Slender snipe eel Nemichthys scolopaceus Richardson, 1848 (Pisces: Nemichthydae), a new member of the Adriatic Sea ichthyofauna

Abstract

The paper reports the first record of Nemichthys scolopaceus leptocephalus in the Adriatic Sea, including a detailed description of the specimen with morphometric measurements and meristic counts. A single leptocephalus specimen was caught on 18th September 2016 in south Adriatic with a small mid-water trawl at a depth of approx. 120 meters. Further research is needed to reveal more information about the distribution and potential spawning and nursery areas of slender snipe eel as well as the mechanism of retention and dispersion of their larvae in the Adriatic.