Hypleurochilus bananensis (Poll, 1959) (Pisces, Blenniidae) u talijanskom moru: rasprostranjenost, stanište i spolni dimorfizam

Hypleurochilus bananensis is one of the rarest species of Blenniidae in the Mediterranean Sea. Only few records have been made in the whole Basin. Due to its rarity, H. bananensis is poorly studied and little is known about its biology. In this study, we provide additional data on this rare species. In particular, we describe its habitat, sexual dimorphism, presence and distribution with several new records in both Tyrrhenian and Ionian Sea. Studies were conducted in the period from 2011 to 2014. Observations were carried out both by snorkelling and SCUBA diving. In the natural environment, we observed the behavior and coloration in both sexes. For two mature sampled specimens of both sexes, we examined the morphology, providing the first detailed information about the differences between them. Sexual dimorphism is very pronounced and past descriptions of this species were based only on female specimens. This could lead to misidentification cases. Indeed, especially the morphology and chromatic pattern of the male are similar to those of other combtooth blennies species. Furthermore, we report data about reproduction, habitat preference and consideration about its presence in Italian seas.Hypleurochilus bananensis jedna je od najrjeđih vrsta slingurke (Blenniidae) u Sredozemnom moru. U cijelom mediteranskom bazenu zabilježene su samo nekoliko puta. Zbog svoje rijetkosti, H. bananensis donosimo dodatne podatke o ovoj rijetkoj vrsti. Posebice opisujemo njihova staništa, spolni dimorfizam, te njihovu prisutnost i raspodjelu s nekoliko novih zapisa u Tirenskom i Jonskom moru. Istraživanja su provedena u razdoblju od 2011. do 2014. godine. Metode korištene prilikom promatranja su ronjenje s disalicom i SCUBA ronjenje. U prirodnom okruženju promatrali smo ponašanje i koloraciju obaju spolova. Ispitivali smo morfologiju kod dvije odrasle jedinke oba spola i iznijeli prve detaljne informacije o razlikama među njima. Spolni dimorfizam je vrlo izražen i prošli opisi ove vrste temeljili su se samo na ženskim primjercima. Ovo bi moglo dovesti do pogrešne identifikacije slučajeva. Doista, posebice morfologija i kromatski uzorak mužjaka, slični su onima drugih vrsta češljouste babice. Štoviše, naša izvješća donose podatke koji se tiču reprodukcije, preferencija staništa i razmatranja njihove prisutnosti u talijanskim morima