The Strait of Messina (Central Mediterranean Sea) has always been known for the stranding of marine organisms, especially during the spring. We came across an extraordinary event of mass stranding in April 2025, with 453 specimens of Macroramphosus sp. found through a single night. A total of 571 post-larvae and juvenile individuals stranded between February and May 2025 were examined for this study. Clear morphological differences related to the size, especially in post-larvae, were highlighted. The relationship between Body Length (BL) and other morphometric measurements, such as Dorsal Spine Length (DSL), Snout Length (SNL), and Body Height (BH), were studied, with the aim of identifying without any doubt the species Macroramphosus gracilis. A slightly negative allometric relationship between length and weight shows that it grows faster in length and slower in weight. This study aims to improve the state of knowledge on slender snipefish M. gracilis, and particularly on the somatic features of different post-larval development stages, such as the presence of spinules in various parts of the body. All these morphological changes could give us a hint at the ecological adaptation to the habit shift, as relates to development.

The slender snipe eel Nemichthys scolopaceus Richardson, 1848 is cosmopolitan in tropical and temperate seas, inhabiting the mesopelagic and bathypelagic zone between 200 and 1000 m depth. It is known to be an active predator in the DSL (Deep Scattering Layer) and the NBA (Near Bottom Aggregation), feeding mostly on decapod and euphausiid crustaceans, and playing a central role in carbon fluxes through meso- and bathypelagic ecosystems. Despite its potential importance in the deep trophic web ecosystem, the trophic ecology of Nemichthys scolopaceus is not well known. The aim of this study was to start to fill this knowledge gap. A total of 35 specimens of N. scolopaceus caught through bottom trawling in the Mediterranean Sea were analyzed in the laboratory for stomach content composition. As expected, mainly decapod crustaceans were found, in particular Plesionika martia, Pasiphaea multidentata, Funchalia woodwardi, and Robustosergia robusta species. The degree of digestion of prey in the stomachs was high in all cases. Our findings seem to confirm the specialist diet of Nemichthys scolopaceus based on shrimp-like crustaceans.

The slender snipe eel Nemichthys scolopaceus Richardson, 1848 is cosmopolitan in tropical and temperate seas, inhabiting the mesopelagic and bathypelagic zone between 200 and 1000 m depth. It is known to be an active predator in DSL (Deep Scattering Layer) and NBA (Near Bottom Assemblage), feeding mostly decapods and euphausiids crustaceans, and playing a central role in carbon fluxes through meso and bathypelagic ecosystems. Despite its potential importance in deep trophic web ecosystem, Nemichthys scolopaceus has been little investigated about its trophic ecology. The aim of this paper is start to fill this knowledge gap. A total of 35 specimens of N. scolopaceus caught through bottom trawling in Mediterranean Sea were analyzed in laboratory for stomach content. As expected, mainly decapod crustaceans were found, in particular Plesionika martia, Pasiphaea multidentata, Funchalia woodwardi, Robustosergia robusta species. The degree of digestion observed was in all cases rather high. Our findings seem to confirm the specialist diet of Nemichthys scolopaceus based on shrimp-like crustaceans.

This study presents the first recorded observation of the calanoid copepod Calanopia elliptica (Dana, 1849–1852) in the waters between the southern coast of Sicily (Italy) and Malta, and the Central Mediterranean Sea in general. This area is characterised by heavy traffic of cargo ships passing through the Suez Canal to enter and exit the Mediterranean Sea. Moreover, water masses from both eastern and western basin flow through the Strait of Sicily and highly influence the waters surrounding Malta. These two aspects make this area suitable for the arrival of a vast array of lessepsian and Atlantic invaders, brought by current or ballast waters, or a combination of both. For this reason, a total of 32 zooplankton samples collected during the summer of 2025 were analysed for species diversity and abundance. A total of 133 organism taxa were identified to the lowest taxonomical level possible. General community analyses revealed that the composition of the zooplanktonic community across the study area is tied mainly to water column stability. The consistent frequency (53.13%) but relatively low abundances of C. elliptica (maximum 1.747 ind/m³) across multiple samples may indicate the onset of a new colonisation, as its known invasion range had previously been confined to the eastern basin of the Mediterranean Sea. Analyses suggest that the abundance of this copepod in the study area is mainly tied with low dissolved oxygen levels and temperatures, while seemingly unrelated to the other environmental parameters and to the time of the day in which it was sampled. These findings are just at the start of the analysis of a time series of zooplankton samples in the area. Hence, future studies based on it are necessary to identify trends in the abundance of this species over the past and future years, as well as any potential impacts on the native community.

The Strait of Messina (Central Mediterranean Sea) has always been known for the stranding of marine organisms, especially during the spring. We came across an extraordinary event of mass stranding in April 2025, with 453 specimens of Macroramphosus sp. found through a single night. A total of 571 post-larvae and juvenile individuals stranded between February and May 2025 were examined for this study. Clear morphological differences related to the size, especially in post-larvae were highlighted. The relationship between Body Length (BL) and other morphometric measurements, such as Dorsal Spine Length (DSL), Snout Length (SNL), and Body Height (BH) were studied with the aim of identifying without any doubt the species Macroramphosus gracilis. A slightly negative allometric relationship between length and weight shows that it grows faster in length and slower in weight. This study aims to improve the state of knowledge on slender snipefish M. gracilis, and particularly on the somatic features of different post-larval development stages. All these morphological changes could give us a hint at the ecological adaptation to the habit shift related to the development. Larvae and post-larvae of M. gracilis under 36 mm SL appear to be more linked to the epipelagic/hyponeustonic habitat, while adult individuals seem to prefer benthopelagic habits. Our results support the hypothesis that the Strait of Messina represents an exclusive and crucial zone for the reproduction and growth of M. gracilis.