Occurrence of Aulopus filamentosus (Bloch, 1792) (Aulopidae) in the Turkish Aegean Sea (Sığacık Bay, E. Mediterranean)

Three specimens of A. filamentosus were captured by recreational anglers off Sığacık Bay, Izmir, at a depth of 220 m on 22 March 2023. The total length of these specimens was between 255 and 310 mm. Thus, the certain record number has reached at least twenty specimens in the Turkish seas. This paper presents the fifth confirmed record of A. filamentosus from the southeastern Aegean Sea. Though the sporadic occurrences of this species in the Aegean Sea do not indicate an established population for the time being, it signs that it is becoming abundant.