Where and when has the rare Fish Species Regalecus glesne been Found in the Mediterranean so far?

Abstract

The finding of two specimens of oarfish, Regalecus glesne, in the north-western Ionian Sea (central Mediterranean), in the years 2021 and 2022 and at depths of 525 and 350 m respectively, is reported to update the current information on the distribution of this teleost fish in the Mediterranean waters. In fact, to date, that most of the R. glesne findings are distributed in the western part of the Mediterranean basin, between the Ligurian Sea (Italy) and the Gulf of Lion (France), with 22 and 17 findings, respectively. The TL recorded in the Ligurian Sea ranges from 86.5 to 433 cm, and in the Gulf of Lion from 88 to 446 cm. For the two captured specimens during these surveys, the estimated total length were 650 and 2700 mm, respectively. Macroscopic examination of the gonads identified these specimens as an indeterminate and a female in the early stage of gonad maturity.