New records of Priacanthus arenatus in the Mediterranean Sea: morphological and molecular evidence with biogeographic insights

We report two new records of the Atlantic bigeye, Priacanthus arenatus Cuvier, 1829, from Italian waters (Ionian Sea and Strait of Sicily), confirmed through morphological and molecular analyses. The species has previously been reported in the Mediterranean only twice, in the Gulf of Cagliari and the Strait of Messina. Morphometric and meristic data were compared with literature values, and phylogenetic analyses based on COI sequences confirmed species identity and suggested affinity with an eastern Atlantic haplotype. Ecological implications and taxonomic considerations are discussed.