Deep-sea ichthyofauna from Eastern Mediterranean Sea, Egypt: Update and new records

Abstract

This work sheds light on deep sea resources that update the list of deep sea ichthyoids fauna with new records from the Egyptian coast, Mediterranean Sea. Fish samples were collected from April to November 2015 at depths of 350–750m using deep red shrimp bottom trawlers. The presented fauna were constituted mainly of deep red shrimp (Aristeomorpha folicea and Aristeus antennatus) as target species followed by by-catch and discards which were represented by 36 fish species; Of them, 21 species were recorded previously. The rest of the species, were new ichthyofauna identified in fifteen species including 4 cartilaginous species (Centrophorus uyato, Etmopterus spinax, Hydrolagus mirabilis and Chimaera monstrosa), while the other 11 species were bony fishes (Chauliodus sloani, Diaphus metopoclampus, Sudis hyaline, Microstoma microstoma, Chlorophthalmus agassizi, Avocettina infans, Argyropelecus hemigymnus, Notacanthus bonaparte, Lampanyctus crocodilus, Centrolophus niger and Nettastoma melanurum). Centrophorus uyato was reported for the first time in the Levant Basin. The present findings added new species to the Egyptian ichthyofauna and raised the total known deep water fauna to 38 species, enhancing knowledge about such species requires continuous monitoring and studies on deep sea resources.