Sciaena umbra Linnaeus 1758 —Brown meagre

Taxonomy. First record from Lebanon as Corvina nigra, Bloch by Gruvel (1931: 105); subsequently recorded as Sciaena umbra Linnaeus 1758 by George et al. (1964: 18); as Sciaena umbra Linnaeus by Mouneimné (1977: 63); as Sciaena umbra Linnaeus 1758 by Mouneimné (2002: 180–181); recently recorded as Sciaena umbra by Harmelin-Vivien et al. (2005: 629); as Sciaena umbra by Fanelli et al. (2015: 2169). Recent unpublished records from Tyre, Sarafand and Tripoli (1998–2019). Material in collection: AUBM and USNM.

Distribution. Mediterranean Sea, Sea of Marmara, Black Sea, eastern Atlantic: English Channel to Senegal and possibly Gabon, including Canary and Cape Verde islands.

Conservation. IUCN: Global (NT: 19 February 2014); Med. (VU: A2acd, 15 November 2007). Capture and threats: FIT, Unknown. Occurrence: Rare. Significant decline in the last two decades. High priority for conservation action.