engleski

Visitor or invader? Recent occurences of striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba) in the Croatian part of the Adriatic Sea.

Although the striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba) represents the most abundant cetacean species in the Mediterranean, it has never been considered part of the Croatian fauna. A review of the historical data together with inspection of the natural history museum collections in Croatia, scientific literature and unpublished data shows a recent progressive increase in the occurrence of this species along the Croatian coastline. In the past decade (1998 – 2008), striped dolphins were sighted on 9 occasions with a total of 12 individuals in the Northern Adriatic Sea. In the Central Adriatic Sea striped dolphins were sighted on 3 occasions with approximately 26 individuals. Analyses of the stranded dolphin reports also reveal a slight increase in their occurrence for this time span. More frequent reports suggest an expansion of this species home range and raises questions on the possible reasons behind it. Could it be due to a recovery of their preferred pelagic prey stocks? Is it in any way related to a progressive and almost complete disappearance of the generally sympatric short-beaked common dolphin (Delphinus delphis) from the Adriatic Sea (Holcer, 2006 ; Bearzi et al. 2004), or does it simply reflect a better familiarity with sighting reporting procedures and species recognition?

striped dolphin; invader; occurrences; central Adriatic; northern Adriatic

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