Molecular and morphological identification of an uncommon centrolophid fish

The use of both morphological and molecular methods has allowed a fast and reliable species assignment of a fish that local fishermen with over thirty years of experience had never seen before. The identified species, Schedophilus medusophagus, is rare along Italian coasts, and this is the first documented record in the Central Tyrrhenian Sea for over 35 years. Its abundance should be evaluated on a continuous basis, as it might reflect biological consequences of environmental and climatic change. The mitochondrial sequences obtained in this study constitute a useful molecular tag for future research and may contribute to the phylogenetic debate on the status of the genus Schedophilus, of which S. medusophagus is the type species. Based on the existing literature, these preliminary molecular data support the hypothesis that the genus is not monophyletic.