CONQUERING THE NORTH: NEW OCCURRENCE OF THE COMMON LIONFISH, PTEROIS MILES (BENNETT, 1828), IN THE ADRIATIC SEA
PDF (OPEN ACCESS)

Keywords

devil firefish
northernmost record
non-indigenous species
Sakarun Bay

How to Cite

BRAJKOVIĆ, A., MATULJA, I., & IVEŠA, N. (2026). CONQUERING THE NORTH: NEW OCCURRENCE OF THE COMMON LIONFISH, PTEROIS MILES (BENNETT, 1828), IN THE ADRIATIC SEA. ANNALES, SERIES HISTORIA NATURALIS, 36(1), 21–28. https://doi.org/10.19233/ASHN.2026.04

Abstract

The devil firefish, also known as the common lionfish, Pterois miles (Bennett, 1828), was first recorded in the Mediterranean Sea in 1991, which it likely entered through the Suez Canal. Here, we present the northernmost record of the non-indigenous devil firefish in the Adriatic Sea since its first appearance in 2019. The specimen was observed by snorkelling at Sakarun Bay (Dugi Otok, Croatia) in June 2025 and was caught with a speargun. The immature specimen measured 149.0 mm in total length (106.8 mm standard length) and weighed 36.1 g.

https://doi.org/10.19233/ASHN.2026.04
PDF (OPEN ACCESS)

References

Albins, M.A. & M.A. Hixon (2013): Worst case scenario: Potential long-term effects of invasive predatory lionfish (Pterois volitans) on Atlantic and Caribbean coral-reef communities. Environ. Biol. Fish., 96(10), 1151-1157.

Bakiu, R., A. Soldo & I. Ćetković (2024): Potential invasiveness of devil firefish Pterois miles (Bennett, 1828) in the eastern Adriatic Sea. Croat. J. Fish., 82(1), 9-18.

Bianchi, C.N. & C. Morri (2003): Global sea warming and “tropicalization” of the Mediterranean Sea: Biogeographic and ecological aspects. Biogeographia, 24(1), 319-327.

Bottacini, D., B.J. Pollux, R. Nijland, P.A. Jansen, M. Naguib & A. Kotrschal (2024): Lionfish (Pterois miles) in the Mediterranean Sea: A review of the available knowledge with an update on the invasion front. NeoBiota, 92, 233-257.

Costello, M.J., M. Coll, R. Danovaro, P. Halpin, H. Ojaveer & P. Miloslavich (2010): A census of marine biodiversity knowledge, resources, and future challenges. PLoS ONE, 5(8), e12110.

Crocetta, F., S.A. Al Mabruk, E. Azzurro, R. Bakiu, M. Bariche, I. Batjakas, T. Bejaoui, J. Ben Souissi, J. Cauchi, M. Corsini-Foka, A. Deidun, J. Evans, J. Galdies, R. Ghanem, T. Kampouris, S. Katsanevakis, G. Kondylatos, L. Lipej, A. Lombardo, G. Marletta, E. Mejdani, S. Nikolidakis, P. Ovalis, L. Rabaoui, M. Ragkousis, M. Rogelja, J. Sakr, I. Savva, V. Tanduo, C. Turan, A. Uyan & A. Zenetos (2021): New alien Mediterranean biodiversity records (November 2021). Mediterr. Mar. Sci., 22(3), 724-746.

Cushman-Roisin, B., M. Gačić, P.M. Poulain & A. Artegiani (2001): Physical Oceanography of the Adriatic Sea: Past, Present and Future. Springer, Dordrecht, 304 pp.

Di Martino, V. & B. Stancanelli (2021): The alien lionfish, Pterois miles (Bennett, 1828), enters the Adriatic Sea, central Mediterranean Sea. J. Black Sea/Medit. Environ., 27(1), 104-108.

Dimitriou, A.C., N. Chartosia, J.M. Hall-Spencer, P. Kleitou, C. Jimenez, C. Antoniou, L. Hadjioannou, D. Kletou & S. Sfenthourakis (2019): Genetic data suggest multiple introductions of the lionfish (Pterois miles) into the Mediterranean Sea. Diversity, 11(9), 149.

Dragičević, B. & P. Ugarković (2025): Invasion underway: Exceptional number of records of the devil firefish Pterois miles (Bennett, 1828) in the eastern Adriatic Sea (Croatian coast). Acta Adriat., 66(1), 69-81.

Dragičević, B., P. Ugarković, M. Krželj, D. Zurub & J. Dulčić (2021): New record of Pterois cf. miles (Actinopterygii: Scorpaeniformes: Scorpaenidae) from the eastern middle Adriatic Sea (Croatian waters): Northward expansion. Acta Ichthyol. Piscat., 51, 379-383.

Dulčić, J., R. Grgičević & B. Dragičević (2024): Additional record of Pterois miles (Scorpaenidae) in Croatian waters (Eastern Adriatic Sea). Annales, Ser. Hist. Nat., 34(1), 95-100.

Eddy, C., J. Pitt, K. Oliveira, J.A. Morris, J. Potts & D. Bernal (2019): The life history characteristics of invasive lionfish (Pterois volitans and P. miles) in Bermuda. Environ. Biol. Fish., 102, 887-900.

European Union (2014): Regulation (EU) No. 1143/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 October 2014 on the prevention and management of the introduction and spread of invasive alien species. Off. J. Eur. Union, L 317, 35-55.

Fortič, A., R. Al-Sheikh Rasheed, Z. Almajid, A. Badreddine, J.C. Báez, A. Belmonte-Gallegos, N. Bettoso, D. Borme, F. Camisa, D. Caracciolo, M.E. Çinar, F. Crocetta, I. Ćetković, A. Doğan, M. Galiya, Á. García De Los Ríos Y Los Huertos, D. Grech, J. Guallart, G. Gündeğer, A. Kahrić, P.K. Karachle, D. Kulijer, A. Lombarte, O. Marković, E. Martínez Jiménez, E. Sukran Okudan, M. Orlando-Bonaca, S. Sartoretto, A. Spinelli, I. Tuney Kizilkaya & R. Virgili (2023): New records of introduced species in the Mediterranean Sea (April 2023). Mediterr. Mar. Sci., 24(1), 182-202.

Golani, D. & O. Sonin (1992): New records of the Red Sea fishes, Pterois miles (Scorpaenidae) and Pteragogus pelycus (Labridae), from the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Jpn. J. Ichthyol., 39(2), 167-169.

Hamner, R.M., D.W. Freshwater & P.E. Whitfield (2007): Mitochondrial cytochrome b analysis reveals two invasive lionfish species with strong founder effects in the western Atlantic. J. Fish Biol., 71, 214-222.

Kletou, D., J.M. Hall-Spencer & P. Kleitou (2016): A lionfish (Pterois miles) invasion has begun in the Mediterranean Sea. Mar. Biodivers. Rec., 9(1), 46.

Kondylatos, G., A. Theocharis, M. Mandalakis, M. Avgoustinaki, T. Karagyaurova, Z. Koulocheri, S. Vardali & D. Klaoudatos (2024): The devil firefish Pterois miles (Bennett, 1828): Life history traits of a potential fishing resource in Rhodes (Eastern Mediterranean). Hydrobiology, 3(1), 31-50.

Kuhlenkamp, R. & B. Kind (2017): Introduction of non-indigenous species. In: Salomon, M. & T. Markus (eds.): Handbook on Marine Environment Protection: Science, Impacts and Sustainable Management. Springer, Cham, 487-516.

Lipej, L. & D. Trkov (2024): Osnove morske ihtiologije. Nacionalni inštitut za biologijo, Morska biološka postaja Piran, Ljubljana, 256 pp.

Ministarstvo gospodarstva i održivog razvoja (MINGOR) (2022): Zonacija rasprostranjenosti ciljnih stanišnih tipova na područjima obuhvaćenih PU 6128. Government of the Republic of Croatia.

Morris, J.A., J.L. Akins, A. Barse, D. Cerino, D.W. Freshwater, S.J. Green, R.C. Muñoz, C. Paris & P.E. Whitfield (2008): Biology and ecology of the invasive lionfishes, Pterois miles and Pterois volitans. Proc. Gulf Caribb. Fish. Inst., 61.

Pikelj, K. & M. Juračić (2013): Eastern Adriatic Coast (EAC): Geomorphology and coastal vulnerability of a karstic coast. J. Coast. Res., 29(4), 944-957.

Pikelj, K., P. Godec & B.C. Tešović (2022): Sedimentological consequences of Posidonia oceanica banquette removal: Sakarun beach case study (Dugi otok, Croatia). Firenze University Press, Florence, 10 pp.

Poursanidis, D., S. Kalogirou, E. Azzurro, V. Parravicini, M. Bariche & H. Zu Dohna (2020): Habitat suitability, niche unfilling and the potential spread of Pterois miles in the Mediterranean Sea. Mar. Pollut. Bull., 154, 111054.

Savva, I., N. Chartosia, C. Antoniou, P. Kleitou, A. Georgiou, N. Stern, L. Hadjioannou, C. Jimenez, V. Andreou, J.M. Hall-Spencer & D. Kletou (2020): They are here to stay: The biology and ecology of lionfish (Pterois miles) in the Mediterranean Sea. J. Fish Biol., 97(1), 148-162.

Schultz, E.T. (1986): Pterois volitans and Pterois miles: Two valid species. Copeia, 3, 686-690.

Shaltout, M. & A. Omstedt (2014): Recent sea surface temperature trends and future scenarios for the Mediterranean Sea. Oceanologia, 56(3), 411-443.

Yıldız, T., N. Demirel, A. Ulman, Ö. Çanak, M. Kesiktaş, H. Buyuran, U. Şahinoğlu, N. Cömert, L. Eryılmaz & E. Yemişken (2025): Growth and reproductive dynamics of the devil firefish, Pterois miles (Bennett, 1828), in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. J. Fish Biol., 1-13.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.