First Record of Himantura Müller & Henle, 1837 in Libyan WatersAl Mabruk, Sara A.A. (Avtor) Abdulghani, Abdulghani (Avtor) Tiralongo, Francesco (Avtor) taxonomical approachLessepsian immigrantselasmobranchscitizen sciencestingraybiological invasionsThe Dasyatidae family encompasses about a hundred stingray species distributed across the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans. In the Mediterranean Sea, six stingray species are documented, including Himantura uarnak. Despite records of the Himantura genus in the Mediterranean Sea since the 1950s, their existence remained largely unstudied until a comprehensive examination that revealed the presence of four species within the H. uarnak species complex, one of which is Himantura leoparda. This study marks the first documentation of the Himantura in Libyan waters. The finding was established based on three records between 2021 and 2023. Citizen science initiatives have played a significant role in detecting and tracking these stingray species in the Mediterranean. This research underscores the need for further investigation into the diversity and distribution of these enigmatic stingray species.20242026-07-06 14:43:54Delo ni kategorizirano30830slImetniki avtorskih pravic na prispevkih so avtorji. CC BY-NC 4.0