Sarpa salpa (Linnaeus 1758) —Salema

Taxonomy. First record from Lebanon as Box salpa, Cuv. by Gruvel (1931: 91); subsequently recorded as Boops salpa (Linnaeus 1758) by George et al. (1964: 18); as Sarpa salpa (Linnaeus) by Mouneimné (1977: 64); as Sarpa salpa (Linnaeus 1758) by Mouneimné (2002: 175–176); recently as Sarpa salpa by Fanelli et al. (2015: 2169). Material in collection: AMNH, ANSP, AUBM, BMNH and USNM.

Distribution. Mediterranean Sea, Sea of Marmara, Black Sea, eastern Atlantic: Bay of Biscay south to South Africa, including Madeira and Canary Islands; southwestern Indian Ocean: South Africa.

Conservation. IUCN: Global (LC: 17 August 2009); Med. (LC: 13 November 2007). Capture and threats: FIT, HAB, NIS, unknown. Occurrence: Very rare. Significant decline since Gruvel (1931: 91; Bariche et al. 2004). Low priority for conservation action.