First record of the large-scaled goby, Thorogobius Macrolepis (Pisces, Gobiidae), in italian seas

Abstract

En
The first record of the large-scaled goby, Thorogobius macrolepis, in Italian seas is here reported. This goby was observed in relatively deep waters (below 25 m depth) on coarse-organogenous sand patches within coralligenous formations in SE Apulia (southern Adriatic and Ionian Seas; density 0.1-1 ind. 100 m-2) and at the Tremiti Archipelago (central Adriatic Sea; ~2 ind. 100 m-2). These findings suggest that the distribution of T. macrolepis could be far wider in the Mediterranean than previously thought. The lack of previous records in the Italian waters is thus likely due to the scarcity of experts capable of identifying small gobids than to the actual rarity of the species in the past.