First record of plastic debris in the stomach of Mediterranean lanternfishes

An emerging problem in marine environment is represented by the plastic presence in the water column (THOMPSON et al., 2004) and the risk of their input and accumulation in the trophic web (TEUTEN et al., 2009; GALGANI et al., 2013a). Plastics are worldwide distributed, from surface to deep waters, include particles less than 20 mm of several polymers such as polyester, nylon, polyethylene, polypropylene, etc. (BARNES et al., 2009) and stay in marine waters for long periods (GALGANI et al., 2013a). Plastic pollution is moved throughout the world’s oceans by the prevailing winds and surface currents, converging in accumulation zones of oceanic gyres (ERIKSEN et al., 2014). According to CÓZAR et al. (2014) data on the presence of plastics in the water coloumn of Mediterranean Seawaters can be defined scarce, but recently FOSSI et al. This study highlights for the first time the presence of plastic debris in the stomachs of Mediterranean lanternfishes (Myctophidae): Electrona risso, Diaphus metopoclampus, Hygophum benoiti and Myctophum punctatum. Samples were collected in the central Mediterranean Sea between 2010 and 2014. Plastics ingested belonged to small microplastics (0.2 2 mm), large microplastics (2 5 mm) and mesoplastics (5 25 mm), having mainly clear colors. Their frequency of occurrence in stomachs was equal to 2.7%, but it increases to 5.8% if only migratory species are considered. The higher number of plastics was found in E. risso and H. benoiti (5 in both species). The plastic ingestion may represent a risk for vertical migrant lanternfishes due to the increase in buoyancy. Ecotoxicological aspects linked to the potential effects of contaminants on lanternfish biology and to the transfer of pollutants throughout the marine trophic web up to top predators should be deepened.