Anali za istrske in mediteranske študije
Annali di Studi istriani e mediterranei
Annals for Istrian and Mediterranean Studies
Series Historia Naturalis, 32, 2022, 2
UDK 5                       Annales, Ser. hist. nat., 32, 2022, 2, pp. 267-479, Koper 2022  ISSN 1408-533X
KOPER 2022
Anali za istrske in mediteranske študije
Annali di Studi istriani e mediterranei
Annals for Istrian and Mediterranean Studies
Series Historia Naturalis, 32, 2022, 2
UDK 5                    ISSN 1408-533X 
                e-ISSN 2591-1783
ANNALES · Ser. hist. nat. · 32 · 2022 · 2
Anali za istrske in mediteranske študije - Annali di Studi istriani e mediterranei - Annals for Istrian and Mediterranean Studies
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e-ISSN 2591-1783
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ANNALES · Ser. hist. nat. · 32 · 2022 · 2
Anali za istrske in mediteranske študije - Annali di Studi istriani e mediterranei - Annals for Istrian and Mediterranean Studies
UDK 5                                                      Letnik 32, Koper 2022, številka 2                                      ISSN 1408-53 3X
e-ISSN 2591-1783 
VSEBINA / INDICE GENERALE / CONTENTS
BIOTSKA GLOBALIZACIJA
GLOBALIZZAZIONE BIOTICA
BIOTIC GLOBALIZATION
Murat BILECENOĞLU & M. Baki YOKEŞ
New Data on the Occurrence of Two Lessepsian 
Marine Heterobranchs, Plocamopherus ocellatus 
(Nudibranchia: Polyceridae) and 
Lamprohaminoea ovalis (Cephalaspidea: 
Haminoeidae), from the Aegean Sea ...................
Novi podatki o pojavljanju dveh lesepskih 
morskih polžev zaškrgarjev, Plocamopherus 
ocellatus (Nudibranchia: Polyceridae) in 
Lamprohaminoea ovalis (Cephalaspidea: 
Haminoeidae), iz Egejskega morja 
Gianni INSACCO, Aniello AMATO, Bruno ZAVA 
& Maria CORSINI-FOKA Additional Capture of 
Halosaurus ovenii (Actinopterygii: Notacanthiformes:
 Halosauridae) in Italian Waters ...........................
Novi ulov vrste Halosaurus ovenii 
(Actinopterygii: Notacanthiformes: 
Halosauridae) v italijanskih vodah
Christian CAPAPÉ, Christian REYNAUD & Farid 
HEMIDA First Record of Marbled Stingray, 
Dasyatis marmorata (Chondrichthyes: 
Dasyatidae) from the Algerian Coast 
(Southwestern Mediterranean Sea) .......................
Prvi zapis o pojavljanju marmoriranega 
morskega biča, Dasyatis marmorata 
(Chondrichthyes: Dasyatidae) iz alžirske 
obale (jugozahodno Sredozemsko morje)
Maria CORSINI-FOKA & Bruno ZAVA Second 
Occurrence of Siganus javus (Siganidae) 
in the Mediterranean Waters ...............................
Drugi zapis o pojavljanju progastega 
morskega kunca, Siganus javus (Siganidae), 
v sredozemskih vodah
Daniel GOLANI, Haim SHOHAT & Brenda 
APPELBAUM-GOLANI Colonisation of Exotic 
Fish Species of the Genera Pseudotropheus 
and Aulonocara (Perciformes: Cichlidae) 
and the Decline of Native Ichthyofauna 
in Nahal Amal, Israel ...........................................
Naseljevanje eksotičnih vrst rib iz rodov 
Pseudotropheus in Aulonocara (Perciformes: 
Cichlidae) in upad domorodne ribje favne 
v reki Nahal Amal, Izrael 
Panayotis OVALIS & Maria CORSINI-FOKA
On the Occurrence of Velolambrus expansus 
(Brachyura, Parthenopidae) in Hellenic Waters .......
O pojavljanju rakovice vrste Velolambrus expansus 
(Brachyura, Parthenopidae) v grških vodah
Saul CIRIACO, Marco SEGARICH, Vera CIRINÀ 
& Lovrenc LIPEJ First Record of the Long-Jawed 
Squirrelfish Holocentrus adscensionis 
(Osbeck, 1765) in the Adriatic Sea .......................
Prvi zapis o pojavljanju vrste veveričjaka 
Holocentrus adscensionis (Osbeck, 1765) 
v Jadranskem morju
Christian CAPAPÉ, Vienna HAMMOUD, 
Aola FANDI & Malek ALI First Record of 
Moontail Bullseye Priacanthus hamrur 
(Osteichthyes, Priacanthidae) from the 
Syrian Coast (Eastern Mediterranean Sea) ............
Prvi zapis o pojavljanju lunastorepega 
velikookega ostriža Priacanthus hamrur 
(Osteichthyes, Priacanthidae) s sirske 
obale (vzhodno Sredozemsko morje)
SREDOZEMSKI MORSKI PSI 
SQUALI MEDITERRANEI
MEDITERRANEAN SHARKS
Hakan KABASAKAL, Erdi BAYRI & Görkem ALKAN
Distribution and Status of the Great White Shark, 
Carcharodon carcharias, in Turkish Waters: 
a Review and New Records .................................
Status in razširjenost belega morskega volka 
(Carcharodon carcharias) v turških vodah: 
pregled in novi zapisi o pojavljanju
Alen SOLDO 200 Years of Records of the Basking
Shark, Cetorhinus maximus, in the Eastern Adriatic .....
Dvesto let opazovanj morskega psa orjaka, Cetor-
hinus maximus, v vzhodnem Jadranskem morju
Hakan KABASAKAL, Ayşe ORUÇ, Cansu LKILINÇ, 
Efe SEVİM, Ebrucan KALECİK & Nilüfer ARAÇ 
Morphometrics of an Incidentally Captured Little 
Gulper Shark, Centrophorus uyato (Squaliformes: 
Centrophoridae), from the Gulf of Antalya, with
Notes on Its Biology ..................................................
Morfometrija naključno ujetega globinskega 
trneža, Centrophorus uyato (Squaliformes: 
Centrophoridae), iz Antalijskega zaliva z 
zapiski o njegovi biologiji
273
267
281
287
293
309
301
317
325
343
351
ANNALES · Ser. hist. nat. · 32 · 2022 · 2
Christian CAPAPÉ, Almamy DIABY, Youssouph 
DIATTA, Sihem RAFRAFI-NOUIRA & Christian 
REYNAUD Atypical Claspers in Smoothhound, 
Mustelus mustelus (Chondrichthyes: Triakidae) 
from the Coast of Senegal (Eastern Tropical 
Atlantic) ..............................................................
Netipična klasperja navadnega morskega 
psa, Mustelus mustelus (Chondrichthyes: 
Triakidae) iz senegalske obale 
(vzhodni tropski Atlantik)
Hakan KABASAKAL, AyŞe ORUÇ, Ebrucan KALE-
CIK, Efe SEVIM, Nilüfer ARAÇ & Cansu ILKILINÇ
Notes on a Newborn Kitefin Shark, 
Dalatias licha: New Evidence on the 
Nursery of a Rare Deep-Sea Shark in 
Northeastern Levant (Turkey) ...............................
Zapis o najdbi skotenega klinoplavutega 
morskega psa, Dalatias licha: novi dokaz o 
jaslicah redkega globokomorskega morskega 
psa v severovzhodnem levantu (Turčija)
IHTIOLOGIJA
ITTIOLOGIA
ICHTHYOLOGY
Nadia BOUZZAMMIT, Hammou EL HABOUZ, 
El hassan AIT-TALBORJT, Zahra OKBA & 
Hassan EL OUIZGANI Diet Composition 
and Feeding Strategy of Atlantic Chub 
Mackerel Scomber colias in the 
Atlantic Coast of Morocco ...................................
Prehrana in prehranjevalna strategija lokarde 
(Scomber colias) ob atlantski obali Maroka
FLORA
FLORA
FLORA
Amelio PEZZETTA
Le Orchidaceae di Albona (Labin, Croazia) .........
Kukavičevke Labina (Hrvaška)
FAVNA
FAVNA
FAVNA
Murat BILECENOĞLU & Melih Ertan ÇINAR
The Mauve Stinger, Pelagia noctiluca, Has Ex-
panded Its Range to the Sea of Marmara ..............
Mesečinka (Pelagia noctiluca) je razširila 
svoj areal do Marmarskega morja
Marijana HURE, Davor LUČIĆ, Barbara 
GANGAI ZOVKO & Ivona ONOFRI 
Dynamics of Mesozooplankton Along the 
Eastern Coast of the South Adriatic Sea ................
Dinamika mezozooplanktona vzdolž 
vzhodne obale južnega Jadrana
Abdelkarim DERBALI, Kandeel E. KANDEEL, 
Aymen HADJ TAIEB & Othman JARBOUI
Population Dynamics of the Cockle 
Cerastoderma glaucum (Mollusca: 
Bivalvia) in the Gulf of Gabes (Tunisia) ...............
Populacijska dinamika navadne srčanke 
Cerastoderma glaucum (Mollusca: 
Bivalvia) v Gabeškem zalivu (Tunizija)
Vasiliki K. SOKOU, Joan GONZALVO, 
Ioannis GIOVOS, Cristina BRITO & 
Dimitrios K. MOUTOPOULOS
Tracing Dolphin-Fishery Interaction in 
Early Greek Fisheries ...........................................
Sledenje interakcij med delfini in ribiči 
v zgodnjih grških ribiških dejavnostih
Pavel JAMNIK, Matija KRIŽNAR & Bruno 
BLAŽINA Novi najdišči pleistocenske favne 
pod Kraškim robom. Smo končno našli 
tudi jamo Grotta dellʼOrso? .................................
Two New Sites of Pleistocene Fauna 
under Karst Edge. Has a Grotta dellʼOrso 
Cave Been Finally Found?
OCENE IN POROČILA
RECENSIONI E RELAZIONI
REVIEWS AND REPORTS
Andreja PALATINUS
Book Review: Plastic Pollution and Marine 
Conservation. Approaches to Protect 
Biodiversity and Marine Life ................................
Kazalo k slikam na ovitku ...................................
Index to images on the cover ..............................
367
359
377
393
405
411
431
443
451
471
473
473
ANNALES · Ser. hist. nat. · 32 · 2022 · 2
309
received: 2022-09-20                 DOI 10.19233/ASHN.2022.32
FIRST RECORD OF THE LONG-JAWED SQUIRRELFISH HOLOCENTRUS 
ADSCENSIONIS (OSBECK, 1765) IN THE ADRIATIC SEA
Saul CIRIACO, Marco SEGARICH, Vera CIRINÀ
WWF Miramare MPA, via Beirut 2/4, Trieste, Italy
e-mail: saul.ciriaco@shoreline.it
Lovrenc LIPEJ
Marine Biology Station Piran, National Institute of Biology, Fornače 41, Slovenia
e-mail: Lovrenc.Lipej@nib.si
ABSTRACT
A specimen of Holocentrus adscensionis (Osbeck, 1765) was observed, photographed and filmed for 
several days in August 2022 in the shallow rocky zone of the WWF Miramare marine protected area near 
Trieste (Gulf of Trieste, northern Adriatic). This is the first record of this species in the Gulf of Trieste and in 
the Adriatic Sea, and the second in the Mediterranean Sea.
Key words: Holocentrus adscensionis, Holocentridae, Atlantic influx, Gulf of Trieste, Mediterranean Sea
PRIMA SEGNALAZIONE DEL PESCE SCOIATTOLO HOLOCENTRUS ADSCENSIONIS 
NEL MARE ADRIATICO
SINTESI
Un esemplare di Holocentrus adscensionis (Osbeck, 1765) è stato osservato, fotografato e filmato per diversi 
giorni nell’agosto del 2022 nella zona rocciosa poco profonda dell’area marina protetta WWF Miramare, vicino 
a Trieste (Golfo di Trieste, Adriatico settentrionale). Si tratta del primo avvistamento di questa specie nel Golfo di 
Trieste e nell’Adriatico, e del secondo nel Mediterraneo.
Parole chiave: Holocentrus adscensionis, Holocentridae, afflusso atlantico, Golfo di Trieste, Mediterraneo
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Saul Ciriaco et al.: FIRST RECORD OF THE LONG-JAWED SQUIRRELFISH HOLOCENTRUS ADSCENSIONIS (OSBECK, 1765) IN THE ADRIATIC SEA, 309–316
INTRODUCTION
The ongoing process of biotic globalisation 
evidenced by the arrival of new species to the 
Mediterranean Sea is affecting its marine biodiver-
sity at an alarmingly high rate. The number of alien 
fish species in the Mediterranean has substantially 
increased after year 2000 with approximately 40% 
of the total number of fish species arrivals reported 
after the beginning of the 21st century (Zenetos et 
al., 2017). Many fish species came to the Mediter-
ranean Sea through the Suez Canal, some through 
the Strait of Gibraltar, some unaided by human 
activities (Zenetos et al., 2012), others by following 
towed oil platforms (Dragičević et al., 2012; Pai-
uelo et al., 2016). The northernmost portion of the 
Adriatic Sea is also affected by the invasion of alien 
fish species from the Red Sea, known as Lessepsian 
migration (Lipej & Dulčić, 2004).
This paper presents the first record of Holocen-
trus adscensionis (Osbeck, 1765) in Italian and 
Adriatic waters and proffers a possible explanation 
for it. 
MATERIAL AND METHODS
The shoreline of the Miramare Marine Protected 
Area (MPA) near Trieste is mainly characterised by 
structured rocky limestone bottom with many dif-
ferent habitat types, and sediment-bottom areas. On 
August 14, during a night dive, one of the divers 
visiting the Miramare MPA (Gulf of Trieste, northern 
Adriatic Sea), spotted a fish with a distinctive red liv-
ery. Alerted at the end of the dive, MPA researchers 
began an immediate search for the individual, and 
after two days and more than 300 minutes of diving, 
on August 16, the team located the specimen hiding 
among the rocks below the south wall of Miramare 
Castle at a depth of about 3.5 m (Fig. 1).
The sighting area appears to be a rocky landslide 
composed of medium-sized limestone boulders 
covered by turf and colonised mainly by organ pipe 
sponges (Aplysina aerophoba) and black sponges of 
the genus Sarcotragus. The area is characterised by 
a high density of fish fauna. During the first day of 
sighting, the researchers focused on taking photo-
graphs and video material suitable for identifica-
Fig. 1: Map of the study area indicating the locality where the specimen of Holocentrus adscensionis was 
photographed and filmed.
Sl. 1: Zemljevid obravnavanega območja z lokaliteto, kjer je bil fotografiran in posnet primerek vrste 
Holocentrus adscensionis. 
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Saul Ciriaco et al.: FIRST RECORD OF THE LONG-JAWED SQUIRRELFISH HOLOCENTRUS ADSCENSIONIS (OSBECK, 1765) IN THE ADRIATIC SEA, 309–316
tion. On the following day, they tried to capture 
the specimen with a hand net. Unfortunately, the 
specimen eluded capture and the next day, despite 
intense effort, the researchers were no longer able 
to spot it.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Based on direct observations, digital photo-
graphs and videos, the specimen was identified as 
a Holocentrus adscensionis (Osbeck, 1765) (Fig. 2). 
The main distinguishing features were the two rather 
long spines on the head, with the preopercular spine 
distinctly larger than the opercular one (Fig. 3) (Fis-
cher et al., 1981). In addition, the posterior margin 
of upper jaw reached the posterior margin of pupil 
(Uyeno et al., 1983). The anterior part of the dorsal 
fin with 11 spines was, as usual in this species, yel-
lowish. The anterior part of the soft dorsal fin rays 
and the upper caudal lobe were distinctly elongate. 
The dorsal fin was without the evident white spots 
behind the tip of each spine (Greenfield, 2003) 
that are typical of a related species, H. rufus. The 
specimen was characterised by a long and oblong 
body with slender caudal peduncle. The body had a 
faint pattern of alternating red and white transverse 
stripes. The breast and belly were white. The front 
part of the head was dark red with the white streak 
on the cheek clearly visible. 
The specimen was hiding in a small cavity, mak-
ing rare excursions out of its shelter. During the few 
exits outside its shelter in the rock crevices it was 
immediately attacked by different seabream species 
(genus Diplodus).
The long-jawed squirrelfish inhabits the waters 
of the western Atlantic coast from North Carolina 
(USA) to Brazil, including the Gulf of Mexico and 
the Caribbean (Woods & Greenfield, 1978), and of 
the eastern Atlantic coast from Gabon to Ascension 
Island (Ben-Tuvia, 1990). The long-jawed squir-
relfish feeds on meroplankton, including crab and 
shrimp larvae, as well as juvenile fish, and mainly 
during the night (Beets, 1997). During the day it 
generally hides in the crevices within coral colo-
nies (Greenfield, 1981). The long-jawed squirrelfish 
prefers structurally more complex habitats, as they 
offer more shelter place (Ferreira et al., 2004). This 
was also the case in the Miramare MPA. Since H. 
Fig. 2: A specimen of long-jawed squirrelfish Holocen-
trus adscensionis, photographed in the marine protected 
area of WWF Miramare near Trieste on August 16, 2022.
Sl. 2: Primerek vrste veveričjaka Holocentrus adscen-
sionis, fotografiran 16. avgusta 2022 v zavarovanem 
območju WWF Miramare.  
Fig. 3: Head detail of the specimen of Holocentrus ad-
scensionis showing opercular and preopercular spines. 
Sl. 3: Detajl glave primerka vrste Holocentrus adscensionis, 
na katerem sta vidna operkularni in preoperkularni trn. 
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Saul Ciriaco et al.: FIRST RECORD OF THE LONG-JAWED SQUIRRELFISH HOLOCENTRUS ADSCENSIONIS (OSBECK, 1765) IN THE ADRIATIC SEA, 309–316
adscensionis is a nocturnal species, it may have 
been previously overlooked in Mediterranean wa-
ters, as already pointed by Vella et al. (2016). 
According to Kovačić et al. (2020), 444 fish 
species were confirmed in the Adriatic Sea through 
an evidence based approach. Their checklist 
did not include the squirrelfish, so the finding of 
H. adscensionis in the Gulf of Trieste represents 
an additional species to be added to the Adriatic 
checklist and the first record in Italian seas. It also 
represents the second record of this squirrelfish 
species in the Mediterranean after it was recorded 
by Vella et al. (2016) in Maltese waters. The family 
Holocentridae comprises about 83 species, which 
are mostly found in waters below 100 m of depth 
(Nelson et al., 2016). Some of them are important in 
commercial and recreational fisheries. 
Until recently, the redcoat squirrelfish, Sargo-
centron rubrum (Forsskal, 1775) was the only squir-
relfish species reported in the Mediterranean basin. 
It was recorded as early as 1947 by Haas & Steinitz 
(1947) in Israeli waters and later on the north 
African coast in Libya (Štirn, 1970). Nowadays, 
this species is reported to be established (Golani 
& Ben Tuvia, 1985) and relatively common along 
the Mediterranean coast of Egypt (sensu Farrag et 
al., 2018). The second reported species, as previ-
ously mentioned, was the H. adscensionis recorded 
in the Maltese waters of the Mediterranean Sea by 
Vella et al. (2016). Over the past two years another 
three squirrelfish species have been discovered 
in Mediterranean for the very first time. In 2021, 
Sargocentron spinosissimum (Temminck & Schlegel, 
1843) and Sargocentron tiereoides (Bleeker, 1853) 
were found in the Mediterranean waters of Egypt 
(Deef, 2021), while in 2022 the first Mediterranean 
record of silverspot squirrelfish Sargocentron cau-
dimaculatum (Rüppell, 1838) was reported from 
Tunisian waters (Ghanem et al., 2022).
Despite their northernmost position, the Gulf 
of Trieste and the adjacent northern Adriatic Sea 
have witnessed many alien fish species. Their in-
troductions are well documented, but their number 
is much lower compared to other Mediterranean 
areas. The very first alien species documented in 
the northern Adriatic was the silver pomfret Pampus 
argenteus, which was caught in the waters off Rijeka 
(Fiume) in 1896 (Dulčić et al., 2004). Further new 
arrivals to the study area (Gulf of Trieste) were not 
reported until 1993, when a specimen of rubberlip 
grunt Plectorchinchus mediterraneus (Guichenot, 
1850) was caught in the waters off Miramare and 
another in the Bay of Piran (Lipej et al., 1996), 
and in 1998, when an orange-spotted grouper 
(Epinephelus coioides) was captured alive and kept 
in the Trieste aquarium (Parenti & Bressi, 1998). 
Tab. 1: Non-native fish species recorded in the Gulf of Trieste. Legend: AT – species arrived through the Gibraltar 
Strait (Atlantic influx), AQ – released aquarium fish, LM – Lessepsian migration, M – month, n - number of 
specimens, I –introduction, Y – year, IT – Italy, and SI – Slovenia.
Tab. 1: Tujerodne in druge vrste, opažene v Tržaškem zalivu. Legenda: AT – vrste, ki so prišle skozi gibraltarsko 
ožino (atlantski vtok), AQ – ribe, izpuščene iz akvarija, LM – lesepska selitev, M – mesec, n – število primerkov, 
I – vnos ali prihod, Y – leto, IT – Italija, in SI – Slovenija.
species locus Y M n I source
Plectorhinchus mediterraneus Miramare (IT) 1993 Aug 1 AT Lipej et al., 1996
Plectorhinchus mediterraneus Piran (SI) 1993 Dec 1 AT Lipej et al., 1996
Epinephelus coioides Gulf of Trieste (IT) 1998 May 1 LM Parenti & Bressi, 1998
Terapon theraps Gulf of Piran (SI) 2007 Aug 1 LM Lipej et al., 2007
Siganus luridus Miramare (IT) 2010 Aug 1 LM Poloniato et al., 2010
Stephanolepis diaspros Gulf of Piran (SI) 2013 Sep 1 LM Lipej et al., 2014a
Chrysiptera cyanea Portorož (SI) 2014 Aug 3 AR Lipej et al., 2014b
Oplegnathus fasciatus Trieste (IT) 2015 Sep 1 AT Ciriaco & Lipej, 2015
Abudefduf saxatilis Muggia (SI) 2021 Aug 1 AT Lipej et al., 2021
Holocentrus adscensionis Miramare (IT) 2022 Aug 1 AT This work
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Later other alien fish species were reported as well, 
such as the large-scaled terapon Terapon theraps 
Cuvier, 1829 in the waters off Piran in 2007 (Slo-
venia) (Lipej et al., 2008), Siganus luridus (Rüppell, 
1829) at Miramare (Trieste) (Poloniato et al., 2010), 
the reticulated leatherjacket Stephanolepis diaspros 
(Fraser-Brunner, 1940) in the Bay of Piran (Lipej et 
al., 2014a), the barred knifejaw Oplegnathus fascia-
tus (Temminck & Schlegel, 1843) in the waters off 
Muggia (Ciriaco & Lipej, 2015), and the sergeant 
major Abudefduf saxatilis (Linaneus, 1758) at Punta 
Sottile, Muggia (Lipej et al., 2020). There was also 
a case of an intentional release of three specimens 
of blue devil Chrysiptera cyanea (Quoy & Gaimard, 
1825) from aquaria in the waters off Piran (Lipej et 
al., 2014b). One of these, which was collected by 
divers, was kept in the aquarium tank of the Marine 
Biology Station Piran for many months until it died. 
Since the majority of alien species were sighted or 
caught only as single specimens, it is rather difficult 
to speculate about the means of their arrival to the 
Gulf of Trieste. 
After the first record of S. luridus in the Adriatic 
Sea, obtained through observations, photographs, and 
videos of a single specimen at Bagno Ducale (Mira-
mare MPA, Trieste) (Poloniato et al., 2010), the species 
was subsequently also recorded in other parts of the 
Adriatic Sea (Dulčić et al., 2011). The same occurred 
with some other mentioned aliens: T. theraps was later 
confirmed in Greek waters, O. fasciatus was captured 
some months after the first record in the waters off 
Rijeka (Dulčić et al., 2016), and A. cf. saxatilis/vai-
giensis/troschelii was confirmed in the Adriatic, also 
by Dragičević et al. (2021). 
Although a captured specimen that was properly 
prepared, and stored in a registered museum collection, 
thus enabling the acquisition of basic biometric and mer-
istic data as well as material for genetic research, would 
be more appreciated by ichthyologists, high-quality evi-
dence testifying to the occurrence of the species, such as 
photographs and film recordings, is sufficient to confirm 
the presence of a species in a certain environment 
(sensu Kovačić et al., 2020). This is especially true with 
regard to tropical species, which often stand out for their 
colourful patterns. The photographed records of rare or 
endangered species are very important and may even 
constitute the only evidence of the presence of certain 
species (Lipej et al., 2005). Regular monitoring of alien 
fish species in the Gulf of Trieste and elsewhere in the 
Adriatic Sea and in the Mediterranean is an important 
prerequisite for understanding the impact of newcomers 
on the native biota. This is also important in the case 
of squirrelfish species, since some of them (such as S. 
rubrum) have already established viable populations 
in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. According to some 
authors, H. adscensionis, the long-jawed squirrelfish, 
is a potentially successful invader since it demonstrates 
great resilience, being able to survive for many days 
inside traps and in polluted areas (Wyatt, 1983). 
This record of the long-jawed squirrelfish is further 
evidence of how effective a tool citizen science can be 
in the monitoring of alien species in the Mediterranean 
Sea (Crocetta et al., 2017; Tiralongo et al., 2019).
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Special thanks for the report go to the Diving Nordè 
divers who have been visiting Miramare with curios-
ity for years and in particular Livio Poloni, Marika 
Colombera, Cesare Venere and Gianni Balliana who 
first noticed the strange fish during the night. Appre-
ciation also for the photographer Davide Lombroso 
who supported us in finding the individual and taking 
some of the photographs used for the identification.
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PRVI ZAPIS O POJAVLJANJU VRSTE VEVERIČJAKA HOLOCENTRUS ADSCENSIONIS 
(OSBECK, 1765) V JADRANSKEM MORJU
Saul CIRIACO, Marco SEGARICH, Vera CIRINÀ
WWF Miramare MPA, via Beirut 2/4, Trieste, Italy
e-mail: saul.ciriaco@shoreline.it
Lovrenc LIPEJ
Marine Biology Station Piran, National Institute of Biology, Fornače 41, Slovenia
e-mail: Lovrenc.Lipej@nib.si
POVZETEK
Na plitvi skalnati brežini znotraj zavarovanega območja WWF Miramare pri Trstu (Tržaški zaliv, severni 
jadran) so v več avgustovskih dneh opazovali, fotografirali in posneli primerek vrste Holocentrus adscensionis 
(Osbeck, 1765). Gre za prvi primer opazovanja te vrste v Tržaškem zalivu in Jadranskem morju ter drugi v 
Sredozemskem morju. 
Ključne besede: Holocentrus adscensionis, Holocentridae, atlantski vtok, Tržaški zaliv, Sredozemsko morje
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