Skip to main content

Diel activity of littoral and epipelagic teleost fishes in the Mediterranean Sea

Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries volume 32, pages 497–519 (2022)Cite this article

Erik Arndt has passed away.

Abstract

Diel activity patterns are an important aspect of behavioural ecology, yet summarising works on diel activity patterns of fishes are lacking for several regions of the world, including the Mediterranean Sea. Based on a comprehensive review of literature, internet searches, citizen science and personal observations, we compile existing knowledge of diel activity of Mediterranean pelagic and demersal teleosts commonly occurring at depths shallower than 200 m as adults (393 native and 165 newcomer species, representing 124 families), using the categories strictly or mainly diurnal and nocturnal, crepuscular, cathemeral and diel vertical migration. Most of the available data refer to foraging activity patterns of adult fishes, while knowledge of time of reproduction, migratory movements, or territorial defence remains unknown for more than half of the species. Confamilial species often have the same activity pattern, although a high plasticity or diversity in diel activity patterns is seen in some families (Belonidae, Carangidae, Clupeidae, Gadidae, Gobiidae, Scombridae, Scorpaenidae, Sparidae, and Triglidae). We found correlations between adult feeding activity patterns and trophic level, habitat use and depth range: diurnal species have a lower trophic level, prefer shallower depths, and tend to occur over hard bottoms or have multi-habitat use, nocturnal species are mostly carnivorous and prefer soft bottoms in deeper waters, while cathemeral species are commonly carnivorous and pelagic. Our results do not support the hypothesis that nocturnal Indo-Pacific immigrants are more successful colonizers. The present work highlights the perils of over-generalizing activity patterns and shows that several gaps in knowledge of diel activity patterns of fishes remain despite that such knowledge can support conservation efforts.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

Access options

Buy single article

Instant access to the full article PDF.

USD 39.95

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Availability of data and material

Data and material are presented in the Electronic suppl. material.

References

  • Aarestrup K, Økland F, Hansen MM et al (2009) Oceanic spawning migration of the European eel (Anguilla anguilla). Science 325:1660

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Abascal FJ, Mejuto I, Quintans M, García-Cortés B, Ramos-Cartelle A (2015) Tracking of the broadbill swordfish, Xiphias gladius, in the central and eastern North Atlantic. Fish Res 162:20–28

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Aguzzi J, Sbragaglia V, Santamaría G et al (2013) Daily activity rhythms in temperate coastal fishes: insights from cabled observatory video monitoring. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 486:223–236

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Aguzzi J, Doya C, Tecchio S et al (2015a) Coastal observatories for monitoring of fish behaviour and their responses to environmental changes. Rev Fish Biol Fish 25:463–483

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Aguzzi J, Sbragaglia V, Tecchio S et al (2015b) Rhythmic behaviour of marine benthopelagic species and the synchronous dynamics of benthic communities. Deep-Sea Res Part I 95:1–11

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Allaby M (2014) A dictionary of zoology, 4th edn. Oxford University Press

    Google Scholar 

  • Allen MJ (2006) Continental Shelf and Upper Slope. In: Allen LG, Pondella DJ, Horn MH (eds) The ecology of marine fishes: California and adjacent waters. University of California Press, Berkeley, pp 167–202

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Allen MJ (1982) Functional structure of soft-bottom fish communities of the southern California shelf. Dissertation, University of California

  • Allen LG, Pondella DJ, Horn MH (eds) (2006) The ecology of marine fishes: California and adjacent waters. University of California Press, Berkeley, p 660

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Alós J, Martorell-Barceló M, Campos-Candela A (2017) Repeatability of circadian behavioural variation revealed in free-ranging marine fish. R Soc Open Sci 4:160791. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.160791

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Amilhat E, Aarestrup K, Faliex E, Simon G, Westerberg H, Righton D (2016) First evidence of European eels exiting the Mediterranean Sea during their spawning migration. Sci Rep UK 6:21817. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep21817

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Amorim MCP (2006) Diversity of sound production in fish. In: Ladich F, Collin SP, Moller P, Kapoor BG (eds) Communication in fishes. Science Publishers, Enfield, vol. I, pp 71–104

  • Annese DM, Kingsford MJ (2005) Distribution, movements and diet of nocturnal fishes on temperate reefs. Environ Biol Fishes 72:161–174

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Antholz B, Meyer-Antholz W, Zander CD (1991) Feeding activities of two euryhaline small-sized fish in a western Baltic brackish fjord. Helgoländer Meeresuntersuchungen 45:287–300

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Arndt E, Schembri PJ (2015) Common traits associated with establishment and spread of Lessepsian fishes in the Mediterranean Sea. Mar Biol 162:2141–2153

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Arndt E, Givan O, Edelist D, Sonin O, Belmaker J (2018a) Shifts in Eastern Mediterranean fish communities: abundance changes, trait overlap, and possible competition between native and non-native species. Fishes 3:19. https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes3020019

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Arndt E, Marchetti MP, Schembri PJ (2018b) Ecological impact of alien marine fishes - insights from freshwater systems based on a comparative review. Hydrobiologia 817:457–474

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Azzurro E, Aguzzi J, Maynou F, Savini CJJ, D, (2013) Diel rhythms in shallow Mediterranean rocky-reef fishes: a chronobiological approach with the help of trained volunteers. J Mar Biol Assoc UK 93:461–470

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bahamon N, Sardà F, Aguzzi J (2009) Fuzzy diel patterns in catchability of deep-water species on the continental margin. ICES J Mar Sci 66:2211–2218

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bauchot ML (1987) Poissons osseux. In: Fischer W, Bauchot ML, Schneider M (eds) Fiches FAO d'identification pour les besoins de la pêche. (rev. 1). Méditerranée et mer Noire. Zone de pêche 37. Vol. II. Commission des Communautés Européennes and FAO, Rome, pp 891–1421

  • Belmaker J, Parravicini V, Kulbicki M (2013) Ecological traits and environmental affinity explain Red Sea fish introduction into the Mediterranean. Glob Chang Biol 19:1373–1382

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bertram BCR (1965) The behaviour of Maltese fishes by day and night. Symposium Report, Underwater Association, Malta, London, pp 39–41

  • Bozzano A, Sardà F (2002) Fishery discard consumption rate and scavenging activity in the northwestern Mediterranean Sea. ICES J Mar Sci 59:15–28

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brandl SJ, Bellwood DR (2014) Pair-formation in coral reef fishes: An ecological perspective. Oceanogr Mar Biol 52:1–80

    Google Scholar 

  • Braun CD, Kaplan MB, Horodysky AZ, Llopiz JK (2015) Satellite telemetry reveals physical processes driving billfish behavior. Animal Biotelemetry 3:2. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40317-014-0020-9

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Campos MC, Costa JL, Quintella BR, Costa MJ, Almeida PR (2008) Activity and movement patterns of the Lusitanian toadfish inferred from pressure-sensitive dataloggers in the Mira estuary (Portugal). Fish Manag Ecol 15:449–458

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carpentieri P, Serpetti N, Colloca F, Criscoli A, Ardizzone G (2016) Food preferences and rhythms of feeding activity of two co-existing demersal fish, the longspine snipefish, Macroramphosus scolopax (Linnaeus, 1758), and the boarfish Capros aper (Linnaeus, 1758), on the Mediterranean deep shelf. Mar Ecol 37:106–118

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cartamil DP, Lowe CG (2004) Diel movement patterns of ocean sunfish Mola mola off southern California. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 266:245–253

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carvalho N, Afonso P, Santos RS (2003) The haremic mating system and mate choice in the wide-eyed flounder, Bothus poda. Env Biol Fish 66:249–258

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chancollon O, Pusineri C, Ridoux V (2006) Food and feeding ecology of Northeast Atlantic swordfish (Xiphias gladius) off the Bay of Biscay. ICES J Mar Sci 63:1075–1085

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chiang WC, Kawabe R, Musyl MK et al (2013) Diel oscillations in sailfish vertical movement behavior in the East China Sea. J Mar Sci Technol 21:267–327

    Google Scholar 

  • Cohen DM, Inada T, Iwamoto T, Scialabba N (1990) FAO species catalogue. Volume 10: Gadiform fishes of the world (Order Gadiformes). An annotated and illustrated catalogue of cods, hakes, grenadiers and other gadiform fishes known to date. FAO Fisheries Synopis, No. 125, vol. 10

  • Coles DP (2014) Dusk transition in sub-tropical reef fish communities off of North and South Carolina. Master Dissertation, Graduate School of the College of Charleston. https://pqdtopen.proquest.com/doc/1616775213.html?FMT=AI. Accessed 15 Dec 2019

  • Collette BB, Talbot FH (1972) Activity patterns of coral reef fishes with emphasis on nocturnal-diurnal changeover. In: Collette BB, Earle SA (eds) Results of the Tektite Program: Ecology of coral reef fishes. Bulletin of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County 14:98–124

  • Colmenero AI, Aguzzi J, Lombarte A, Bozzano A (2010) Sensory constraints in temporal segregation in two species of anglerfish, Lophius budegassa and L. piscatorius. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 416:255–265

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cosgrove R, Arregui I, Arrizabalaga H, Goni N, Sheridan M (2014) New insights to behaviour of North Atlantic albacore tuna (Thunnus alalunga) observed with pop-up satellite archival tags. Fish Res 150:89–99

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Côté IM, Hunte W (1989) Self-monitoring of reproductive success: nest switching in the redlip blenny. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 24:403–408

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • de Groot SJ (1971) On the interrelationships between morphology of the alimentary tract, food and feeding behaviour of flatfishes (Pisces: Pleuronectiformes). Neth J Sea Res 5:121–196

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • de Pontual H, Jolivet A, Bertignac M, Fablet R (2012) Diel vertical migration of European hake Merluccius merluccius and associated temperature histories: insights from a pilot data-storage tagging (DST) experiment. J Fish Biol 81:728–734

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • DeMartini EE, Allen LG (1984) Diel variation in catch parameters of fishes sampled by a 7.6-m otter trawl in southern California coastal waters. California Cooperative Oceanic Fisheries Investigations Report 25:119–134

    Google Scholar 

  • DeMartini EE, Sikkel PC (2006) Reproduction. In: Allen LG, Pondella DJ, Horn MH (eds) The ecology of marine fishes: California and adjacent waters. University of California Press, Berkeley, pp 483–523

    Google Scholar 

  • Dewar H, Thys T, Teo SLH et al (2010) Satellite tracking the world’s largest jelly predator, the ocean sunfish, Mola mola, in the western Pacific. J Exp Mar Biol Ecol 393:32–42

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dick JTA, Gallagher K, Avlijas S et al (2013) Ecological impacts of an invasive predator explained and predicted by comparative functional responses. Biol Invasions 15:837–846

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Doya C, Aguzzi J, Pardo M et al (2014) Diel behavioral rhythms in the sablefish (Anoplopoma fimbria) and other benthic species, as recorded by deep-sea cabled observatories in Barkley canyon (NEPTUNE-Canada). J Mar Syst 130:69–78

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ebeling AW, Bray RN (1976) Day versus night activity of reef fishes in a kelp forest off Santa Barbara, California. Fish Bull 74:703–717

    Google Scholar 

  • Ehrlich PR, Ehrlich AH (1973) Coevolution: heterotypic schooling in Caribbean reef fishes. Am Nat 107:157–160

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Engelhard GH, van der Kooij J, Bell ED, Pinnegar JK, Blanchard JL, Mackinson S, Righton DA (2008) Fishing mortality versus natural predation on diurnally migrating sandeels Ammodytes marinus. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 369:213–227

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eriksson LO (1978) Nocturnalism versus diurnalism-dualism within fish individuals. In: Thorpe JE (ed) Rhythmic activity of fishes. Academic, London, pp 69–90

    Google Scholar 

  • Evans J, Arndt E, Schembri PJ (2020) Non-indigenous fishes of Atlantic origin in the Mediterranean Sea. Mar Ecol Progr Ser 643:133–143

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ferraro SP (1980) Daily time of spawning of 12 fishes in the Peconic Bays, New York. Fish Bull 78:455–464

    Google Scholar 

  • Fox RJ, Bellwood DR (2011) Unconstrained by the clock? Plasticity of diel activity rhythm in a tropical reef fish, Siganus lineatus. Funct Ecol 25:1096–1105

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Francis MP, Holdsworth JC, Block BA (2015) Life in the open ocean: seasonal migration and diel diving behaviour of Southern Hemisphere porbeagle sharks (Lamna nasus). Mar Biol 162:2305–2323

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fraser NHC, Metcalfe NB, Thorpe JE (1993) Temperature-dependent switch between diurnal and nocturnal foraging in salmon. Proc R Soc Lond B 252:135–139

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Froese R, Pauly D (eds) (2019) FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication, version 12/2019. www.fishbase.org. Accessed 30 July 2020

  • Ganias K, Somarakis S, Nunes C (2014) Reproductive potential. In: Ganias K (ed) Biology and Ecology of Sardines and Anchovies. CRC Press, Boca Raton, pp 93–121

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Gibson RN (1970) The tidal rhythm activity of Coryphoblennius galerita (L.) (Teleostei, Blenniidae). Anim Behav 18:539–543

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gibson RN (2005) Flatfishes. Biology and Exploitation. Blackwell Science Ltd., Oxford

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Gibson RN, Robb L, Burrows MT, Ansell AD (1996) Tidal, diel and longer term changes in the distribution of fishes on a Scottish sandy beach. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 130:1–17

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Golani D (2010) Colonization of the Mediterranean by Red Sea fishes via the Suez Canal: Lessepsian migration. In: Golani D, Appelbaum-Golani B (eds) Fish invasions of the Mediterranean Sea: change and renewal. Pensoft Publishers, Sofia-Moscow, pp 145–188

    Google Scholar 

  • Gonzales L, Gerlotto F, Cardenas JJ (1998) Pelagic fish populations in eastern Venezuela: impact of the environmental characteristics on the morphology, aggregation and spatio-temporal distribution of Sardinella aurita. ICES CM 98/J:13

  • Gunn JS, Patterson TA, Pepperell JG (2003) Shortterm movement and behavior of black marlin Makaira indica in the Coral Sea as determined through a pop-up satellite archival tagging experiment. Mar Freshw Res 54:509–513

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hammer Ø, Harper DA, Ryan PD (2001) PAST: Paleontological Statistics Software Package for Education and Data Analysis. Palaeontol Electron 4:1–9

    Google Scholar 

  • Hays GC, Farquhar MR, Luschi P, Teo SLH, Thys TM (2009) Vertical niche overlap by two ocean giants with similar diets: oceanic sunfish and leatherback turtles. J Exp Mar Biol Ecol 370:134–143

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Helfman GS (1978) Patterns of community structure in fishes: Summary and overview. Environ Biol Fish 3:129–148

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Helfman GS (1993) Fish behaviour by day, night, and twilight. In: Pitcher TJ (ed) Behaviour of teleost fishes, 2nd edn. Chapman and Hall, London, pp 479–512

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Helfman GS, Collette BB, Facey DE, Bowen BW (2014) The diversity of fishes, 2nd edn. Wiley-Blackwell, Chichester

  • Hesthagen IH (1976) Locomotor activity of the black goby, Gobius niger L. (Pisces, Gobiidae), under artificial light conditions, including a false dawn and dusk. Sarsia 62:9–18

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hixon MA (2006) Competition. In: Allen LG, Pondella DJ, Horn MH (eds) The ecology of marine fishes: California and adjacent waters. University of California Press, Berkeley, pp 449–465

    Google Scholar 

  • Hobson ES (1972) Activity of Hawaiian reef fishes during the evening and morning transitions between daylight and darkness. Fish Bull 70:715–740

    Google Scholar 

  • Hobson ES (1973) Diel feeding migrations in tropical reef fishes. Helgoländer Wissenschaftliche Meeresunters 24:361–370

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hobson ES (1974) Feeding relationships of teleostean fishes on coral reefs in Kona. Hawaii Fish Bull 72:915–1031

    Google Scholar 

  • Hobson ES, Chess JR (1976) Trophic interactions among fishes and zooplankters near shore at Santa Catalina Island, California. Fish Bull 74:567–598

    Google Scholar 

  • Hobson ES, McFarland WN, Chess JR (1981) Crepuscular and nocturnal activities of Californian nearshore fishes, with consideration of their scotopic visual pigments and photic environment. Fish Bull 79:1–30

    Google Scholar 

  • Hobson ES (1965) Diurnal-Nocturnal activity of some inshore fishes in the Gulf of California. Copeia: 291–302

  • Holt EWL (1898) On the Breeding of the Dragonet (Callionymus lyra) in the Marine Biological Association’s Aquarium at Plymouth; with a preliminary account of the Elements, and some remarks on the significance of the Sexual Dimorphism. Proc Zool Soc Lond 66:281–315

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hoolihan JP (2005) Horizontal and vertical movements of sailfish (Istiophorus platypterus) in the Arabian Gulf, determined by ultrasonic and pop-up satellite tagging. Mar Biol 146:1015–1029

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Horn MH (1980) Diel and seasonal variation in abundance and diversity of shallow-water fish populations in Morro Bay, California. Fish Bull 78:759–770

    Google Scholar 

  • Horodysky AZ, Kerstetter DW, Latour RJ, Graves JE (2007) Habitat utilization and vertical movements of white marlin (Tetrapturus albidus) released from commercial and recreational fishing gears in the western North Atlantic Ocean: inferences from short duration pop-up archival satellite tags. Fish Oceanogr 16:240–256

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hulley PA (1991) Myctophidae. In: Smith MM, Heemstra PC (eds) Smiths’ sea fishes. Southern Book Publishers, Johannesburg, pp 282–321

    Google Scholar 

  • Hulley PA (1990) Myctophidae. In Quero JC, Hureau JC, Karrer C, Post A, Saldanha L (eds) Check-list of the fishes of the eastern tropical Atlantic (CLOFETA). JNICT, Lisbon, SEI, Paris, and UNESCO, Paris. Vol. 1:398–467

  • Hunter E, Metcalfe JD, O’Brien CM, Arnold GP, Reynolds JD (2004) Vertical activity patterns of free-swimming adult plaice in the southern North Sea. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 279:261–273

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • IUCN (2020). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2020-2. https://www.iucnredlist.org. Accessed 10 Apr 2019

  • Johnsen E, Godø OR (2007) Diel variations in acoustic recordings of blue whiting (Micromesistius poutassou). ICES J Mar Sci 64:1202–1209

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Johnson AG, Vaught RN (1986) Species profile of Spanish sardine (Sardinella aurita). NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-SEFC-197

  • Korkosh VV (1992) Behaviour of the Atlantic saury and characteristics of its reaction to light. J Ichthyol 32:95–101

    Google Scholar 

  • Kuwamura T (1983) Spawning behavior and timing of fertilization in the mouthbrooding cardinalfish Apogon notatus. Jpn J Ichthyol 30:61–71

    Google Scholar 

  • Kwik JTB, Chen PZ, Ng PKL, Sin TM (2010) Diel variations and diversity of fish communities along the unreclaimed shallow coastal habitats of Changi Point Beach, Singapore. Raffles Bull Zool 58:125–135

    Google Scholar 

  • Lindseth AV, Lobel PS (2018) Underwater Soundscape Monitoring and Fish Bioacoustics: A Review. Fishes 3:36. https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes3030036

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lobel PS (1978a) Diel, Lunar, and Seasonal Periodicity in the Reproductive Behaviour of the Pomacanthid Fish, Centropyge potteri, and Some Other Reef Fishes in Hawaii. Pac Sci 32:193–206

    Google Scholar 

  • Lobel PS (1978b) Diel, lunar, and seasonal periodicity in the breeding of marine animals. Ecol Monogr 17:349–381

    Google Scholar 

  • Lockett MM, Suthers IM (1998) Ontogenetic diet shift and feeding activity in the temperate reef fish Heilodactylus fuscus. J Proc Linn Soc 120:105–116

    Google Scholar 

  • Louisy P (2015) Europe and Mediterranean Marine Fish. Les Editions Eugen Ulmer, Paris

    Google Scholar 

  • Lowe CG, Bray RN (2006) Movement and Activity Patterns. In: Allen LG, Pondella DJ, Horn MH (eds) The ecology of marine fishes: California and adjacent waters. University of California Press, Berkeley, pp 524–553

    Google Scholar 

  • Lowe-McConnell RH (1987) Ecological studies in tropical fish communities. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Lowerre-Barbieri SK, Ganias K, Saborido-Rey F, Murua H, Hunter JR (2011) Reproductive timing in marine fishes: variability, temporal scales, and methods. Mar Coast Fish 3:71–91

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Luckhurst BE (2007) Large Pelagic Fishes in the Wider Caribbean and Northwest Atlantic Ocean: Movement Patterns Determined from Conventional and electronic tagging. Gulf Caribb Res 19:5–14

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Luiz OJ, Allen AP, Robertson DR et al (2013) Adult and larval traits as determinants of geographic range size among tropical reef fishes. PNAS 110:16498–16502

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Magnuson JJ, Prescott JH (1966) Courtship, locomotion, feeding, and miscellaneous behaviour of Pacific bonito (Sarda chilensis). Anim Behav 14:54–67

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Magurran AE (1993) Individual differences and alternative behaviours. In: Pitcher TJ (ed) Behaviour of Teleost Fishes, 2nd edn. Chapman and Hall, London, pp 441–447

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Mazzoldi C, Scaggiante M, Ambrosin E, Rasotto MB (2000) Mating system and alternative male mating tactics in the grass goby Zosterisessor ophiocephalus (Teleostei: Gobiidae). Mar Biol 137:1041–1048

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McCauley R (2012) Fish choruses from the Kimberley, seasonal and lunar links as determined by long term sea noise monitoring. In: McMinn T (ed), Conference Proceedings of Acoustics 2012 Fremantle: Acoustics, Development and the Environment, pp 21–23

  • Mead GW (1972) Bramidae. The Carlsberg Foundation's oceanographical expedition round the World 1928–1930 and previous Dana-expeditions. Dana-Report, 81. Andr. Fred. Høst and Søn: Copenhagen

  • Medeiros PR, Souza AT, Ilarri MI (2010) Habitat use and behavioural ecology of the juveniles of two sympatric damselfishes (Actinopterygii: Pomacentridae) in the south-western Atlantic Ocean. J Fish Biol 77:1599–1615

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Metcalfe N, Steele G (2001) Changing nutritional status causes a shift in the balance of nocturnal to diurnal activity in European Minnows. Funct Ecol 15:304–309

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mooney HA, Cleland EE (2001) The evolutionary impact of invasive species. PNAS 98:5446–5451

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Mourato BL, Carvalho FC, Hazin FH et al (2010) First observations of migratory movements and habitat preference of Atlantic sailfish, Istiophorus platypterus, in the southwestern Atlantic Ocean. Collect Vol Sci Pap ICCAT 65:1740–1747

    Google Scholar 

  • Murua H, Motos L (2006) Reproductive strategy and spawning activity of the European hake Merluccius merluccius (L.) in the Bay of Biscay. J Fish Biol 69:1288–1303

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nash RM, Santos RS, Hawkins SJ (1994) Diel fluctuations of a sandy beach fish assemblage at Porto Pim, Faial Island, Azores. Arquipéago. Life and Marine Sciences, Ponta Delgada 12A:75–86

    Google Scholar 

  • Neilson JD, Perry RI (1990) Diel vertical migrations of marine fishes: an obligate or facultative process? Adv Mar Biol 26:115–168

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nelson JS, Grande TC, Wilson MVH (2016) Fishes of the World, 5th edn. John Wiley and Sons Inc, Hoboken, New Jersey

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Nickell LA, Sayer MDJ (1998) Occurrence and activity of mobile macrofauna on a sublittoral reef: diel and seasonal variation. J Mar Biol Assoc UK 78:1061–1082

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nilsson LAF, Thygesen UH, Lundgren B et al (2003) Vertical migration and dispersion of sprat (Sprattus sprattus) and herring (Clupea harengus) schools at dusk in the Baltic Sea. Aquat Living Resour 16:317–324

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nunn AD, Tewson LH, Cowx IG (2012) The foraging ecology of larval and juvenile fishes. Rev Fish Biol Fish 22:377–408

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Olivar MP, Bernal A, Molí, et al (2012) Vertical distribution, diversity and assemblages of mesopelagic fishes in the western Mediterranean. Deep-Sea Res, Part I 62:53–69

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Otero M, Cebrian E, Francour P, Galil B, Savini D (2013) Monitoring marine invasive species in Mediterranean Marine Protected Areas (MPAs): a strategy and practical guide for managers. IUCN, Malaga

    Google Scholar 

  • Payne NL, van der Meulen DE, Gannon R et al (2012) Rain reverses diel activity rhythms in an estuarine teleost. Proc R Soc B 280:2012–2363

    Google Scholar 

  • Pereira PHC, Ferreira BP (2013) Effects of life phase and schooling patterns on the foraging behaviour of coral-reef fishes from the genus Haemulon. J Fish Biol 82:1226–1238

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pessanha ALM, Araújo FG, Azevedo MCC, Gomes ID (2003) Diel and seasonal changes in the distribution of fish on a southeast Brazil sandy beach. Mar Biol 143:1047–1055

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pitcher TJ (ed) (1993) Behaviour of Teleost fishes, 2nd edn. Chapman and Hall, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Pope EC, Hays GC, Thys TM et al (2010) The biology and ecology of the ocean sunfish Mola mola: a review of current knowledge and future research perspectives. Rev Fish Biol Fisheries 20:471–487

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Potter IF, Howell WH (2010) Vertical movement and behavior of the ocean sunfish, Mola mola, in the northwest Atlantic. J Exp Mar Biol Ecol 396:138–146

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Potts GW (1990) Crepuscular behaviour of marine fishes. In: Herring PJ, Campbell AK, Whitfield M, Maddock L (eds) Light and Life in the Sea. Cambridge University Press, pp 221–227

    Google Scholar 

  • Priede I, Watson J (1993) An evaluation of the daily egg production method for estimating biomass of Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus). Bull Mar Sci 53:891–911

    Google Scholar 

  • Priede IG (2017) Deep-sea fishes. Biology, diversity, ecology and fisheries. Cambridge University Press

  • Psomadakis PN, Guistino S, Vacchi M (2012) Mediterranean fish biodiversity: an updated inventory with focus on the Ligurian and Tyrrhenian seas. Zootaxa 3263:1–46

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reebs SG (2002) Plasticity of diel and circadian activity rhythms in fishes. Rev Fish Biol Fish 12:349–371

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ribeiro J, Bentes L, Coelho R et al (2006) Seasonal, tidal and diurnal changes in fish assemblages in the Ria Formosa lagoon (Portugal). Estuar Coast Shelf Sci 67:461–474

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ricciardi A, Atkinson SK (2004) Distinctiveness magnifies the impact of biological invaders in aquatic ecosystems. Ecol Lett 7:781–784

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Riede K (2004) Global register of migratory species. From global to regional scales. Federal Agency of Nature Conservation, Bonn

  • Roe HSJ, Badcock J (1984) The diel migrations and distributions within a mesopelagic community in the north east Atlantic. 5. Vertical migrations and feeding of fish. Prog Oceanogr 13:389–424

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rooker JR, Dennis GD (1991) Diel, lunar, and seasonal changes in a mangrove fish assemblage off southwestern Puerto Rico. Bull Mar Sci 49:684–698

    Google Scholar 

  • Rountree R, Aguzzi J, Marini S et al (2020) Towards an optimal design for ecosystem-level ocean observatories. Oceanogr Mar Bio 58:79–106

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sabatés A, Zaragoza N, Grau C, Salat J (2008) Vertical distribution of early developmental stages in two coexisting clupeoid species, Sardinella aurita and Engraulis encrasicolus. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 364:169–180

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Samaha C, zu Dohna H, Bariche M, (2016) Analysis of Red Sea fish species’ introductions into the Mediterranean reveals shifts in introduction patterns. J Biogeogr 43:1797–1807

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sánchez-Vásquez FJ, Azzaydi M, Martínez FJ, Zamora S, Madrid JA (1998) Annual rhythms of demand-feeding activity in sea bass: evidence of a seasonal phase inversion of the diel feeding pattern. Chronobiol Int 15:607–622

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schaefer KM, Fuller DW (2007) Vertical movement patterns of skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis) in the eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean, as revealed with archival tags. Fish Bull 105:379–389

    Google Scholar 

  • Schmitz L, Wainwright PC (2011) Nocturnality constrains morphological and functional diversity in the eyes of reef fishes. BMC Evol Biol 11:338

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Simmonds J, MacLennan D (2006) Fisheries acoustics: theory and practice, 2nd edn. Fish and Aquatic Resources Series 10, Blackwell Publishing, Oxford

  • Simmons CM, Szedlmayer ST (2012) Territoriality, reproductive behavior, and parental care in Gray Triggerfish, Balistes capriscus, from the northern Gulf of Mexico. Bull Mar Sci 88:197–209

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sloman KA, Wilson RW, Balshine S (eds) (2006) Behaviour and physiology of fish. Fish physiology, vol 24. Academic Press, New York

  • Solmundsson J, Karlssona H, Palssona J (2003) Sexual differences in spawning behaviour and catchability of plaice (Pleuronectes platessa) west of Iceland. Fish Res 61:57–71

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Staby A, Kaartvedt S, Røstad A (2011) Long-term acoustical observations of the mesopelagic fish Maurolicus muelleri reveal novel and varied vertical migration patterns. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 441:441–455

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Strayer DL, Caraco NF, Cole JJ, Findlay S, Pace ML (1999) Transformation of freshwater ecosystems by bivalves: a case study of zebra mussels in the Hudson River. Bioscience 49:19–27

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Summers RW (1979) Life cycle and population ecology of the flounder Platichthys flesus (L.) in the Ythan estuary. Scotland J Nat Hist 13:703–723

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thresher RE (1984) Reproduction in reef fishes. Publications, Neptune City, NJ, T.F.H

    Google Scholar 

  • Verheijen FJ, de Groot SJ (1967) Diurnal activity pattern of plaice and flounder (Pleuronectidae) in aquaria. Neth J Sea Res 3:383–390

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wagner HJ, Kemp K, Mattheus U, Priede IG (2007) Rhythms at the bottom of the deep sea: cyclic current flow changes and melatonin patterns in two species of demersal fish. Deep-Sea Res I 54:1944–1956

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Walters S, Lowerre-Barbieri S, Bickford J, Crabtree L, Mann D (2007) Preliminary results on seasonal and diel periodicity of a resident Cynoscion nebulosus spawning aggregation in Tampa Bay, Florida. Proc Gulf Caribb Fish Inst 58:295–299

    Google Scholar 

  • Westin L, Aneer G (1987) Locomotor activity patterns of nineteen fish and five crustacean species from the Baltic Sea. Environ Biol Fishes 20:49–65

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wilson DP (1978) Territorial behaviour of male dragonets (Callionymus lyra). J Mar Biol Assoc UK 58:731–734

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wittenrich ML, Ho ALFC (2013) Social structure and reproductive behavior of the callionymid fish Callionymus bairdi (Gobiesociformes: Callionymidae): with notes on male alternative reproductive tactics. Aqua-International J Ichthyol 19:17–28

    Google Scholar 

  • Wolff WJ, Mandos MA, Sandee AJJ (1981) Tidal migration of plaice and flounder as a feeding strategy. In: Jones NJ, Wolff WJ (eds) Feeding survival strategies of estuarine organisms. Plenum Press, New York and London, pp 159–171

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Zekeria ZA (2003) Butterflyfishes of the Southern Red Sea: ecology and population dynamics. Dissertation, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen

  • Zhdanova IV, Reebs SG (2006) Circadian rhythms. In: Sloman KA, Wilson RW, Balshine S (eds) Behaviour and physiology of fish. Elsevier, San Diego, pp 197–238

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This review did not only consider scientific papers and our own observations under water, but also a lot of personal communications of colleagues and fish enthusiasts. For their information, photographs or videos, we thank Julie Olivia Davies (National Institute of Aquatic Resources, Charlottenlund, Denmark), Emanuel Gonçalves (Instituto Superior de Psicologia Aplicada, Lisabon, Portugal), Sakis Koniaris (Lepia Dive Centre, Pefki, Rhodes, Greece), Erik A. Lewallen (Toronto, Canada), Timothy Loher (International Pacific Halibut Commission, Seattle, USA), Francisco J. Oliva Paterna (Dpto. Zoología y Antropología Física, Murcia, Spain), Eric Parmentier (Université de Liège, Belgium), Alejandra Pérez (Aquatours Almería Aventuras Subacuáticas, Almería Spain), Carrie M. Simmons (Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, Florida, USA), Carol A. Stepien (University of Toledo, Toledo, USA) and last not least the divers from the German Taucher.net forum. EA wishes to thank Klaus-Jürgen Papke, Jana Schlaugat (former students of the Anhalt University) and Helke Gröger-Arndt for their assistance in searching literature and databanks.

Funding

The work on this study was not funded by any institution.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department LOEL, Anhalt University of Applied Sciences, 06406, Bernburg, Germany

    Erik Arndt

  2. Department of Biology, University of Malta, Msida, MSD2080, Malta

    Julian Evans

Authors
  1. Erik Arndt
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Julian Evans
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

Erik Arndt had the idea for the study and led the literature search; Julian Evans contributed to the literature search, compiled the examined ecological traits from the FishBase databank and other sources, and performed the data analysis. Both authors wrote the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Julian Evans.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Human and animal rights

The study did not involve Human Participants and did not harm any animals.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Supplementary Information

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Supplementary file1 (DOCX 534 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Arndt, E., Evans, J. Diel activity of littoral and epipelagic teleost fishes in the Mediterranean Sea. Rev Fish Biol Fisheries 32, 497–519 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11160-022-09697-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11160-022-09697-9

Keywords

  • Circadian activity
  • Ecological traits
  • Feeding
  • Spawning
  • Trophic level
  • Indo-Pacific immigrants