New Record of the Scalloped Ribbon Fish, Zu Cristatus

Marine Biodiversity Records, page 1 of 3. # Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, 2012 doi:10.1017/S175526721200036X; Vol. 5; e59; 2012 Published online New record of the scalloped ribbon ﬁsh, Zu cristatus (Osteichthyes: Trachipteridae) in Tunisian waters (central Mediterranean) m.n. bradai and ali el ouaer Laboratoire Biodiversite´ et Biotechnologie Marines de l’Institut National des Sciences et Technologies de la Mer, B.P. 1035 Sfax 3018 Sfax, Tunisie

The scalloped ribbon fish Zu cristatus is a rarely recorded mesopelagic fish species. In this note we confirm its occurrence in the Tunisian waters of the southern Mediterranean. The capture of young Z. cristatus in Tunisia in October and December is in agreement with the proposed seasonal life cycle of the species in the Mediterranean Sea.

Keywords: Trachipteridae, Zu cristatus, Tunisia, central Mediterranean, new record

Submitted 2 February 2012; accepted 3 April 2012

INTRODUCTION net in the shallow water of Salammboˆ (Gulf of Tunis) (Postel, 1955). The specimen was preserved in the ichthyological col- The scalloped ribbon fish Zu cristatus (Bonelli, 1820) (Pisces: lection of the Museum of Salammboˆ. This species has also Trachipteridae) is a cosmopolitan mesobathypelagic species been captured many times in Algerian waters (Dieuzeide that occurs in tropical to temperate waters of the Atlantic et al., 1953). and Indo-Pacific (Froese & Pauly, 2005). In the north-eastern In this note we confirm the occurrence of Z. cristatus in Atlantic, it has been recorded from the Azores, Madeira and Tunisian waters and in the southern Mediterranean. the Mediterranean Sea. In the Mediterranean, the scalloped ribbonfish has been found sporadically throughout the entire basin (Fischer MATERIALS AND METHODS et al., 1987; Papakonstantinou, 1988; Quignard & Tomasini, 2000; Golani et al., 2006). However, in the ichthyological lit- The material examined included one museum specimen erature, the occurrence of Z. cristatus has been confirmed (285 mm TL) in the oceanographic museum of the Institut and documented mainly in the Adriatic Sea, Ligurian Sea, National des Sciences et Technologies de la Mer (Salammboˆ, Tyrrhenian Sea, off the coasts of Spain and Algeria and in Tunisia), caught in December 1954 in the Gulf of Tunis the Gulf of Tunis (north of Tunisia). (north of Tunisia). A recent specimen was captured in It was reported occasionally in the Adriatic Sea where it is shallow water near Mahdia (central Tunisia). The specimen very rare (Jardas, 1996); with only 16 individuals (mostly was preserved in 5% buffered formalin in the Ichthyological juveniles) recorded in the northern and central Adriatic Collection of the Institut National des Sciences et between 1846 and 1973 (Jardas, 1980). The species is also Technologies de la Mer (Sfax, Tunisia) with catalogue listed in the southern Adriatic off Albania (Dhora, 2010), number INSTM/TRACHIP 02. and a spawning area of this species may occur in the eastern central Adriatic, where eggs and several juvenile stages were found (Dulcˇic´, 2002). RESULTS AND DISCUSSION In Italian waters, Z. cristatus was principally known from the Ligurian Sea, where its presence was confirmed by speci- The present specimen was collected in a casting net at El Alia mens obtained from the Gulf of Genoa (Tortonese, 1958; (Salakta), near Mahdia (Figure 1) in very shallow water (50– Gavagnin, 1976). Recently, Z. cristatus was recorded from 80 cm depth) on 28 October 2009. The casting net is generally the central Tyrrhenian Sea (Bianco et al., 2006; Psomadakis used to capture small mullets (Mugilidae). et al., 2006) and two large specimens of Z. cristatus were The specimen measured 170 mm TL, silvery in colour with also reported from the Gulf of Genoa (Psomadakis et al., 6 vertical bars on dorsal part of body and 4 on ventral part; tail 2007). with 6 complete black bars; caudal fin blackish, base of fin In Tunisian waters, a juvenile specimen measuring 285 mm pale. Anterior dorsal fin rays and pelvic fins are very total length (TL) was caught in December 1954 by a trammel elongated, representing about 50% of the total length. The specimen has a ‘scalloped’ ventral body margin (Figure 2).

Corresponding author: As in other trachipterids, Z. cristatus presents distinctive M.N. Bradai body changes throughout its life cycle, with major differences Emails: [email protected]; [email protected] involving the loss of the elongated anterior dorsal ﬁn rays and

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Young individuals have occasionally been observed free swimming in shallow waters or captured just a few metres from the shore (Costa, 1842; Heemstra & Kannemeyer, 1984; Bianco et al., 2006) and both Tunisian specimens were caught in depths of a few metres. The capture of young Z. cristatus in Tunisia in October and December is in agreement with the proposed seasonal life cycle of the species in the Mediterranean Sea. Further records are needed to better understand the reproductive cycle and spawning areas in the Mediterranean.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We are grateful to Youssef Krichen and Mondher Nouir who made the specimen available to us. The authors thank two anonymous referees for helpful and useful comments that helped to improve our manuscript.

REFERENCES

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