Record of a juvenile emperor angelfish, Pomacanthus imperator (Pomacanthidae) from the Syrian coast (Eastern Mediterranean Sea)

Abstract

The authors report on the capture of a juvenile specimen of emperor angelfish Pomacanthus imperator (Bloch, 1787) from the Syrian coast. It was a small sized specimen which measured of 122 mm total length (TL), 97 mm standard length (SL) and weighed 47 g. The specimen was described including some morphometric measurements and meristic countsand compared with a large specimen. This rare findingrepresents the third record of the species for the Syrian waters. It constitutes also the firstjuvenile P. imperator but also for the Levant Basin and the Mediterranean Sea, suggesting the successful establishment of the substantial population in the region.