Records of the critically endangered Cuckoo ray. The occurrence of white grouper Epinephelus aeneus (Epinephelidae) from the Algerian coast (Southern Mediterranean Sea)

Abstract

The authors report the capture of a specimen of white grouper, Epinephelus aeneus (E. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1817) from the Algerian coast where the occurrence of the species remained questionable. The capture of the present specimen which measured 830 mm in total length and weighed over 7 kilogram, constitute the first substantiated record of the species from the Algerian coast; which could be included in the local ichthyofauna. However, other captures are needed to know if a viable population is established in the Algerian marine waters and to state about its real status in this area.