New records of smallscale codlet, Bregmaceros nectabanus Whitley, 1941 (Gadiformes: Bregmacerotidae), in the Adriatic Sea

Six specimens of Bregmaceros nectabanus were collected during the acoustic survey MEDIAS in two consecutive years, off Termoli (Italy) in 2020 and in Albanian waters in 2021, during two night shallow hauls. We report the northernmost record of the alien species in the Mediterranean Sea (Northern Adriatic Sea, FAO fishing area 37.2.1) and one of the highest number of individuals caught in a single haul. This finding testifies a recent geographical spread to the eastern Mediterranean Sea from its distribution area in the Indo-Pacific Ocean and Red Sea, reaching the Adriatic Sea during the 2019. Our records support the hypothesis of a possible establishment of B. nectabanus in this basin.