"Among the several known pathways of introduction (Katsanevakis et al. 2013, 2014), the specimen of A. hispidus could theoretically cross the Suez Canal as a Lessepsian migrant. This is because it naturally occurs in the Red Sea and the coloration of the observed individual is consistent with Red Sea individuals (Randall et al. 2012). In total, five other tetraodontids are considered to have entered the Mediterranean following the Suez Canal route (Golani et al. 2002). The hypothesis of larval transport via water ballast is also theoretically possible and cannot be excluded. However, the sudden appearance of a single individual in Cyprus and not on the Levant coast as it is for most Lessepsian migrants (e.g. Katsanevakis et al. 2014), is inquiring. An aquarium release event seems to be a plausible reason for the occurrence of a large individual of A. hispidus in Cyprus. This is because many puffers are common in the tropical aquarium trade and this species is usually well known among aquarists" (Bariche et al. 2018).