Lessepsian migrants, named after Ferdinand de Lesseps, the

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

engineer in charge of the

Suez Canal The Suez Canal ( arz, قَنَاةُ ٱلسُّوَيْسِ, ') is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez and dividing Africa and Asia. The long canal is a popular ...

's construction, are marine species that are native to the waters on one side of the Suez Canal, and which have been introduced by passage through the canal to the waters on its other side, giving rise to new colonies there and often becoming

invasive Invasive may refer to: *Invasive (medical) procedure *Invasive species *Invasive observation, especially in reference to surveillance *Invasively progressive spread of disease from one organ in the body to another, especially in reference to cancer ...

Most Lessepsian migrations are of

Red Sea The Red Sea ( ar, البحر الأحمر - بحر القلزم, translit=Modern: al-Baḥr al-ʾAḥmar, Medieval: Baḥr al-Qulzum; or ; Coptic: ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϩⲁϩ ''Phiom Enhah'' or ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϣⲁⲣⲓ ''Phiom ǹšari''; T ...

species invading the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ea ...

; few occur in the opposite direction.

Some examples of Red Sea species to Mediterranean Sea

The year given denotes the first record in the Mediterranean (often distinct from the year of publication).

Mediterranean species to Red Sea

* '' Argyrosomus regius'' * ''

Biuve fulvipunctata ''Biuve fulvipunctata'', the white-speckled headshield slug, is a species of sea slug or headshield slug, a marine opisthobranch gastropod mollusc in the family Aglajidae. This species is widespread in the Indian and Pacific Oceans but has in ...

'' * ''Gobius cobitis'' * ''Gobius paganellus'' * ''Serranus cabrilla'' * ''

Solea aegyptiaca The Egyptian sole (''Solea aegyptiaca'') is a species of flatfish in the true sole family, Soleidae. It lives on the sandy or muddy seabed of the Mediterranean Sea, and is now colonising the Red Sea. It often semi-immerses itself in the substrat ...

'' * ''

Umbrina cirrosa ''Umbrina cirrosa'', the shi drum, is a species of marine fish from the warmer waters of the eastern Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea. It is a commercially important species which is trawled for and farmed in aquaculture, as w ...

References

General references

*Dulcic, J. and A. Pallaoro (2003). Lessepsian Fish Migrants Reported in the East Adriatic Sea: An Annotated List, ''Ser. hist. nat.''. *Golani, D. (1998). Impact of Red Sea Fish Migrants through the Suez Canal on the Aquatic Environment of the Eastern Mediterranean, ''Yale FE&S Bulletin'' 103. *

External links

* {{Suez Canal Lessepsian Migrants Suez Canal Fish migrations