First record of the Indian Ocean twospot cardinalfish, Cheilodipterus novemstriatus (Actinopterygii: Perciformes: Apogonidae), from Turkish marine waters

Abstract

Indian Ocean twospot cardinalfish, Cheilodipterus novemstriatus (Ruppell, 1838), is recorded for the first time from the Turkish marine waters. Two specimens of C. novemstriatus were sampled with a purse seiner on 1 December 2014, and also a school of C. novemstriatus was photographed during scuba diving at a depth of 13 m on a rocky surface on 8 December 2014 in the Cevlik coast, Iskenderun Bay, north-eastern Mediterranean of Turkey. With the present report, the number of alien cardinal fish species reported in the Turkish coasts has reached five.