First records of dusky grouper Epinephelus marginatus settlement-stage larvae in the Ligurian Sea

The presence of dusky grouper Epinephelus marginatus settlement-stage larvae in the Ligurian Sea is reported. Epinephelus marginatus populations are slowly recovering along the french Mediterranean coast since the establishment of a moratorium on spearfishing in 1993 but still remain spatially restricted to marine protected areas. The occurrence of Epinephelus marginatus larvae in a region where effective settlement had not been detected for decades is a new observation supporting the species’ recovery