Keywords
jellyfish
distribution
population
Maghreb shore
How to Cite
Abstract
The authors report additional records of the Cornish blackfish, Schedophilus medusophagus (Cocco, 1839), from the western Algerian coast near the Moroccan border. Two specimens were captured off Beni Saf, measuring 600 mm and 630 mm in total length (TL) while their total body weight (TBW) was globally estimated to be more than 5 kg. The third specimen caught off Bouzedjar, measured 650 mm TL, but its TBW was not provided by the fishmonger. These additional records confirm the species’ presence off the Algerian coast and throughout the Maghreb shore, with an apparently viable population successfully established. This pattern likely reflects regional abundance of jellyfish. While the origin of S. medusophagus in the study area remains obscure, range expansion from the eastern Atlantic through the Strait of Gibraltar remains a feasible hypothesis.
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