Ruvettus pretiosus Cocco 1833 —Oilfish

Taxonomy. First record from Lebanon as Ruvettus pretiosus Cocco 1829 by George et al. (1964: 20); subsequently recorded as Ruvettus pretiosus Cocco by Mouneimné (1977: 64); as Ruvettus pretiosus Cocco 1829 by Mouneimné (2002: 229). Recent unpublished records from Tyre, Sarafand, Saida, Beirut, Batroun, Tripoli (1998–2019). Material in collection: AUBM (OS3509).

Distribution. Circumglobal in tropical and temperate seas (including Mediterranean Sea).

Conservation. IUCN: Global (LC: 22 August 2012); Med. (LC: 16 November 2007). Capture and threats: FIB, unknown. Occurrence: Common. Low priority for conservation action .