To what extent can specialized species succeed in the deep sea? The biology and trophic ecology of deep-sea spiny eels (Notacanthidae) in the Mediterranean Sea

Microplastics in the Mediterranean Sea: Sources, Pollution Intensity, Sea Health, and Regulatory Policies

“…This Trachyrincus species often prey upon smaller fishes and thus the uptake of microplastics is due to a secondary ingestion pathway. In other bathydemersal species like Polyacanthonotus rissoanus thin plastic threads were detected in specimens recovered from the Western Mediterranean Sea (Romeu et al, 2016), and plastic ingestion was also reported in this region for the two species, e.g., Helicolenus dactylopterus and Glossanodon leioglossus (Compa et al, 2019).…”

“…Other benthopelagic species such as Spondyliosoma cantharus and Phycis phycis in the Tyrrhenian Sea have also been reported with high levels of microplastics in their stomachs (Avio et al, 2017). The concentration of microplastics in bathypelagic species varied from 0.3 to 11.8%, where the lowest concentration of plastic fragments (0.3%) was detected in Diaphus metopoclampus, and the highest concentration (11.8%) was observed in Notacanthus bonaparte (Romeo et al, 2016;Romeu et al, 2016). The bathydemersal species inhabiting the waters of the Western Mediterranean Sea was evaluated for microplastics contamination and approximately 33.3% of Trachyrincus scabrous was reported which contain microplastic particles in their digestive system (Cartes et al, 2016).…”

Are anthropogenic fibres a real problem for red mullets (Mullus barbatus) from the NW Mediterranean?

“…In the NW Mediterranean, AF's, have been reported in several seafloor environments such as estuarine, coastal areas (Alomar et al, 2016;Simon-Sánchez et al, 2019) and deep sea (Sanchez-Vidal et al, 2018). Their ingestion by marine organisms has also been reported for both offshore and inshore fish (Bellas et al, 2016), as well as for deep-sea organisms such as fish and crustaceans (Carreras-Colom et al, 2018;Romeu et al, 2016). Mullus barbatus Linnaeus, 1758, commonly named red mullet, is a benthic fish species widely spread in the Mediterranean Sea and the North Eastern Atlantic which inhabits the continental shelf in gravel, sandy and muddy bottoms up to 500 m depth (Lloris, 2015).…”

Recent findings of the deep–sea fish species Tetragonurus cuvieri Risso, 1810 and Notacanthus bonaparte Risso, 1840 (Chordata, Teleostei) in Southwestern Europe (Gulf of Cádiz, SW Spain)

“…Despite the high effort generally associated with deep-sea exploration, little is known about the biology of this species group (Barros-García et al, 2020). Biological studies carried out to date comprise only information about reproduction and diet from the Northeast Atlantic and the western Mediterranean Sea (Coggan et al, 1998;Fernandez-Arcaya et al, 2013;Rodríguez-Romeu et al, 2016;Barros-García et al, 2020). These studies reveal that N. bonaparte inhabits depths between 200 and 2,200 m within the Mediterranean Sea (Macpherson, 1981;Coggan et al, 1998;Moranta et al, 1998;Rodríguez-Romeu et al, 2016;Barros-García et al, 2020).…”

“…Biological studies carried out to date comprise only information about reproduction and diet from the Northeast Atlantic and the western Mediterranean Sea (Coggan et al, 1998;Fernandez-Arcaya et al, 2013;Rodríguez-Romeu et al, 2016;Barros-García et al, 2020). These studies reveal that N. bonaparte inhabits depths between 200 and 2,200 m within the Mediterranean Sea (Macpherson, 1981;Coggan et al, 1998;Moranta et al, 1998;Rodríguez-Romeu et al, 2016;Barros-García et al, 2020). The objective of this work is to document and verify the capture of two deep-sea fish specimens, T. cuvieri and N. bonaparte, in the Gulf of Cadiz.…”