FURTHER MOLECULAR IDENTIFICATION CONFIRMS THE OCCURRENCE OF LAGOCEPHALUS GUENTHERI MIRANDA RIBEIRO, 1915 IN THE AEGEAN COASTAL WATERS OF GREECE
Vol. 36 No. 1 (2026), Articles
Vol. 36 No. 1 (2026)

FURTHER MOLECULAR IDENTIFICATION CONFIRMS THE OCCURRENCE OF LAGOCEPHALUS GUENTHERI MIRANDA RIBEIRO, 1915 IN THE AEGEAN COASTAL WATERS OF GREECE

Articles
https://doi.org/10.19233/ASHN.2026.09
Published 2026-06-20
Gerasimos KONDYLATOS
Institute of Biological Resources and Inland Waters, Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, 46.7 km Athinon – Souniou Av., 19013 Anavyssos, Greece Hydrobiological Station of Rhodes, Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, Aquarium Sq., 85131 Rhodes, Greece
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5470-2305
Konstantinos KALAENTZIS
Hydrobiological Station of Rhodes, Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, Aquarium Sq., 85131 Rhodes, Greece Institute of Oceanography, Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, 46.7 km Athinon – Souniou Av., 19013 Anavyssos, Greece Department of Genetics, Development & Molecular Biology, School of Biology, Faculty of Science, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4986-796X
Styliani MINOUDI
Department of Genetics, Development & Molecular Biology, School of Biology, Faculty of Science, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece
Maria CORSINI-FOKA
Institute of Oceanography, Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, 46.7 km Athinon – Souniou Av., 19013 Anavyssos, Greece Hydrobiological Station of Rhodes, Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, Aquarium Sq., 85131 Rhodes, Greece
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6575-2639
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Keywords

Nucleotide sequence
genetic identification
non-indigenous fish
Tetraodontidae
Eastern Mediterranean

How to Cite

KONDYLATOS, G., KALAENTZIS, K., MINOUDI, S., & CORSINI-FOKA, M. (2026). FURTHER MOLECULAR IDENTIFICATION CONFIRMS THE OCCURRENCE OF LAGOCEPHALUS GUENTHERI MIRANDA RIBEIRO, 1915 IN THE AEGEAN COASTAL WATERS OF GREECE. ANNALES, SERIES HISTORIA NATURALIS, 36(1), 55–64. https://doi.org/10.19233/ASHN.2026.09
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Abstract

The occurrence of the diamondback puffer Lagocephalus guentheri Miranda Ribeiro, 1915 in the Greek waters of the Aegean Sea is herein confirmed through DNA barcoding based on a 608 bp fragment of the mitochondrial COI gene of a specimen collected on 14 September 2025 along the northwest coast of Rhodes Island, southeastern Aegean Sea, Greece. Morphological traits are evaluated alongside molecular data, with all nucleotide sequences used in the phylogenetic analysis consistently supporting the identification of L. guentheri. The present study aims
to clarify the existence of this species in the region and to contribute additional reference sequences to public databases.

https://doi.org/10.19233/ASHN.2026.09
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