Naslov
First record of two gobiid fish from the Strait of Sicily (central Mediterranean Sea): Odondebuenia balearica (Pellegrin & Fage, 1907) and Vanneaugobius dollfusi (Brownell, 1978)

Autori
Consoli, Pierpaolo, Kovačić Marcelo, Battaglia Pietro, Romeo Teresa, Scotti GGianfranco, Andaloro Franco, Patzner Robert A.

Izvornik
Cahiers de biologie marine (0007-9723) 60 (2019); 263-268

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Radovi u časopisima, članak, znanstveni

Ključne riječi
Odondebuenia balearica l Vanneaugobius dollfusi l Gobies l Mediterranean Sea l Cryptobenthic l Strait of Sicily

Sažetak
The present study reports the first record of two gobiid fish, Odondebuenia balearica (Pellegrin & Fage, 1907) and Vanneaugobius dollfusi (Brownell, 1978), in the Strait of Sicily. Two females (23.1 and 33.9 mm TL, respectively) were sampled on the Terrible Bank at 48 and 55 meters depth, respectively. The soft bottom, previously investigated by means of a ROV, made up by coarse sands and fine gravels under the influence of bottom currents, was characterized by mega ripples with rhodolithes and maërl on their grooves. The morphology of the specimens is described. As regards V. dollfusi, this is also the first Mediterranean record of the species out of the Adriatic and Aegean Sea. The available sampling methods considering species and habitat characteristics are discussed. The adopted sampling method (a small dredge) appears to be the only method to collect these cryptobenthic fishes at these poorly investigated environments characterized by an offshore location, depth and a strong hydrodynamic regime. At the same time, the limited collecting effort may suggest that these elusive species may have been previously overlooked and additional information could indicate that their ranges are uniform and continuous throughout the Mediterranean Sea.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Biologija

POVEZANOST RADA