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INTRODUCTION
The silver pomfret, Pampus argenteus (Euphrasen, 1788) (Perciformes: Stromateidae) is an inshore species distributed broadly across the Indo-West Pacific, from the Persian Gulf in the west, to Indonesia in the east, and north to Hokkaido in Japan (Haedrich, 1984). Outside its native range the species has been reported from the Adriatic Sea (near Rijeka) in July 1896 (Dulcic et al., 2004), Hawaii (Honolulu--during G. Vanderbilt South Pacific Expedition) in June 1937 (Fowler, 1938), and the North Sea (18 miles east of Seahouses, Northumberland) in August 1983 (Davis & Wheeler, 1985). European records of P. argenteus, a mesopelagic fish native to the Indian Ocean, South-East Asia and the East China Sea are reviewed, and the study specimen described.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
On 15 July 2009 a second North Sea specimen was caught by the fishing boat 'Maggie M MBE' near Dogger Bank (~55°23[variant prime]N 04°22[variant prime]E) (Figure 1; Table 1). In this part of the North Sea, water depths are ~24-30 m, and average sea surface temperatures were 17°C during July 2009 (UK Meteorology Office Hadley Centre HadISST data; Rayner et al., 2003). The fish was unfamiliar to the experienced skipper and his crew, who placed it on ice in the fish hold of the vessel until November 2009 when it was identified. The specimen has been deposited in the collection of the Natural History Museum, London (Accession number: 2010.1.15.1).
Fig. 1.
The specimen of Pampus argenteus caught in the North Sea (at ~55°23[variant prime]N 04°22[variant prime]E) on 15 July 2009.
Table 1.
Records of Pampus argenteus in European waters, giving total length (TL), standard length (SL) and mass (g).
*, caudal fin damaged.
RESULTS
The studied specimen (Figure 2) has the morphometric and meristic data listed in Table 2. The body form of the specimen is typical of the family Stromateidae. The only member of the Stromateidae regularly encountered in European waters is Stromateus fiatola (Linnaeus, 1758), which occurs in the Mediterranean...