessed.•The invasive pattern of toxic L. sceleratus poses emerging public health risks.•Informative campaigns to different public categories are needed throughout Italy.
The localization of intestinal glycoconjugates of the blunthead pufferfish Sphoeroides pachygaster and the grey triggerfish Balistes capriscus from the north‐western Ionian Sea was analysed by ...histochemical methods (PAS, AB pH 2.5, HID) and lectin binding experiments (WGA, LFA, SBA, sialidase‐SBA, PNA, sialidase‐PNA, ConA, AAA, UEA‐I, LTA) to assess how evolutionary loss of a functional stomach in S. pachygaster affects intestinal secretions relative to the B. capriscus, which retains the plesiomorphic gastric condition. Sphoeroides pachygaster had a lower content of acid mucins but more complex sialylation patterns than B. capriscus. GalNAc and GlcNAc residuals were present in both, but GalNAc residuals in S. pachygaster were subterminal to sialic acid. Balistes capriscus lacked galactosylated residuals and its enterocytes had a glycocalyx that differed in composition between the small intestine and the rectum and was missing from S. pachygaster. Functional and ecological implications of these findings are discussed.
Although pufferfish of the family Tetraodontidae contain high levels of tetrodotoxin (TTX) mainly in the liver, some species of pufferfish, boxfish of the family Ostraciidae, and porcupinefish of the ...family Diodontidae do not. To clarify the mechanisms, uptake of TTX and saxitoxins (STXs) into liver tissue slices of pufferfish, boxfish and porcupinefish was examined. Liver tissue slices of the pufferfish (toxic species
and non-toxic species
,
and
) incubated with 50 µM TTX accumulated TTX (0.99-1.55 µg TTX/mg protein) after 8 h, regardless of the toxicity of the species. In contrast, in liver tissue slices of boxfish (
) and porcupinefish (
,
,
and
), TTX content did not increase with incubation time, and was about 0.1 µg TTX/mg protein. When liver tissue slices were incubated with 50 µM STXs for 8 h, the STXs content was <0.1 µg STXs/mg protein, irrespective of the fish species. These findings indicate that, like the toxic species of pufferfish
, non-toxic species such as
,
and
, potentially take up TTX into the liver, while non-toxic boxfish and porcupinefish do not take up either TTX or STXs.
Pufferfish (Tetraodontidae) inhabiting the Mediterranean Sea may represent an emerging public health risk due to the possible accumulation of marine neurotoxins such as tetrodotoxin (TTXs) and ...saxitoxin (STXs) in their tissues. In this study, the presence of pufferfish species in the Strait of Sicily (Lampedusa Island, Italy) was investigated using a citizen science (CS) approach, involving local fishermen. Samples (liver, intestine, gonads, muscle, skin) from 20 specimens were sent to the National Reference Laboratory on Marine Biotoxins for TTXs detection using a validated HILIC-MS/MS method on fish tissue. The presence of STXs was also screened in part of the specimens. Overall, 56 specimens identified as Sphoeroides pachygaster (Müller &Troschel, 1848) were collected. Data on their total length, body weight, fishing method and catch area (with relative depth temperature and salinity) were analyzed and compared with the S. pachygaster records reported in literature which were updated to 2022. All the analysed tissues were found to be negative for both TTXs and STXs. CS played an essential role in monitoring potentially toxic marine species in this investigation. Outcomes from this study, which is the first investigating S. pachygaster toxicity in Italian waters, may provide useful data for the proper assessment of this emerging risk.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
A specimen of blunthead pufferfish Sphoeroides pachygaster (Muller & Troschel, 1848) was caught in waters off Piran on 22 November 2012. This record represents the first catch in Slovenian waters and ...the northernmost occurrence of this species in the Adriatic and the Mediterranean Sea, as well. The blunthead pufferfish began its rapid spread from the east Atlantic towards the Mediterranean in 1979 reaching its northernmost extent in the northern Adriatic Sea thirty years later.Original Abstract: Un esemplare di pesce palla liscio, Sphoeroides pachygaster (Muller & Troschel, 1848), e stato catturato nelle acque al largo di Pirano, il 22 novembre 2012. Si tratta della prima cattura di tale specie in mare sloveno e della sua segnalazione piu settentrionale nell'Adriatico e nel Mediterraneo. Il pesce palla liscio si sta velocemente espandendo dall'Atlantico orientale al Mediterraneo dal 1979, raggiungendo la sua massima estensione a nord, nell'Adriatico settentrionale, trent'anni piu tardi. Primerek ribe napihovalke vrste Sphoeroides pachygaster (Muller & Troschel, 1848) je bil ujet v vodah pred Piranom 22. novembra 2012. Gre za prvi zapis o pojavljanju te ribe v slovenskih vodah, obenem pa tudi za najsevernejsi zapis o pojavljanju te vrste tako v Jadranskem kot tudi v Sredozemskem morju. Intenzivnejse pojavljanje te vrste v Sredozemskem morju se je za celo leta 1979 po prihodu iz Atlantskega oceana, trideset let kasneje pa se je napihovalka pojavila v najsevernejsemu predelu Sredozemskega morja. V prispevku avtorji na podlagi zbranih razpolozljivih podatkov o pojavljanju ribe napihovalke razpravljajo o sirjenju areala te vrste v smeri proti vzhodu in severu.
In this study, temperature variations and invasion on marine fauna are investigated to ascertain their relationship in the Mediterranean at the Gaeta Gulf (Tyrrhenian Sea). Sea temperatures were ...collected from 1986 to 2009, the only period in which the AVHRR sensor installed on NOAA satellite was available. Changes in the sea surface temperature from satellite using GIS software were estimated. Research on marine species was carried out using the barcoding technique. Nine organisms of which one Anthozoa and one Malacostraca and eight belonging to Actinopterygii Class were barcoded from 2005 to 2019 and four of these were detected as non-indigenous species. The first sightings are related to
Fistularia commersonii
, and
Sphoeroides pachygaster
identified since 2009 and well reported in our previous publication. They have penetrated the Mediterranean from the Indian Ocean (through the Suez Canal) and from the Atlantic Ocean (Strait of Gibraltar) respectively and are still sporadic. These bioinvasions were linked for the first time to water heating, which increased by about 0.4 °C between 1989–1999 and 1999–2009. In addition, there are other identifications, such as
Arothron diadematus
from the Suez Canal,
Percnon gibbesi
from the Strait of Gibraltar; thermophilus indigenous species such as
Pomadasys incisus
and
Astroides calycularis
and sporadic autochthonous species such as
Sudis hyalina
,
Tetragonurus cuvieri
,
Trachipterus trachipterus
, and
Remora osteochir
. Non-native species and their invasions could lead to radical and sudden upheavals in the Mediterranean marine ecosystem and therefore require constant alert of sea surface temperature change.
This paper presents the first record of the Lessepsian migrant fish Lagocephalus sceleratus (silver-cheeked toadfish) on the Italian side of the south Adriatic Sea. In addition, four specimens of ...Sphoeroides pachygaster (blunthead puffer) were analysed. Meristic and morphometric data of the silver-cheeked toadfish and blunthead puffer are in accordance with data from the Mediterranean. The specimen of silver-cheeked toadfish was a female with gonad in resting stage and the specimens of blunthead puffer were adults (male and female) with gonads in maturing, mature/spawner and post-spawning stage. The stomach contents of the specimen of silver-cheeked toadfish were composed by Mollusca Opistobranchia and Crustacea Brachyura. Stomach contents analysis of S. pachygaster confirmed that Mollusca are the preferred prey for this species. However, the presence of Crustacea (shrimps, crabs) and fish in the stomachs indicates that the blunthead puffer has a broad and variable diet in the south Adriatic Sea. The present study suggests the presence of an established population of blunthead puffer on the continental shelf of the southeast Adriatic Sea.
U radu je predstavljen prvi nalaz lesepsijske migratorne vrste Lagocephalus sceleratus (srebrenopruga napuhača) na talijanskoj strani južnog Jadrana. Uz to, analizirana su i četiri primjerka vrste Sphoeroides pachygaster (napuhača). Meristički i morfometrijski podaci dobiveni analizom primjeraka ovih dviju vrsta su u suglasnosti sa postojećim podacima iz Sredozemlja. Analizirana jedinka srebrenopruge napuhače bila je ženka, s gonadama u stadiju mirovanja, dok su jedinke napuhače bile u stadiju sazrijevanja, zrelom stadiju i izmrještenom stadiju. Sadržaj želudaca srebrenopruge napuhače sastojao se od ostataka skupina Mollusca, Ophistobranchia i Crustacea Brachyura. Sadržaj želudaca jedinki vrste Sphoeroides pachygaster potvrdio je da ova vrsta u prehrani preferira mekušce (Mollusca) kao plijen. Ipak, nazočnost ostataka rakova i kozica (Crustacea) u njihovim želucima ukazuje na raznoliku prehranu ove vrste u južnom Jadranu. Ovo istraživanje ukazuje na postojanje formirane populacije vrste Sphoeroides pachygaster na kontinentalnom šelfu jugoistočne obale Jadranskog mora.
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