Cephalopod assemblages caught by trawling along the Southern Tyrrhenian Sea (Central Mediterranean)

The teuthofauna assemblages of the Southern Tyrrhenian Sea are identified utilising data from five trawl surveys. A total of 139 hauls were carried out in late spring or the middle of summer between 1995 and 1999, and 25 cephalopod species were found between 18 and 652 m of depth. The assemblages were analysed with the Bray-Curtis similarity index. Depth showed a positive correlation with cephalopod distribution. Four main cephalopod groups were defined: inshore (10-100 m), shelf (101-200 m), slope (201-600 m) and midslope (350- 600 m). Loligo media was the main species for the first group, Illex coindetii for the second, Todaropsis eblanae for the third group and Todarodes sagittatus for the last group.