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Annex 8
Species reported to have occurred but that have not, or probably have not, occurred in the Mediterranean
Year compiled
2006
Compiled by
Giuseppe Notarbartolo di Sciara
Species Notes Reference
Balaenoptera musculus B. musculus ‘auctorum’ (nec L. 1758) often erroneously applied to fin
whales, Balaenoptera physalus, in the Mediterranean. Blue whales
Bompar 2000, Notarbartolo
di Sciara et al. 2003
were never confirmed in the region, although specimens were caught in
the Strait of Gibraltar in the 1950s.
Feresa attenuata Listed among the species occurring in the Mediterranean in Section 5 Jefferson et al. 1993
(“List of Species by Major Marine Fishing Areas”, p. 305), no source
provided.
Globicephala macrorhynchus Listed among the species occurring in the Mediterranean in Section 5
(“List of Species by Major Marine Fishing Areas”, p. 305), no source
provided.
Jefferson et al. 1993
Lagenorhynchus acutus
Lagenorhynchus albirostris
Monodon monoceros
Stenella frontalis
The occurrence of the species in the Adriatic Sea, first reported by
Dathe (1934), was later found by the same author (1972) to be based
on a misidentification. Undocumented reports in 1990 from the Strait of
Gibraltar (Hashmi and Adloff 1991) remain doubtful.
Undocumented sighting reported off Antalya, Turkey, by non-specialists.
Undocumented reports in 1987 from the Strait of Gibraltar (Hashmi and
Adloff 1991) remain doubtful.
Undocumented, dubious stranding in Corsica in August 1960, reported
by Viale (1985)
Undocumented sighting made in 1982 by non-specialists near Minorca,
Spain, of a group of three dolphins said to have “the side of the head
light gray, distinct cape on top of the head, grayish-white spots on the
dorsal portion of the body”, reported by Di Natale (1983)
Dathe 1934, 1972, Van
Bree 1975, Hashmi and
Adloff 1991
Hennipman et al. 1966,
Hashmi and Adloff 1991
Dhermain 2004
Bompar 2000
Data Sources
Bompar,J.M. 2000. Les cétacés de Méditerranée. Edisud, La Calade, Aix-en-Provence. 188 pp.
Dathe H. 1934. Ein Beitrag zur Wirbeltierfauna Dalmatiens. Zoologische Garten 7:108-130.
Dathe H. 1972. Zum Vorkommen von Delphinen im Mittelmeer. Zoologische Garten 42(3-4):204.
Dhermain F. 2004. Echouages de cetaces en Mediterranee francaise: plus de 30 annees de suivi -
1972/2003. Pp.97-105: in M. Riddell et A. Gannier (Eds), Actes de la 13e Conference Intérnationale
sur le Cétacés de Méditerranée. RIMMO, Nice, 14 novembre 2004. 123 pp.
Di Natale A. 1983. A sighting of bridled dolphin, Stenella frontalis (G. Cuvier) in the Mediterranean Sea.
Rapports de la Commission Internationale de la Mer Méditerranée 28(5):191-192.
Hashmi D.D.K., Adloff B. 1991. Surface frequency of cetaceans in the Strait of Gibraltar. European
Research on Cetaceans 5:16-17.
Hennipmann E., Nijhoff C., Svennen C., Vader W.J.M., Wilde W.J.J.O., Tulip A.S. 1966. Verslag van de
Nederlandse biologische expeditie Turkije 1959. De Levende Natuur 64:3-27.
Jefferson T.A., Leatherwood S., Webber M.A. 1993. FAO species identification guide. Marine mammals of
the world. Rome, FAO. 320 pp.
Notarbartolo di Sciara G., Zanardelli M., Jahoda M., Panigada S., Airoldi S. 2003. The fin whale,
Balaenoptera physalus (L. 1758), in the Mediterranean Sea. Mammal Review 33(2): 105-150.
van Bree P.J.H. 1975. On the alleged occurrence of Mesoplodon bidens (Sowerby, 1804)(Cetacea,
Ziphioidea) in the Mediterranean. Annali del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale “Giacomo Doria” 80:226-
228.
Viale D. 1985. Cetaceans in the northwestern Mediterranean: their place in the ecosystem. Oceanography
and Marine Biology Annual Review 23:491-571.
Annex 8: Summary of doubtful reports and misidentifications 137