Occurrence of two rare species from order Lampriformes: Crestfish Lophotus lacepede (Giorna, 1809) and scalloped ribbonfish Zu cristatus (Bonelli, 1819) in the northern coast of Sicily, Italy

Abstract

       The bony fish Lophotus lacepede (Giorna, 1809) and Zu cristatus (Bonelli, 1819) are the two species rarely recorded within the Mediterranean basin, usually reported as accidentally captured in depth (mesopelagic) fishing operations. In the current work, we present the first record of L. lacepede and Z. cristatus in fishing catches from southwestern Tyrrhenian Sea. Moreover, in order to improve existent biological/ecological knowledge, some bio-related aspects such as feeding aspect, sexual maturity and age estimate have been discussed.