Pietro Battaglia

• PhD in "Environmental Sciences: Marine Environment and Resources"
• Researcher at Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn di Napoli - Sicily Marine Centre - Villa Pace - Contrada Porticatello 29 - 98167 Messina

This collective study presents information on fifteen (15) species recorded across five countries (Greece, Italy, Slovenia, Spain, and Türkiye) and four (4) ecoregions, ranging from the Alboran Sea to the Aegean Sea. The recorded species belong to three phyla: Mollusca (3 species), Arthropoda (3 species), and Chordata (9 species). Among mollusks, M...

The deep sea represents the largest ecosystem on Earth, and the mesopelagic zone, particularly submarine canyons, provides fundamental ecosystem services. Despite their importance, deep sea habitats remain one of the least explored ecosystems due to their remoteness, inaccessibility, and high costs for exploration. In this study, we used environmen...

The constellation fish, Valenciennellus tripunctulatus, is a small mesopelagic teleost typically found in equatorial and temperate waters worldwide, although the species has been also rarely recorded in the Mediterranean Sea (less than 20 specimens from the available literature since 1918). The Mediterranean records have been documented for the Str...

This study, conducted within the PNRR "NBFC" project, investigates the biodiversity and ecological role of two key marine areas: the Palinuro seamount (Tyrrhenian Sea) and the upwelling system of the Strait of Messina. Both areas, characterized by hydrographic phenomena that increase biological productivity, act as biodiversity hotspots, supporting...

The Mediterranean spearfish (Tetrapturus belone) is a highly migratory predator, also exploited by commercial and recreational fisheries although its catches are poorly reported. The fishing pressure on this species is currently unknown because catch and landing data are fragmentary. Furthermore, more ecological information (e.g. migratory movement...

The suppression of recombination is considered a hallmark of sex chromosome evolution. However, previous research has identified undifferentiated sex chromosomes and sex determination by single SNP in the greater amberjack (Seriola dumerili). We observed the same phenomena in the golden pompano (Trachinotus ovatus) of the same family Carangidae and...

Recent technological advancements have facilitated the extensive collection of movement data from large-scale fishing vessels, yet a significant data gap remains for small-scale fisheries. This gap hinders the development of consistent exploitation patterns and meeting the information needs for marine spatial planning in fisheries management. This...

An unusual occurrence and massive stranding of the pelagic snail Janthina janthina (Linnaeus, 1758) (Gastropoda Epitoniidae) is reported along the Sicilian coast of the Strait of Messina (Italy). The diet of the Mediterranean species consisting of Porpita porpita (Linnaeus, 1758) and Velella velella (Hydrozoa) is reported. Further information on th...

Microplastics (MPs) are ubiquitous worldwide in marine environment, from the sea surface to deep waters, and also highly bioavailable to marine fauna by direct or secondary ingestion. To date, plastic ingestion is a concern for the health of marine organisms, but few studies focused on the transfer of MPs across marine trophic levels. MPs ingestion...

The development of in situ observational tools has significantly contributed to the study of deep-sea cephalopods and exploration of their habitat in the last decades. In this paper, we report in situ observations of rarely observed deep-sea Mediterranean cephalopods (Chiroteuthis veranyi, Chtenopteryx sicula, and Octopoteuthis sicula). These cepha...

This Collective Article presents new information about the occurrence of 23 marine taxa that belong to five Phyla: two Chlorophyta, one Annelida, six Mollusca, three Arthropoda, eleven Chordata (one Ascidiacea, one Elasmobranchii and nine Teleostei) and extending from the Western Mediterranean to the Levantine Sea. All these records were reported f...

The age and growth of the slender lightfish Vinciguerria attenuata are investigated for the first time by the analysis of otolith microstructure. A total of 242 individuals (standard length range = 15.3–39.0 mm) are collected from the Strait of Messina (central Mediterranean Sea). The analysis of the length–weight relationship highlights a hyper-al...

The present paper represents the first all-encompassing study on all Mediterranean holopelagic octopods belonging to Argonautoidea (Argonauta argo, Ocythoe tuberculata, Tremoctopus gracilis, Tremoctopus violaceus). Argonautoidea octopuses were collected by different sampling methods in the Strait of Messina and southern Tyrrhenian Sea. The aim of t...

In this Collective Article on alien and cryptogenic diversity in the Mediterranean Sea we report a total of 19 species belonging to nine Phyla and coming from nine countries. Several of these records concern fish species, and of particular interest are the first records of: Terapon puta for Italian waters; Pteragopus trispilus from Malta; Plotosus...

The influence of the lunar cycle on bluefin tuna foraging in the upwelling area of the Strait of Messina was investigated by exploring trophic interaction with mesopelagic fish and cephalopod prey. To focus on how the lunar cycle could affect availability of mesopelagic prey for this predator, we tested potential differences in the diet related to...

Luminescent bacteria are a fascinating component of marine microbial communities, often related to the light emissions in deep sea marine organisms. They are mainly affiliated with specific phylogenetic groups, such as Photobacterium, Vibrio, and Photorhabdus, and are sometimes involved in symbiotic relationships. However, the luminescence of some...

In this paper we report data on four juvenile individuals of T. trachypterus and one adult of Z. cristatus, from the Strait of Messina and southern Tyrrhenian Sea, respectively (Mediterranean Sea). Information on morphometric and meristic characters are provided together with some biological data such as prey and age estimation. Only stomachs of T....

This Collective Article presents new information about the occurrence of 21 taxa that belong to six Phyla: one Cnidaria, one Ctenophora, two Annelida, four Mollusca, two Arthropoda, and eleven Chordata. These records were reported from ten countries from the western to the eastern Mediterranean Sea as follows: Spain: early colonization signs of the...

Management of fish populations and ecosystems suffers from data and knowledge gaps, particularly with respect to how humans and nature affect dynamics at multi‐decadal and longer time scales. However, collection of new data which indicates population or ecosystem status is slow and expensive. Here we analyse c. 110 years of neglected fishery data f...

In this paper new data on the scaleless dragonfish Bathophilus nigerrimus Giglioli 1882 (Stomiidae) are provided. We examined an individual found stranded on the shore of the Sicilian coast of the Strait of Messina on February 2, 2019. Additional data were retrieved by two more specimens from the same study area: from the first one, found stranded...

Few studies focused on behaviour adaptations of organisms to marine litter (ML) pollution in Mediterranean Sea. This research, investigates on some behavior traits of Octopus vulgaris, focusing on the interaction with ML during the artisanal fishing activities by the bottom traps in a small coastal area of the southern Tyrrhenian Sea. For the first...

Management of marine fisheries and ecosystems is constrained by knowledge based on datasets with limited temporal coverage. Many populations and ecosystems were perturbed long before scientific investigations began. This situation is particularly acute for the largest and commercially most valuable species. We hypothesized that historical trap fish...

This paper presents a characterisation of the fishing fleet operating in Campania, one of the twenty administrative Regions of Italy. An analysis of the contribution of the regional fleet to the national fishing capacity is also provided.. The fleet is characterised according to its technical features (number of vessels, tonnage, engine power, leng...

The golden pompano (Trachinotus ovatus) is a marine fish species in the family Carangidae. We constructed a chromosome-level genome assembly of a male golden pompano. QTL-mapping and GWAS analysis showed that this species has a ZZ/ZW sex determination system and a sex defining SNP (Chr16:18219150:G/A), located on the splice donor site (GT-AG) of th...

The present investigation focuses on Boops boops specimens gathered in the Gulf of Patti in 2010. Providing a snapshot from the past, this paper represents, chronologically, the first record of microplastic ingestion in the Mediterranean bogue. The plastic abundance and composition in gastrointestinal tracts of the bogue was assess, in order to imp...

This Collective Article presents information about 27 taxa belonging to five Phyla (one Ochrophyta, one Cnidaria, three Arthropoda, two Mollusca and twenty Chordata) and extending from the Western Mediterranean Sea to the Levantine Sea and the Black Sea (Sea of Marmara). The new records were reported from 11 countries as follows: Algeria: occurrenc...

This is the first paper to provide detailed information on the age and growth of Trachinotus ovatus. The size of the 244 individuals collected in the Strait of Messina ranged from 2.7 to 30.4 cm in fork length (LF) and 0.31 to 508.6 g in body mass (M). The relationship between these parameters (M - LF) was investigated and showed a good fit. Age es...

In this paper, a live hectocotylus, found inside a stranded female Argonauta argo shell, allowed us to describe the behaviour of this copulatory arm and add new information on its morphology. The hectocotylus penile filament is contained in a special membranous pocket or sac, almost completely transparent, extending from the apex of the basal part...

This study investigated, for the first time, the age and growth of the spotted lanternfish Myctophum punctatum through an analysis of otolith microstructure. A total of 377 individuals were collected from the Strait of Messina (central Mediterranean Sea), ranging between 20.3 and 73.7 mm of standard length. Their length–weight relationship was esti...

Management of marine fisheries and ecosystems is constrained by knowledge based on datasets with limited temporal coverage. Many populations and ecosystems have been perturbed long before scientific investigations have begun. This situation is particularly acute for the largest and commercially most valuable species. We hypothesized that historical...

We describe the interaction between harpoon fishing activity and sharks, which opportunistically depredated harpoon catches in the Strait of Messina. Shark bite marks were observed on harpooned swordfish during the period 2014–2020, with different damages to the catches. Most of the depredation events have focused on large swordfish, generally weig...

The Aeolian Archipelago, in the western Mediterranean Sea, is an active volcanic arc hosting several hydrothermal sites. This area, considered a Vulnerable Marine Ecosystem by The Food and Agriculture Organization because of its ecological importance and biodiversity value, is affected by various pressures and threats that may act as sources of mar...

The present review critically assesses the records of cephalopods that have entered the Mediterranean Sea in the last few decades. It includes 13 species, namely Sepia dollfusi, Stoloteuthis leucoptera, Sepioteuthis lessoniana, Architeuthis dux, Cranchia scabra, Taonius pavo, Megalocranchia sp., Teuthowenia megalops, Cycloteuthis sirventi, Taningia...

The present review critically assesses the records of cephalopods that have entered the Mediterranean Sea in the last few decades. It includes 13 species, namely Sepia dollfusi, Stoloteuthis leucoptera, Sepioteuthis lessoniana, Architeuthis dux, Cranchia scabra, Taonius pavo, Megalocranchia sp., Teuthowenia megalops, Cycloteuthis sirventi, Taningia...

The Strait of Messina is located at the centre of the Mediterranean Sea and is considered a biodiversity hotspot and an obligatory seasonal passage for different pelagic species such as sharks, marine mammals, and billfishes. For the first time, in the Strait of Messina, our research group tagged a Mediterranean spearfish (Tetrapturus belone) using...

In this paper a rare case of a double swordfish mortal attack against an adult blue shark ( Prionace glauca ) is reported. A female blue shark, with a total length of 3 m, was found stranded along the southern Sicilian coast (Strait of Sicily, Mediterranean Sea) on 30 May 2018. The analysis of this carcass revealed the presence of two swordfish bil...

A further contribution to the knowledge of the photophore structure of the mesopelagic fish Diaphus holti (Myctophidae) from the central Mediterranean Sea (Strait of Messina) is given by means of a structural, ultrastructural and immunohistochemical study, to describe the component structures of these luminescent organs.

This study aims to assess the litter ingestion in some demersal elasmobranchs, combining a classical gastro-intestinal tract (GIT) analysis with a procedure methodology to reduce airborne fibers contamination. In order to prevent the overestimation of litter ingestion, we applied severe mitigation measures to avoid airborne contamination during the...

The bluefin tuna, Thunnus thynnus, is a highly migratory and long-living fish at the top of the pelagic food web. As top predator, it plays a key role in the stability of marine food webs by exerting top-down control on its prey. The diet composition of bluefin tuna varies in relation to its growth, seasons and migratory patterns, making it difficu...

Small-scale fisheries represent one of the most important fishing sectors in Italy, comprising 60% of Italian fishing vessels, half the fishers and 16% of national landings. Despite their high social, economic and cultural value, they have been neglected by national and international policies, resulting in a poor outlook for the near future. In thi...

Plastics are the most common marine litter typology found on the beaches and seafloor or floating on the sea surface and water column [1, 2, 3]. When these plastic items reach micro size (<5 mm) they are commonly known as microplastics (MPs) [4].

Plastic ingestion is one of the main impacts of marine litter on organisms. The occurrence of microplastics (MPs < 5 mm) in the stomachs of Mediterranean species was already reported in several studies. In this context, the present study aims to develop a new approach of digestion for the identification of MPs in the gastrointestinal tracts (GITs)...

Mesopelagic organisms form huge biomass aggregations, supporting important pelagic trophic webs and several top predators. Although some studies on the occurrence, biology and ecology of these organisms are available, to date there are no investigations on their potential use for anticancer and antimicrobial biotechnological applications. The aim o...

Four specimens of Dosima fascicularis were collected from the Strait of Messina (Central Mediterranean Basin), representing the first record of the species from this locality, the second from Italian waters, and the most eastern indication of the species in the Mediterranean Sea.

Changes in the composition and biomass distribution of deep-living zooplankton over wide gradients of depth (0–1300 m) have been analyzed in the Central Ligurian Basin (Northwestern Mediterranean Sea), seeking the environmental variables responsible for these changes. Spring vertical distribution (early May 2013) and diel vertical migration (DVM) o...

The taxonomic, morphological and meristic features of a dark eel caught by commercial trawling off the Gulf of Patti, southern Tyrrhenian Sea, Mediterranean Sea, February 17, 2017, showed it to be a female Conger conger. Histological analysis of gonads demonstrated that the individual was in a post‐spawning phase. X‐ray radiographs showed widesprea...

Citizen science programs carried out by volunteers are fundamental for the collection of scientific data on a wide spatial scale. From 2011 to 2018, 468 survey dives were conducted in 172 coastal locations of the Mediterranean Sea through Project AWARE's citizen science program, Dive Against Debris®. During the dives, information was collected on q...

This study describes for the first time the feeding behaviour and mesopelagic food consumption of adult Trachurus picturatus in the Strait of Messina (central Mediterranean Sea), where the distinctive hydrodynamic regime and the lunar cycle influence food availability for this predator. Indeed, the Strait of Messina is characterized by the upwellin...

The distribution of floating litter in marine waters, influenced by currents and wind drag, often determines the dispersal of its encrusting fauna. In the present paper, we observed for the first time the colonization of rafting floats from abandoned, lost or derelict fishing gears (ALDFG) by the four protected deep-sea species: Errina aspera, Desm...

The present study reports the first record of two gobiid fish, Odondebuenia balearica (Pellegrin & Fage, 1907) and Vanneaugobius dollfusi (Brownell, 1978), in the Strait of Sicily. Two females (23.1 and 33.9 mm TL, respectively) were sampled on the Terrible Bank at 48 and 55 meters depth, respectively. The soft bottom, previously investigated by me...

The Atlantic bluefin tuna (ABFT), Thunnus thynnus (Linnaeus, 1758), is an important commercial species managed as two different stocks, western and eastern Atlantic, with their spawning grounds in the Gulf of Mexico and in the Mediterranean Sea, respectively. The eastern Atlantic stock has been overexploited in the last decades, leading to the appl...

The common dolphinfish (Coryphaena hippurus) is an epipelagic, mid-trophic level, highly migratory species distributed throughout the world’s tropical and subtropical oceans in waters greater than 20�C. Life-history variables, migratory behaviour, and genetic markers have been used to define major stocks in the central Atlantic Ocean and Mediterran...

This is a correction to: ICES Journal of Marine Science, fsy174, https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsy174

Fishermen’s Local Ecological Knowledge (LEK), when documented, may play an important role in documenting fishing practices, enhancing the understanding of ecological changes and scientific data. Furthermore, through targeted questions, researchers and managers can get information on several social and economic features of fisheries and their value...

The common dolphinfish (Coryphaena hippurus) is an epipelagic, mid-trophic level, highly migratory species distributed throughout the world's tropical and subtropical oceans in waters greater than 20 C. Life-history variables, migratory behaviour, and genetic markers have been used to define major stocks in the central Atlantic Ocean and Mediterran...

Abundance and qualitative composition of benthic marine litter were investigated in a coastal area of the central Mediterranean Sea. Almost 30 km of video footage, collected by a Remotely Operated Vehicle between 5 and 30 m depth, were analyzed. Litter density ranged from 0 to 0.64 items/m2 with a mean of 0.11 (±0.16) items/m2. General wastes, made...

Le régime alimentaire des oblades adultes (Oblada melanura), capturés sur un fond sableux avec récifs artificiels du littoral de Sciacca (détroit de Sicile), a été étudié. Au total, 60 individus ont été pêchés à la palangre de fond et au filet maillant de fond modifié, de mars à octobre 2007. Les proies ont été identifiées, comptées et pesées. L’in...

The Mediterranean Sea has been described as one of the most affected areas by marine litter in the world. Although effects on organisms from marine plastic litter ingestion have been investigated in several oceanic areas, there is still a lack of information from the Mediterranean Sea. The main objectives of this paper are to review current knowled...

The trophic ecology of Chauliodus sloani (Stomiidae) was thoroughly investigated by stomach content analysis for the first time in the Mediterranean. Overall 206 individuals (64.0–260.0 mm SL) were collected from 2013 to 2015. C. sloani can be defined a specialist predator which feeds exclusively on mesopelagic fish belonging to Gonostomatidae, Myc...

Cephalopods are considered as the most important preys in top predator diet. As the rapid digestion that cephalopod flesh is subjected to makes it difficult to identify the prey, this study focuses on an analysis of cephalopod beaks detected in the stomach content of striped dolphins, Stenella coeruleoalba (N. 4, males, TL mean 203 cm 4) and bottle...

Marine litter is commonly observed everywhere in the ocean. In this study, we analyzed 17 km of video footage, collected by a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) at depths ranging between 20 and 220 m, during 19 transects performed on the rocky banks of the Straits of Sicily. Recently, the Contracting Parties of the Convention on Biological Diversity (...

The geological, biological and geochemical features of a particular field of hydrothermal vents, discovered in the Panarea Volcanic Complex during a research survey carried out in 2015, are described for the first time. The site, located at 70–80 m depth off the South-western coast of the islet of Basiluzzo, was named Smoking Land for the presence...

Trace elements and DIC concentrations measured in water samples collected inside the benthic chamber and physico-chemical values measured by the multiparameter probe inside the benthic chamber in each deployment. (XLSX)

PRIMER matrix with species presence/absence data according to the three considered categories of area. (XLSX)

The structure and ultrastructure of photophores in the Madeira lanternfish, Ceratoscopelus maderensis, from the Strait of Messina (Mediterranean Sea) was investigated. The structure of C. maderensis photophore observed by light microscope consists of different functional parts: the photogenic cells, involved in the light production process, and a s...

This study characterizes the small-scale fishery (SSF) of the oncoming Italian Marine Protected Area of Cape Milazzo in the western Mediterranean Sea and describes the recent evolution of SSF activities in the study area during recent years. Data on fishing activities, catch and effort were collected in 2006–2007 and 2014 and then compared. Informa...

The Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) aims to achieve “Good Environmental Status” (GES) in EU marine waters by 2020. This initiative started its first phase of implementation in 2012, when each member state defined the GES and environmental targets in relation to 11 descriptors and related indicators for 2020. In 2013, the EU Commission la...

The shore stranding of mesopelagic fauna is a recurrent phenomenon in the Strait of Messina (Central Mediterranean Sea). The aim of this paper is to test the influence of lunar phases, winds and seasons upon the frequency of occurrence of strandings of mesopelagic fish. Species abundance in relation to these factors was quantified for the first tim...

The Council Regulation (EC) no. 1967/2006 introduced the adoption of the 40 mm square-mesh or alternatively a 50 mm diamond-mesh codend for trawlers of EU Member States. In this context, the main aim of the current study was to compare the catch composition of Lampedusa’s shallow-water trawl fishery, in terms of retained and discarded fraction, usi...

The evolution of the Italian swordfish harpoon fishery as well as the crisis reasons and new related management actions were analyzed. Swordfish harpoon fishing has been practiced in Italian waters (Strait of Messina and nearby areas) since ancient times. During these centuries, it has maintained its artisanal features, although some technological...

In this work 437 fish samples of species belonging to the families Myctophidae (Electrona risso and Diaphus metopoclampus) and Phosichthyidae (Vinciguerria attenuata) were examined for the presence of Anisakidae larvae. The study was performed with fishes in the central Mediterranean Sea, particularly in the Strait of Sicily and in the Strait of Me...

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the hazard from shipwrecks on communities by a holistic approach taking into account different effects on biological communities. Multibeam and Remotely Operated Vehicles surveys recorded ecological assessment of fish and benthic species on three shipwrecks flooded during the Second World War on Maërl be...

Objective: To study the food habits of a sample of the dolphinfish (Coryphaena hippurus) around the Petrobrás PXIV oil platform located off Southern Brazil. Methods: We examined the stomach contents of 28 adult dolphinfish caught around this platform between 2000 and 2001. Results: Results highlighted a diet consisting mainly of pelagic fish, altho...

Recent cases of swordfish attacks on harpoon fishing vessels of the Sicilian fleet were examined and the particular behavior adopted by this fish during the approach to fishermen was described. The information was collected in the period between 1999 and 2014 in Sicilian waters (Mediterranean Sea) through interviews with harpoon fishermen and throu...

Fish otoliths morphology is an important aid in taxonomic, phylogenetic, palaeoich-thyological and dietary studies. This study compares the morphology of the otoliths of the myctophid species, Ceratoscopelus maderensis, and two phosichthyid species, Vinciguerria attenuata and V. poweriae, collected from the Strait of Messina in the central Mediterr...

Fish otoliths morphology is an important aid in taxonomic, phylogenetic, palaeoichthyological and dietary studies. This study compares the morphology of the otoliths of the myctophid species, Ceratoscopelus maderensis, and two phosichthyid species, Vinciguerria attenuata and V. poweriae, collected from the Strait of Messina in the central Mediterra...

Two colonies of the stinging siphonophore Physalia physalis were stranded at Capo Peloro (Strait of Messina) in March 2009 and one in March 2014; one more colony was stranded on a beach of Lampedusa Island (Strait of Sicily) in April 2009, representing the first record in the Pelagie Islands. Given the risk for human health associated to this speci...

The Strait of Sicily was recognized internationally as an “Ecologically or Biologically Significant Area” by the Contracting Parties of the Convention on Biological Diversity in 2014. However, basic aspects of its fish diversity are still unknown and most of the information comes from traditional trawl surveys. This paper provides the first detaile...

PRIMER matrix with densities of fish species according to “depth” and “complexity” factors. (XLSX)

Number of specimens censused at each depth. (XLSX)

Fish abundances dataset used for correspondence analyses. (XLSX)

Whole dataset with abundances of 52 fish species. (XLSX)

Morphology and ultrastructure of skin photogenic organs in the deep-sea squid Histioteuthis bonnellii from the Strait of Messina (Mediterranean Sea) was investigated. The photophore is formed by a glandular complex, made up of photogenic cells involved in the light production process, and a set of annexes (filter, reflector, pigmented layer and gel...

Unfortunately, the name of the author “Maria Begoña Santos” was incorrectly published in the original version, which is corrected in this erratum.

The genus Octopoteuthis includes squids inhabiting meso- and bathypelagic waters worldwide. Of the seven presently named species distributed in the world’s oceans, only Octopoteuthis sicula has been reported for certain in the Mediterranean Sea to date. However, mixed and confusing descriptions of the systematic characters useful for identifying th...

The Geographic Information Systems (GIS) was used to support fishery analyses aimed to monitor the swordfish harpoon fishing and analyze temporal and spatial patterns of catch distribution, also in relation to the environmental parameter Sea Surface Temperature (SST). The study was carried out in an important reproductive area of the Mediterranean...

This study highlights for the first time the presence of plastic debris in the stomachs of Mediterranean lanternfishes (Myctophidae): Electrona risso, Diaphus metopoclampus, Hygophum benoiti and Myctophum punctatum. Samples were collected in the central Mediterranean Sea between 2010 and 2014. Plastics ingested belonged to small microplastics (0.2...

The finding of a specimen of Diaphus dumerilii (Myctophidae) stranded on the shore in the Sicilian coast of the Strait of Messina (central Mediterranean Sea) is reported. It is the first documented record of this mesopelagic species in the Mediterranean Sea. Morphometric and meristic characters are given together with some biological features. © 20...