Preliminary Evidence about the Colonisation Process of Kyphosus Species (Perciformes: Kyphosidae) in the Subtropical–Temperate Northeast Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea

Abstract

A review of the non-native Kyphosus species historically recorded in Galician waters (north-western Spain) based on morphological and molecular characteristics is carried out. The list is composed of 15 specimens recorded from 2002 to 2022, showing a clearly unbalanced ratio in favour of K. vaigiensis with respect to K. sectatrix (6.5:1). A similar analysis was performed by consulting ichthyological literature on the Kyphosus species reported in the subtropical–temperate Northeast Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. The results seem to reflect a more recent and conspicuous appearance of K. vaigiensis in the Northeast Atlantic–Mediterranean area, suggesting a higher invasive capacity than that of its congener K. sectatrix, perhaps related to its greater mobility. DNA barcoding supports the morphological identification of K. vaigiensis from Galicia and confirms the Atlantic–Mediterranean and Indo–Pacific distribution of the species. In addition, the main distinctive morphological characters found in the ichthyological literature have been revised and the taxonomic status of one published record has been changed. The results indicate the need to monitor non-indigenous marine species in the current global warming scenario of the Anthropocene era.