The occurrence of Synodus synodus (Linnaeus, 1758) in the central Mediterranean Sea is ascertained through integrated morphological and molecular analyses conducted on two specimens collected in April 2025 off the southwestern coast of Malta as well as through underwater photographic documentation from the same region. Morphological examination, including meristic counts and morphometric measurements, revealed diagnostic characters consistent with S. synodus. DNA barcoding of the mitochondrial COI gene further supported this identification, with BOLD assigning the sequences to a S. synodus with 99.84% similarity. The presence of S. synodus in Maltese waters represents the first confirmed record for the area and is added to the sparse reports of the species in the Mediterranean Sea. The occurrence of other Synodontidae recently found in the basin is briefly discussed.

The occurrence of Synodus synodus (Linnaeus, 1758) in the central Mediterranean Sea is ascertained through integrated morphological and molecular analyses conducted on two specimens collected in April 2025 off the southwestern coast of Malta as well as through underwater photographic documentation from the same region. Morphological examination, including meristic counts and morphometric measurements, revealed diagnostic characters consistent with S. synodus , further confirmed by DNA barcoding of the mitochondrial COI gene. The presence of S. synodus in Maltese waters represents the first confirmed record for the area and is added to the sparse reports of the species in the Mediterranean Sea. The occurrence of other Synodontidae recently found in the basin is briefly discussed.

The round sardinella (Sardinella aurita Valenciennes, 1847) is a widely distributed migratory pelagic fish inhabiting the Mediterranean Sea and the eastern Atlantic coasts. The species is heavily exploited and represents a valuable resource for global fisheries. In the Mediterranean area, uptakes of round sardinella are particularly high in the Ionian and Levant regions, where landings have shown fluctuating yet significant peaks in recent decades. Given its migratory nature, understanding the connectivity among populations is crucial for delineating appropriate fishery management units. Previous studies employing morphometric, meristic, and molecular analyses have yielded mixed results regarding population structuring. Here, the genetic differentiation among Eastern Mediterranean S. aurita populations was investigated using a multi-marker approach: the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI), cytochrome b (CytB), control region (CR), and 16S ribosomal RNA (16S rRNA), and seven species-specific nuclear simple sequence repeats (SSRs). Overall, the results indicate high genetic diversity coupled with weak population structuring across the Eastern Mediterranean. These analyses aim at clarifying stock boundaries towards supporting sustainable management strategies at a regional scale for this ecologically and economically important species.

Recent taxonomic revisions within the family Molidae have clarified the validity and diagnostic characters of the bump-head sunfish Mola alexandrini (Ranzani, 1839), a species historically confused with Mola mola. Despite its circumglobal distribution, confirmed records of M. alexandrini in the Mediterranean Sea remain limited, particularly in the Adriatic Sea. Here, we report the occurrence of an adult female M. alexandrini stranded along the north-western Adriatic coast (Ravenna, Italy) in March 2026. Species identification was assessed through an integrative approach combining external morphology, morphometric measurements, and mitochondrial COI sequencing. The specimen exhibited diagnostic morphological traits consistent with M. alexandrini, including a rounded clavus lacking lobes and back-fold, a deep laterally compressed body, and characteristic coloration patterns. Phylogenetic analysis based on COI sequences clustered the specimen within the M. alexandrini clade, clearly separating it from M. mola. This finding provides further evidence of the occurrence of M. alexandrini in the Adriatic Sea and highlights the importance of combining molecular and morphological approaches to resolve taxonomic uncertainty within the genus Mola. The study also highlights that historical misidentification may have contributed to an underestimation of the occurrence of M. alexandrini in the Mediterranean basin.

The Blackspot Seabream, Pagellus bogaraveo, is a commercially valuable species widely distributed in the northeastern Atlantic and Mediterranean. Its biology makes it vulnerable to overfishing, but its population structure and ontogenetic migration strategy remain unclear. Building on previous work based on microsatellite markers, we expanded the investigation by analysing the mitochondrial Control Region (CR) to complement nuclear data. We analysed 199 specimens from 13 sites and combined the new CR sequences with 129 published records to achieve the broadest coverage in terms of biogeographic and genetic data. We calculated genetic diversity and performed AMOVA, pairwise ΦST comparisons, and multivariate analyses. Eighty-eight haplotypes were identified, showing high haplotype diversity (Hd = 0.767–0.945) and moderate nucleotide diversity (π = 0.0026–0.0054). Most genetic variation occurred within populations, and overall analyses indicated genetic homogeneity. However, pairwise analysis and AMOVA confirmed significant differentiation of the Azores population. These results confirm extensive genetic connectivity throughout the Atlantic–Mediterranean range of P. bogaraveo, likely due to a combination of large larval dispersal and a common spawning migration strategy, but identify the Azores as a genetically distinct unit. This highlights the need to consider both large-scale connectivity and local divergence in fisheries management.