Abstract:

The Aquatic Species Invasiveness Screening Kit (AS-ISK) has been used in order to exhibit the factors increasing the invasiveness of Pufferfishes on the Muğla coast. Basic Risk Assessment (BRA) scores were calculated as 28.0 (Lagocephalus guentheri), 31.0 (Torguigener flavimaculasus), 33.0 (Lagocephalus suezensis), 38.0 (Lagocephalus spadiceus) and 40.0 (Lagocephalus sceleratus) and these scores were indicated a high risk of invasiveness for the species. The factors increasing overall AS-ISK scores were; high climate match, tolerance of a wide range of environmental conditions, flexibility in utilizing food resources, high fecundity, small size at maturity, high reproductive effort, reliable data about parasite transmission and high invasiveness potential elsewhere while factors decreasing scores were; no hybridization with native fish, and no parental care. This information is expected to allow managers and agencies that are responsible for risk assessment and management of lessepsian/invasive species to perform a better decision-making.

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