List of Freshwater Fishes for Lebanon

Acipenseriformes	Acipenseridae	Acipenser sturio	native	Sturgeon
Anguilliformes	Anguillidae	Anguilla anguilla	native	European eel	H'anklyss
Cyprinodontiformes	Cyprinodontidae	Aphanius fasciatus	native		Samak Ghomoq
Cyprinodontiformes	Cyprinodontidae	Aphanius mento	native
Atheriniformes	Atherinidae	Atherina boyeri	native	Big-scale sand smelt	Bizhreh 'Hâdy
Cypriniformes	Balitoridae	Barbatula panthera	native
Cypriniformes	Cyprinidae	Barbus longiceps	misidentification
Cypriniformes	Cyprinidae	Carasobarbus canis	misidentification
Mugiliformes	Mugilidae	Chelon labrosus	native	Thicklip grey mullet	Boûry Sayloun
Cypriniformes	Cyprinidae	Cyprinus carpio carpio	introduced	Common carp
Cyprinodontiformes	Poeciliidae	Gambusia holbrooki	introduced	Eastern mosquitofish
Cypriniformes	Cyprinidae	Garra rufa	native
Perciformes	Gobiidae	Gobius paganellus	native	Rock goby
Cypriniformes	Cyprinidae	Hypophthalmichthys molitrix	introduced	Silver carp
Mugiliformes	Mugilidae	Liza aurata	native	Golden grey mullet	Boûry Shylân
Mugiliformes	Mugilidae	Liza ramada	native	Thinlip grey mullet	Boûry Dhehbân
Mugiliformes	Mugilidae	Mugil cephalus	native	Flathead grey mullet	Gharyb
Cypriniformes	Balitoridae	Nemacheilus insignis	misidentification
Cypriniformes	Balitoridae	Nemacheilus leontinae	native
Salmoniformes	Salmonidae	Oncorhynchus mykiss	not established	Rainbow trout
Cypriniformes	Balitoridae	Oxynoemacheilus angorae	native	Angora loach
Cypriniformes	Balitoridae	Paracobitis tigris	native
Pleuronectiformes	Pleuronectidae	Platichthys flesus	native	European flounder
Cypriniformes	Cyprinidae	Pseudophoxinus kervillei	native
Cypriniformes	Cyprinidae	Pseudophoxinus libani	native
Cypriniformes	Cyprinidae	Pseudophoxinus syriacus	native
Cypriniformes	Cyprinidae	Squalius lepidus	native
Perciformes	Cichlidae	Tilapia zillii	native	Redbelly tilapia

Newly Discovered Catfish Potentially Fatal to Humans

LEBANON - Experts have warned that catfish which have recently begun migrating to Lebanese waters could be fatal to humans in certain circumstances.

TheDailyStar reports that recent diving operations carried out by divers from the Professional Divers Association in Lebanon and the Civil Defense Marine Rescue Team in the waters near the town of Jiyeh led to the discovery of a catfish sanctuary.

“Their presence in the seabed is beautiful and wonderful,” said diving instructor Maha Hajj, who headed the joint diving team.

Catfish, of which there are many various species, are so called due to the whiskers on their face, three on each side, according to the divers.

“The scene is amazing, catfish swim beside each other like a block of fire,” she told reporters. Ms Hajj said it was likely that this type of fish has come from the Red Sea, saying it was spotted for the first time in Tyre’s seabed over one year ago.

The divers, after carefully monitoring the movement of migrating fish, took photos of the seabed and filmed it with their cameras.

But Ms Hajj warned that the catfish could potentially prove fatal to fishermen. “The intruding fish are capable of stinging and have a harmful poison.”

“There are three thorns on the back and sides of the fish and once it stings, it emits a strong poison in the body of the human being, which might be fatal under some circumstances,” she added.

For his part, Mohammad Sarji, the head of the Professional Divers Association, said that the scientific name for this particular catfish is the Plotosus lineatus, from the Plotosidae family of the species.

 

He explained that catfish cannot survive alone, but rather live in very large groups, with some numbering several hundreds.

This type of catfish seeks shelter in rocky caves, the experts said. Each fish can grow to up to 20 centimeters in length.

“The slogan for this particular fish is ‘examine but don’t touch,’” said Mohammad Mezher, the head of the Civil Defense Marine Rescue Team in the Jiyeh headquarters.

TheFishSite News Desk