Serranus scriba (Linnaeus 1758) —Painted comber

Taxonomy. First record from Lebanon as Serranus scriba, L. by Gruvel (1931: 101); subsequently recorded as Serranus scriba (Linnaeus 1758) by George et al. (1964: 17); as Serranus scriba (Linnaeus) by Mouneimné (1977: 62); as Serranus scriba (Linnaeus 1758) by Mouneimné (2002: 128); recently recorded as Serranus scriba by Harmelin- Vivien et al. (2005: 629); as Serranus scriba by Fanelli et al. (2015: 2170); and Aguillar et al. (2018: 82). Material in collection: AUBM and USNM.

Distribution. Mediterranean Sea, Sea of Marmara, Black Sea, eastern Atlantic: English Channel south to Senegal; southwestern Indian Ocean: South Africa north to KwaZulu-Natal Rare.

Conservation. IUCN: Global (LC: 10 May 2013); Med. (LC: 14 November 2007). Capture and threats: FIT, Unknown. Occurrence: Common. Significant decline in the last two decades. High priority for conservation action .