Far from home....the first documented capture of the genus Elops (Actinopterygii, Elopidae) from the Mediterranean

The tenpounder fish genus Elops Linnaeus, 1766 was recorded for the first time from the Mediterranean in October 2019, as a single individual was caught in Maltese waters. The genus has a disparate global distribution consisting of west Atlantic and west Pacific tropical and sub-tropical areas. A single individual was caught, but not retained, during artificial lighting-assisted purse seining, and the identification of the genus was determined based upon photographs submitted by the fisherman. The mechanisms of range expansion of the genus from the Atlantic into the Mediterranean are discussed.peer-reviewe

A collection of recent ctenophore sightings from the Maltese Islands

The only ctenophore reports from Maltese coastal waters ever published date back to over 40 years ago, with only two comb jelly species being previously recorded from such waters. A collection of recent ctenophore sightings from Maltese coastal waters, all substantiated through underwater photography or video footage and pertaining to Leucothea multicornis, Beroe cucumis and Beroe forskalii, is hereby reported. These sightings were submitted by members of the public as part of the citizen science initiative known as „Spot the Jellyfish‟.peer-reviewe

Notes on the recent occurrence of uncommon pelagic “jellyfish” species in Maltese coastal waters

There is a dearth of published works on sightings of uncommon pelagic jellyfish species within Maltese coastal waters, with a handful of disparate published reports and with most other existing relevant information being carried in newspapers and other grey literature portals. This study seeks to address such a dearth by compiling the confirmed (through specimen collection in most cases, or simply through photography in some cases) sightings for the hydrozoans Porpita porpita, Velella velella, Olindias phosphorica, Physalia physalis and Aequorea sp. made within Maltese coastal waters during the August 2009-August 2010 period.peer-reviewe

Population ecology of Phaleria acuminata (Coleoptera : Tenebrionidae) from sandy beaches in the Maltese Islands

Populations of the beetle Phaleria acuminata fromfour beaches on the Maltese Islands were sampled for six consecutive seasons to investigate changes in population size, sex ratio, reproductive state and distribution on the shore. The populations on all the beaches showed a small decrease in numbers from spring to summer and a pronounced drop from summer to autumn, with a dramatic increase between winter and spring. Male to female sex ratio varied between 1:1 and 1:1.5. Females of all reproductive stages occurred throughout the year. There were little seasonal differences in distribution of beetles in the wet and dry zones.peer-reviewe

First record of Abudefduf cfr saxatilis Linnaeus, 1758 (Perciformes : Pomacentridae) from the Maltese Islands (Central Mediterranean)

The first sighting of Abudefduf individuals from Maltese (Central Mediterranean) coastal waters is reported. The individuals (6-7) were photographed in the field but were not collected. The pattern of body colouration of these individuals is consistent with that reported by most previous authors for A. saxatilis, marking the first record of this Atlantic species from Maltese waters.peer-reviewe

Automatic parametrisation of beached microplastics

Four sandy beaches on the island of Malta were regularly sampled for Large MicroPlastic (LMP) particles having a diameter between 1mm and 5mm, at stations located at the waterline, and 10m inshore. The extracted LMPs were characterised (dimensions, surface roughness, colour) by microscopic analyses, as well as by a developed algorithm. Two-thirds of the isolated particles were smooth and the majority of these belonged to the grey -white colour category suggesting that these were preproduction pellets. Roughly six times as many particles were recorded within the inshore sampling stations as the particles recorded at the waterline stations. The automated image processing algorithm performed well when the dimension and colour parameter values it delivered were compared with those obtained by microscopic analyses.peer-reviewe

Small islands as ecotourism destinations : a Central Mediterranean perspective

A prerequisite for ecotourism development is the presence of natural environments, normally exhibited in protected areas, which serve as ecotourism venues. Little attention has been given to Mediterranean islands in terms of ecotourism. In this paper, nine islands in the central Mediterranean region were studied through a case study approach to investigate their potential as ecotourism destinations, taking into account the presence of protected areas and related aspects, including spatial dimensions and quality, to fulfil ecotourists. Larger islands with higher population densities were found to experience habitat fragmentation, and protected areas were thus in some cases relatively small and dispersed. In contrast, smaller, less populated islands were found to be more ideal ecotourism destinations due to limited anthropogenic impact and their capacity to fulfil the expectations of the ‘true specialists’, also known as ‘hard ecotourists’. Quality of ecotourism venues was found to affect ecotourist satisfaction. Ideal ecotourism sites on heavily impacted islands were found on the island periphery, in coastal and marine locations, with marine ecotourism serving as the ideal ecotourism product on such islands.peer-reviewe