Abstract
During an EC-funded research carried out in the Mediterranean Sea deep-water fish (600-4000 m) were collected in the Balearic Sea as well as the western and eastern Ionian Sea. Caelorhynchusmediterraneus is a new record for the Balearic Sea, Cyclothone braueri, Hygophum benoiti, Paralepis speciosa, Chalinura mediterranea, Coryphaenoides guentheri, C. mediterraneus, Lepidion lepidion and Cataetyx laticeps for the western Ionian Sea, and Polyacanthonotus rissoanus, C. guentheri, C. mediterraneus, L. lepidion and C. laticeps for the eastern Ionian Sea. The bathymetric distribution of other species has been updated. Species richness decreased with depth in the three surveyed areas, showing a significant shift below 1500 m. At depths greater than 1000 m macrourid and morid species were dominant except in the Balearic Sea, where Alepocephalus rostratus was found to be very abundant as deep as 1500 m. At depths greater than 1500 m the dominant species were Bathypterois mediterraneus, C. mediterranea and C. guentheri . The results of this research confirm the scarcity of deep fish fauna in the Mediterranean compared to the Atlantic. For the greatest depths are concerned, the faunistic difference between the western and eastern Mediterranean seems to be most probably due to a lesser number of investigations on the eastern side rather than any real paucity of ichthyofauna.
Highlights
The first proof of the presence of a deep-sea fauna in the Mediterranean was found by the Washington exploration (1881-83), during which trawls were carried out in the western basin as deep as 3115 m and some macrourid fish were caught and described (Giglioli, 1881)
Caelorhynchus mediterraneus is a new record for the Balearic Sea, Cyclothone braueri, Hygophum benoiti, Paralepis speciosa, Chalinura mediterranea, Coryphaenoides guentheri, C. mediterraneus, Lepidion lepidion and Cataetyx laticeps for the western Ionian Sea, and Polyacanthonotus rissoanus, C. guentheri, C. mediterraneus, L. lepidion and C. laticeps for the eastern Ionian Sea
The main objective of this paper is to report the new records and to update the bathymetric distribution of the deep-water teleost fish collected during this survey
Summary
The first proof of the presence of a deep-sea fauna in the Mediterranean was found by the Washington exploration (1881-83), during which trawls were carried out in the western basin as deep as 3115 m and some macrourid fish were caught and described (Giglioli, 1881). The Danish oceanographic cruises of the Thor (1908) and Dana (1928-29) extended investigation from the Atlantic to the whole Mediterranean, even catching deep-sea fish at depths greater than 1000 m (Taning, 1918). All these cruises increased the knowledge of fish taxonomy and biodiversity (Tortonese, 1960; Ryland, 2000). Jean Charcot (Geistdoerfer and Rannou, 1972) in the western basin and the German
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
