Bathypterois mediterraneus

Taxonomy

Assessment Information

Geographic Range

Population

Habitat and Ecology

Threats

Conservation Actions

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	CHORDATA	ACTINOPTERYGII	AULOPIFORMES	IPNOPIDAE

Scientific Name:

Bathypterois mediterraneus

Species Authority:

Bauchot, 1962

Common Name/s:

English

–

Mediterranean Spiderfish, Spiderfish, Spider Fish

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:	Least Concern ver 3.1
Year Published:	2011
Assessor/s:	Papakonstantinou, C., Massuti, E. & Palmeri, A. and Keskin, Ç.
Reviewer/s:	Livingstone, S. & Pollard, D. and Carpenter, K.
Contributor/s:
Justification: This is a widespread and common species with no known major threats. Therefore this species is listed as Least Concern.

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	Current records suggest that this species is endemic to the Mediterranean Sea, where it is widespread. It is present in the Ligurian Sea (Tortonese 1971, Barletta and Torchio 1986), Balearic Islands (D'onghia et al. 2004), Ionian Sea (D'onghia et al. 2004), Catalan Sea (west Mediterranean; Sardà et al. 1994, Carrasson and Cartes 2002, Carrasson and Matallanas 2001), south Adriatic (Ungaro et al. 2002), Levantine basin, and east Mediterranean Sea basin (Klausewit 1989, Goren and Galil 2006).
Countries:	Native: Albania; Algeria; Croatia; Cyprus; Egypt; France; Gibraltar; Greece; Israel; Italy; Lebanon; Libya; Malta; Monaco; Montenegro; Morocco; Slovenia; Spain; Syrian Arab Republic; Tunisia; Turkey
FAO Marine Fishing Areas:	Native: Mediterranean and Black Sea
Range Map:	Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Population [top]

Population:	This species is widespread and very abundant.
Population Trend:	Unknown

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	This is a bathydemersal species, it is found on continental slope and rise between temperatures of 4-12°C (Merrett 1990). It is usually solitary, but it probably forms occasional aggregates. Within the northwestern sector of the Mediterranean Sea, this species appeared starting below 700 m, its relative abundance and biomass increased progressively going deeper. It reaches his maximum between 1,500-2,000m (Morales-Nin et al. 1996). It feeds on mysids and benthopelagic copepods. The most important food items are benthopelagic planktonic calanoid copepods. In the Catalan Sea, juveniles are found between 1,800-2,250 m, and are recorded to feed secondary on benthic tanaidaceans, whereas for the adults, mysids are secondary. At other depths, calanoid copepods are consumed almost exclusively. Adults ingest larger amounts and sizes of prey than juveniles (Carrasson and Matallanas 2001). It is synchronously hermaphroditic (Sulak 1984). In the Ionian Sea, this species is found between 800-3,300 m (D'Onghia et al. 2004).
Systems:	Marine

Habitat and Ecology:

This is a bathydemersal species, it is found on continental slope and rise between temperatures of 4-12°C (Merrett 1990). It is usually solitary, but it probably forms occasional aggregates.

Within the northwestern sector of the Mediterranean Sea, this species appeared starting below 700 m, its relative abundance and biomass increased progressively going deeper. It reaches his maximum between 1,500-2,000m (Morales-Nin et al. 1996).

It feeds on mysids and benthopelagic copepods. The most important food items are benthopelagic planktonic calanoid copepods. In the Catalan Sea, juveniles are found between 1,800-2,250 m, and are recorded to feed secondary on benthic tanaidaceans, whereas for the adults, mysids are secondary. At other depths, calanoid copepods are consumed almost exclusively. Adults ingest larger amounts and sizes of prey than juveniles (Carrasson and Matallanas 2001). It is synchronously hermaphroditic (Sulak 1984).

In the Ionian Sea, this species is found between 800-3,300 m (D'Onghia et al. 2004).

Systems:

Marine

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	This species is not commercially exploited. No major threats are known.

Major Threat(s):

This species is not commercially exploited. No major threats are known.

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:	Trawling is banned below 1,000 m in European waters in the Mediterranean Sea. This species may be present in Marine Protected Areas that occur within its distribution.

Conservation Actions:

Trawling is banned below 1,000 m in European waters in the Mediterranean Sea. This species may be present in Marine Protected Areas that occur within its distribution.

Citation:	Papakonstantinou, C., Massuti, E. & Palmeri, A. and Keskin, Ç. 2011. Bathypterois mediterraneus. In: IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 23 May 2013.
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