Patrick Joseph Schembri

University of Malta · Department of Biology

A critical review of marine fishes from Malta (Central Mediterranean) recorded up to December 2022 in the technical and semi-popular literature, during the Mediterranean International Trawl Survey (MEDITS), and in commercial fisheries landings data, was undertaken with the main aim of producing a checklist of species whose occurrence in the seas ar...

To enrich spatio-temporal information on the distribution of alien, cryptogenic, and neonative species in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, a collective effort by 173 marine scientists was made to provide unpublished records and make them open access to the scientific community. Through this effort, we collected and harmonized a dataset of 12,64...

The occurrence of three bony ray-finned fishes, Thorogobius ephippiatus (Lowe, 1839), Chlopsis bicolor Rafinesque, 1810, and Grammonus ater (Risso, 1810) is reported for the first time in the scientific literature from Maltese coastal waters. The leopard-spotted goby, T. ephippiatus , was mostly recorded within the 8–32 m depth range on soft sedime...

The ClimateFish database collates abundance data of 15 fish species proposed as candidate indicators of climate change in the Mediterranean Sea. An initial group of eight Mediterranean indigenous species (Epinephelus marginatus, Thalassoma pavo, Sparisoma cretense, Coris julis, Sarpa salpa, Serranus scriba, Serranus cabrilla and Caranx crysos) with...

Species with very narrow native distributions, or micro-endemics, are of special conservation interest. While not uncommon in terrestrial environments, micro-endemism is much less well known in the marine realm. With a geographic range spanning a few kilometers, the Maltese Top-shell Steromphala nivosa (formerly Gibbula nivosa), a small gastropod t...

Marine biogenic habitats formed by non-motile faunal species, including corals, bivalves, tube-building polychaetes, bryozoans, and sponges, are ubiquitous in shallow coastal areas and in the deep sea, worldwide. Their biophysical complexity provides a multitude of niches and additional surface area for colonization that are exploited by numerous s...

The alien helicid Otala punctata has to date been recorded from two localities on the island of Malta. Based on field surveys, this study assesses the distribution and abundance of the species in one of these localities, Baћrija valley, an agriculturally important area and a site of conservation interest. O. punctata was found to have colonised thr...

Benthic habitats of the deep Mediterranean Sea and the biodiversity they host are increasingly jeopardized by increasing human pressures, both direct and indirect, which encompass fisheries, chemical and acoustic pollution, littering, oil and gas exploration and production and marine infrastructures (i.e., cable and pipeline laying), and bioprospec...

The Yellowfin Tuna Thunnus albacares is here reported for the first time in the Central Mediterranean Sea, based on a single adult individual captured using surface long-lines in the Sicilian Channel in May 2012. Given the highly migratory nature of adult tunas, the most plausible explanation for this record is an autonomous natural dispersal. This...

The actual occurrence of Squalus megalops in the Mediterranean Sea has recently been questioned. Several research works which sought to assess available morphological and meristic features that differentiate S. megalops from other Squalus species in the Mediterranean Sea, revealed poor discriminatory power and high variability of the assessed chara...

This project has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7-2007-2013) (Grant agreement No. 323727).

An individual fish, identified as a species of Paranthias, is recorded from a photograph taken in July 2013 at Marsascala, Malta. The species is likely to be P. furcifer but since no actual specimen has been forthcoming in spite of a long time since this record, and as certain identification is based on meristic counts, the fish is only conclusivel...

Limited research effort in the Central Mediterranean deep sea has reported a lower species diversity in this area than in adjacent regions. With the recent advent of remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROVs), the deep sea has become more accessible to surveys, especially rocky benthic areas such as canyons and escarpments. The aim of the present...

This project has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7-2007-2013) (Grant agreement No. 323727).

This project has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7-2007-2013) (Grant agreement No. 323727).

The zooxanthellate, scleractinian coral Oculina patagonica is known from various locations in both west and east basins of the Mediterranean Sea, but there are only three casual records of this cryptogenic species from the Central-Ionian area, all from Malta in 2017. Surveys at 28 sites around the Maltese coasts undertaken during the present work r...

Two important facets of global environmental change are alteration of climatic regimes and the introduction of alien species. From a biogeographical perspective, these 2 processes lead to very similar results: a change in the distribution of species. Here, we considered Atlantic fish species that are recent newcomers in the Mediterranean Sea, using...

Good datasets of geo-referenced records of alien species are a prerequisite for assessing the spatio-temporal dynamics of biological invasions, their invasive potential, and the magnitude of their impacts. However, with the exception of first records on a country level or wider regions, observations of species presence tend to remain unpublished, b...

Recent deep-water remotely operated vehicle surveys around the Maltese Islands resulted in the discovery of highly diverse habitats, including extensive hard bottom areas dominated by gorgonians and living cold-water corals with a rich variety of associated fauna. Black coral (Leiopathes glaberrima) forests were dominant at 200–400 m, whilst stony...

The earliest records of cold-water corals from the Mediterranean Sea date back to the eighteenth century when Linnaeus first described Madrepora oculata based on specimens from the central Mediterranean and Tyrrhenian Sea. It was only towards the end of the nineteenth century that cold-water corals were recorded from elsewhere in the Mediterranean,...

Refined baseline inventories of non-indigenous species (NIS) are set per European Union Member State (MS), in the context of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). The inventories are based on the initial assessment of the MSFD (2012) and the updated data of the European Alien Species Information Network, in collaboration with NIS experts...

Twelve new first records of species from two families are added to the list of known marine fishes from Malta based on laboratory study of material collected during fieldwork over a period of more than twenty years. The three new records of clingfishes (Apletodon incognitus, Gouania wildenowi, Opeatogenys gracilis) double the known diversity of Gob...

The alien alga Caulerpa taxifolia var. distichophylla (Sonder) Verlaque, Huisman and Procaccini was first discovered in Malta in June 2013 and had spread to three sites spanning some 8 km by 2014. A monitoring programme in combination with a citizen science reporting initiative revealed a dramatic expansion in the distribution of this species, whic...

The species composition and structure of littoral assemblages on concrete jetties were compared with those on natural rocky shores at two localities on the microtidal NE coast of Malta. Algal species richness and total algal biomass were significantly lower on jetties. Faunal species richness and faunal abundance were also lower on jetties, albeit...

Abstract The dry limestone geology of the Maltese islands presented a challenging environment to prehistoric communities, who required reliable water sources to support agricultural subsistence. Ġgantija, one of the iconic Maltese Late Neolithic Temples on Gozo, and now a World Heritage Site, was surveyed using Ground Penetrating Radar to reveal a...

We review the literature of marine non-indigenous fishes (NIF) in order to summarize information on their ecological impacts and to compare successful invading freshwater fishes with those in marine habitats. An increasing number of marine NIF have been observed colonizing new areas through a suite of different pathways (the main ones being inter-o...

Marine protected areas (MPAs) are key tools to mitigate human impacts in coastal environments, promoting sustainable activities to conserve biodiversity. The designation of MPAs alone may not result in the lessening of some human threats, which is highly dependent on management goals and the related specific regulations that are adopted. Here, we d...

The longnose spurdog, Squalus blainville (Risso, 1826), is reported to feed on bony fishes, cephalopods and crustaceans but misidentifications have resulted in ambiguities. This study describes and quantitatively analyses the diet of S. blainville in waters surrounding the Maltese Islands and compares the results with other Mediterranean population...

Sublittoral pebble beds are generally considered to be impoverished, but the physical and biological characteristics of these habitats are poorly known. We characterised nineteen pebble bed sites in the Maltese Islands, providing detailed habitat data for Mediterranean sublittoral pebble beds for the first time. Nearly 40,000 individuals belonging...

Tortoises of the genus Testudo are commonly kept pets on the Maltese Islands. This is a first record of the presence of Hyalomma aegyptium (Linnaeus 1758), also known as the “tortoise tick,” on Malta. Two male H. aegyptium were collected from an adult Mediterranean spur-thighed tortoise (Testudo graeca Linnaeus 1758) and a further two male H. aegyp...

Habitat Type 1110 'Sandbanks which are slightly covered by sea water all the time', listed in Annex I of the EU's Habitats Directive, is defined in the EU 'Habitat Interpretation Manual' as "elevated, elongated, rounded or irregular topographic features, permanently submerged and predominantly surrounded by deeper water", which "consist mainly of s...

The present study, carried out off the northeastern coast of Malta, was aimed at establishing the influence of artificial reefs on the sandy bottom macroinvertebrate assemblages in their vicinity. The objectives were to assess to what distance from the reefs such influence, if any, extends, and whether reefs constructed from different materials hav...

The phylogeny, biogeography and taxonomy of the alopiine clausiliids of the Sicilian Channel, belonging to the genera Lampedusa and Muticaria , were investigated using morphological (shell characters and anatomy of the reproductive system) and genetic (sequencing of a fragment of the mitochondrial large ribosomal subunit 16S rRNA, and the nuclear i...

Macroalgal fouling communities are potentially useful as bioindicators in environmental monitoring as they are considered to be sensitive to changes in environmental conditions and the use of artificial substrata facilitates the implementation of standardized sampling strategies. The response of macroalgal fouling communities on buoys to changes in...

The only species of Cephalopholis currently known from the Mediterranean is Cephalopholis taeniops (Valenciennes, 1828), which was recorded from Libya, Malta, and Lampedusa after having autochthonously extended its original Atlantic range. All records of Cephalopholis substantiated by specimens or images from Malta were evaluated, showing that an i...

The overall impact of tuna farming on soft-bottom habitat was assessed at three tuna farms over a period of 3 years, using benthic macroinvertebrates as indicators. Polychaetes and amphipods served as better indicators of the impact of tuna farming compared with molluscs and decapods. Lower number and Shannon–Wiener diversity of polychaete and amph...

This volume contains the main results of the EC FP7 “The Ocean of Tomorrow” Project CoCoNet, divided in two sections: 1) a set of guidelines to design networks of Marine Protected Areas in the Mediterranean and the Black Seas; 2) a smart wind chart that will allow evaluating the possibility of installing Offshore Wind Farms in both seas. The concep...

When appropriately designed, Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) favour the recovery of harvested populations in the Mediterranean Sea and elsewhere. The main reason for these MPA effects is the drastic reduction in overall mortality: when fishing mortality is removed or reduced, stock recovery is the most logical expected consequence. The recovery proce...

Cartilaginous fish are particularly vulnerable to anthropogenic stressors and environmental change because of their K-selected reproductive strategy. Accurate data from scientific surveys and landings are essential to assess conservation status and to develop robust protection and management plans. Currently available data are often incomplete or i...

Summary of all barcoded Mediterranean Chondrichthyans generated by the integration of data from the three main barcoding initiatives by Moftah et al. (2011), Landi et al. (2014) and ELASMOMED, as well as other available studies (reported under the column OTHER). Both the number of barcode records obtained from Mediterranean and non-Mediterranean sp...

The GenBank Accession Numbers, BIN, Sample ID and Process ID of the 882 Mediterranean chondrichthyan individuals successfully barcoded by ELASMOMED. (XLSX)

Haplotype parsimony networks of Dasyatis pastinaca reconstructed using ELASMOMED COI barcode sequences. Each circle represents one haplotype and its size is proportional to frequency. Colours indicate the origin of samples according to FAO fishing divisions. (TIF)

Complete list of mutations and positions characterizing each haplotype displayed in Fig 4. For each species, the number of sequences used and the length of the alignment are reported. (XLSX)

Summary of taxa and individuals collected and barcoded for the ELASMOMED initiative. The number of collected and barcoded individuals are reported for each chondrichthyan species and each FAO division as well as in total. (XLSX)

Introduced mammalian predators have negatively affected native biota and ecological processes in ecosystems across the globe. The least weasel (Mustela nivalis) is a Holarctic mustelid carnivore that has been considered one of the world’s worst invasive alien species. It has been introduced to several islands in the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic O...

Introduced mammalian predators have negatively affected native biota and ecological processes in ecosystems across the globe. The least weasel (Mustela nivalis) is a Holarctic mustelid carnivore that has been considered one of the world’s worst invasive alien species. It has been introduced to several islands in the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic O...

Two species of Pomacanthus were recently reported from Maltese waters: P. maculosus, recorded in December 2012, and P. asfur, recorded in September 2015, with the latter representing the first Mediterranean record for the species. However, examination of the published images of the ‘P. asfur’ specimen suggests that it may have been misidentified, a...

The doctorfish Acanthurus chirurgus (Bloch, 1787) is reported for the first time from the central Mediterranean, based on a specimen caught in Maltese waters during August 2016. Since the only previous Mediterranean record of this species was based on a single individual observed in the Tyrrhenian Sea, the present record likely represents an indepe...

The European Red List of Habitats provides an overview of the risk of collapse (degree of endangerment) of marine, terrestrial and freshwater habitats in the European Union (EU28) and adjacent regions (EU28+), based on a consistent set of categories and criteria, and detailed data and expert knowledge from involved countries1. A total of 257 benthi...

The sea star Coronaster briareus (Verrill Am J Sci (Ser III), 1882) is reported for the first time from the Mediterranean Sea. A total of 26 individuals were sighted in Maltese waters during ROV surveys made in July 2015 and June–July 2016. The identity of the species was confirmed through morphological examination of a specimen collected in June 2...

•Malta’s deep sea is an important biodiversity hotspot •Variety of assemblages dominated by suspension feeders (mainly cnidarians and sponges) as habitat-forming taxa, plus diverse associated fauna •Recorded habitats are of conservation interest

Materials and Methods The precious red coral Corallium rubrum inhabits a variety of sublittoral hard substratum habitats in the Mediterranean Sea and the Eastern Atlantic Ocean, with live colonies generally reported from depths ranging between 15 m and 300 m [1]. In 2006 and 2007, deep-water colonies of red coral were for the first time observed at...

The yellowbar angelfish Pomacanthus maculosus (Forsskål, 1775) is reported for the first time from the central Mediterranean, based on a specimen caught from the Maltese Islands in December 2012. This is also the first record of the Family Pomacanthidae from the central Mediterranean region. No other individuals of this species have been observed s...

The species composition of macroalgal assemblages was compared within and between impacted and non-impacted sites in a number of Maltese localities with different levels of of nutrient enrichment and turbidity. Species composition in non-impacted sites differed significantly from that in impacted sites, and impacted sites also differed significantl...

Live colonies of the precious red coral Corallium rubrum have previously been recorded at depths of 600-800 m in the Sicily Channel, but deep-water populations of this species remain poorly known. During a recent research expedition within the 25 nautical mile Fisheries Management Zone around the Maltese Islands, numerous colonies growing deeper th...

Recent ROV surveys of deep-sea areas around the Maltese Islands resulted in the discovery of highly diverse habitats, including extensive rocky areas dominated by living cold water corals and gorgonians at depths of 300–1000 m, a sub-fossil lithistid sponge reef at a depth of ca. 300 m, deep-water caves located at 270–450 m, and vast expanses of so...

Ecological connectivity is important for effective marine planning and biodiversity conservation. Our aim was to identify factors important in influencing variation in benthic community structure on shallow rocky reefs in 2 regions of the Mediterranean Sea with contrasting oceanographic regimes. We assessed beta (β) diversity at 146 sites in the li...

Ecological connectivity is important for effective marine planning and biodiversity conservation. Our aim was to identify factors important in influencing variation in benthic community structure on shallow rocky reefs in 2 regions of the Mediterranean Sea with contrasting oceanographic regimes. We assessed beta (β) diversity at 146 sites in the li...

The ascidian Ecteinascidia turbinata is reported from Maltese waters for the first time. Mature colonies were recorded on artificial substrata at two different sites (and on natural substrata at one of these), 4 km apart, during the summer months. The appearance of this ascidian is expected to be seasonal as the winter temperature in Malta may fall...

The Egyptian weasel (Mustela subpalmata) is a small mustelid with a distribution restricted to the lower Nile Valley and the Nile Delta. Traditionally considered a subspecies of the least weasel (M. nivalis), it is currently recognized as a separate species based on morphology. Here we present the first genetic assessment of the taxonomic status of...