Distribution and abundance of Horned Octopus (Eledone cirrhosa Lamarck 1798) (Cephalopoda: Octopoda) in south-east Adriatic sea

Specimens of Eledone cirrhosa were obtained from commercial bottom trawl hauls following the MEDITS protocol. Catches were standardised according to the swept area method, and the resulting values were used to calculate biomass (kg/km2) and abundance (ind/km2) indices. The results showed that E. cirrhosa was not found at depths below 5 m or over 500. The species is consistently present year-round only in 100–200 m stratum and its presence in shallower and deeper strata seems to be season-dependent: in spring, it is present only at 100–200 m depth, while in autumn and winter it can be found at 100–200 m and 200–500 m depth strata. Only in summer can it be found in all three depth strata (50–100 m, 100–200 m, 200–500 m). Both abundance and biomass indices were consistently most abundant in 100–200 m depth stratum