Two new fish with maximum size records from the Eastern coasts of Saudi Arabia

Abstract

During the study of the health of the fish species in the vicinity of Jubail City, Saudi Arabia, 3 specimens of Diplodus cervinus omanensis and 3 specimens of Acanthopagrus catenula were collected by fishermen using 30 x 10 m drifting gill nets of 25 mm mesh size and handed over to Ministry of Agriculture officials through their twice a week visits to fish landing areas and fish markets in Jubail. Diplodus cervinus omanensis (Oman porgy) and Acanthopagrus catenula (bridled seabream) represent new records for the Eastern coasts of the Arabian Peninsula and Saudi Arabian waters. Specimens of A. catenula were previously reported from the Iraqi marine waters, therefore, this is the 2nd appearance for this species in this part of the world. This study verifies parts of the diversity of the coastal fish communities of the eastern coasts of the Saudi Arabian waters, but also highlights that a large proportion of this area (the norther Arabian coast) has not been explored.