Snapshot of rare, exotic and overlooked fish species in the Italian seas: A citizen science survey

Abstract

Italy, at the center of the Mediterranean Sea, hosts a high diversity of fishes, but to a certain extent, this richness remains hidden or poorly known because of rare, cryptic or recently introduced species, that are hardly to detect with the traditional sampling approaches. In this study, we gained complementary knowledge, engaging Italian sea users, especially fishers and underwater photographers, to share their observations. Results obtained during 2019 provided 124 new records distributed in 40 species. Most of these records are related to native-rare and native-thermophilic fishes (~95%), while few observations (~5%) concern non-indigenous taxa. Records of thermophilic species were reported from the Tyrrhenian Sea and the Ionian Sea, while alien species were mostly reported from the southernmost coasts of Italy. Our findings highlight the potential of participatory actions and emphasize the value of a close collaboration between researchers and sea-lovers for monitoring marine biodiversity on large spatial scales.