Several pufferfish species belonging to the Tetraodontidae family are currently present in the Mediterranean Sea. Since 2013 Lagocephalus sceleratus is increasingly reported also along Italian coasts, where other two species of less concern, Lagocephalus lagocephalus and Sphoeroides pachygaster, also occur since a long time. This study represents one of the first attempts to describe the occurrence in the Mediterranean, and in particular along Italian coasts, of the three aforesaid species, in order to characterize an emerging public health hazard. Reports were searched in scientific articles and dedicated online databases. The following data were collected: number of specimens and type of record, geographical location and date of report, fish size, depth and type of seabed. Overall, at least 111079 individuals of the three species were found in the Mediterranean Sea, including 110237 specimens of L. sceleratus (since 2003), 126 of L. lagocephalus (1878–2017) and 716 of S. pachygaster (1979–2017). The evident differences confirm the invasive character of the toxic Lessepsian immigrant L. sceleratus, the species of main public health concern. Despite this species was recorded along Italian coasts in low numbers (0.08% of the total individuals of L. sceleratus) and its distribution is limited to southern regions, the picture could change rapidly. Moreover, the collected data show that most of L. sceleratus specimens have a large size and are mainly caught by commercial fishing gears. These factors may increase the risk of this species entering the seafood chain with serious consequences for consumers’ health. Results suggest that the presence of L. sceleratus should be strictly monitored. Institutional measures should be implemented to inform people as regards a new hazard that has the potential to affect the Italian seafood chain.

地中海中目前存在属于河豚科的几种河豚。自2013年以来，越来越多的报道称意大利沿岸的Lagocephalus sceleratus也出现在其他沿海地区，另外两个较少关注的物种是Lagocephalus lagocephalus和Sphoeroides pachygaster。，很久以来也发生过。这项研究是描述上述三种物种在地中海，特别是在意大利沿海地区的发生的首次尝试之一，目的是表征正在出现的公共健康危害。在科学文章和专用的在线数据库中搜索报告。收集了以下数据：标本数量和记录类型，地理位置和报告日期，鱼的大小，海床的深度和类型。总体而言，在地中海发现的三个品种至少111079人，其中110237个标本L.芮（2003年起），126 L. lagocephalus（1878至2017年）和716 S. pachygaster（1979年至2017年）。的明显不同证实有毒Lessepsian移民的侵入字符L.芮，主要的公共健康问题的品种。尽管在意大利海岸记录的该物种数量很少（占塞拉利希氏菌总数的0.08％），其分布仅限于南部地区，但情况可能会迅速改变。此外，收集到的数据表明，大多数的L. celerateus样本具有较大的尺寸，并且主要被商用渔具捕获。这些因素可能会增加该物种进入海鲜链的风险，对消费者的健康造成严重影响。结果表明，存在L.sceleratus应严格监控。应采取机构措施，使人们了解可能影响意大利海鲜连锁店的新危害。