Invasives in the dark: an established population of the arrow bulleye Priacanthus sagittarius in the aphotic continental slope of the eastern Mediterranean

Abstract Although the eastern Mediterranean is considered as the most invaded marine region in the world, this remarkable phenomenon almost exclusively being reviewed and monitored along the coastal and upper shelf regions. In this study, we provide the first documentation of fish invasion to the aphotic layer of the Mediterranean by reporting a catch of nine specimens of the arrow bulleye Priacanthus sagittarius from 420 m along the sandy continental slope of the Israeli coast. Stomach content analysis using DNA-based approach revealed deep-sea prey taxon, providing solid evidence for feeding activities of a non-indigenous fish in these deep bottoms of the Mediterranean Sea.