New and confirmed records of a deep-water decapod (family Acanthephyridae), and five deep-sea fishes (families Alepocephalidae, Gonostomatidae, Myctophidae, and Nemichthyidae) from Maltese waters

Abstract

Recent routine monitoring efforts conducted in 2018 and 2022 under the European Union’s Data Collection Multi- Annual Program (DC-MAP) have yielded specimens confirming the presence of six deep-sea species in Maltese waters (FAO GFCM Geographical Sub-Area 15), which were previously either unreported or only dubiously recorded. The first of these species is the decapod crustacean, Acanthephyra purpurea A. Milne-Edwards, 1881. The remaining five consist of the teleost fishes: Alepocephalus rostratus Risso, 1820; Gonostoma atlanticum Norman, 1930; Ceratoscopelus maderensis (Lowe, 1839); Hygophum hygomii (Lütken, 1892); and Nemichthys scolopaceus Richardson, 1848. This contribution, which includes first confirmed national records and verifications of previously questionable reports, provides valuable information about the deep-sea biodiversity of the Central Mediterranean region, underscoring the importance of ongoing monitoring efforts.