Historical records and new occurrence of the rare serpent eel Ophisurus serpens (Linnaeus, 1758) in the Mediterranean Sea

Abstract

A specimen of the serpent eel Ophisurus serpens (Order: Anguilliformes, Family: Ophichthinae) reaching 2100 mm in total length was caught on 13 October 2017 by bottom trawl at mean depth 206.5 m in Saronikos Gulf (central Aegean Sea, Greece). This specimen is the second record in this area since 1979 and the largest specimen ever recorded in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Historical records of this rare species in the Mediterranean Sea are reported and discussed.