New findings and biological notes of Ommastrephes bartramii (Cephalopoda: Ommastrephidae) in the Strait of Sicily (central Mediterranean Sea)

Alberto Calogero Bosco
1*
Carola Mazzoli
1
Monica Calabrò
1,3
Fabio Falsone
1
Giacomo Sardo
1
Luigi Maria Cusano
1
Davide Tritini
1
Simone Gaetano Amato
1
Vincenzo Garozzo
1
Salvatore Gancitano
1
Pierangela Chirco
1
Aldo Turco
2
Daniela Massi
1,3,4
1
Institute for Marine Biological Resources and Biotechnology (IRBIM), National Research Council– CNR, Via Luigi Vaccara 61, Mazara Del Vallo, Trapani - 91026, Italia
2
, WSP, Via Antonio Banfo 43, Torino, Torino - 10155, Italia
3
Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research, ISPRA, Via Agostino Barbarigo 29, Palermo, Palermo - 90149, Italia
4
National Biodiversity Future Center, NBFC, Piazza Marina 61, Palermo, Palermo - 90133, Italia

In April 2026, as part of the “Offshore – Ibleo Gas Fields Argo and Cassiopea” project, two females of Ommastrephes bartramii (Lesueur, 1821) (neon flying squid) were collected. The individuals measured 60.0 cm and 50.5 cm mantle length (ML) and weighed 7.5 kg and 4.7 kg, respectively. They were caught in two hauls conducted during a fishing campaign using a high-opening trawl net off Licata (Strait of Sicily, GSA16). The specimens were provisionally identified based on the morphological characters described by Jereb & Roper (2010). Since recent advances in molecular biology and genomics have questioned the validity of identifications based exclusively on morphological characters, genetic analyses are currently underway to confirm the taxonomic identity of the specimens. Information on the biology, ecology, and distribution of the genus Ommastrephes in the Mediterranean remains fragmentary. Although sightings of O. bartramii and O. caroli have been reported in recent years, available records are still scarce and often derive from bycatch during vertical jigging or from stranding events. In this context, morphology, sexual maturity, diet, and age information of these new records is given to improve knowledge of their distribution in the Mediterranean Sea, particularly in the Strait of Sicily, where reports are extremely rare to date.

Ecosistemi, biodiversità e cambiamento climatico
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