The capture of the cornich blackfish, Schedophilus medusophagus, larvae from the Adriatic Sea represents an easterly extension in range of this species, and the first larval record in Adriatic waters.

Schedophilus medusophagus Cocco, 1839, is a mesopelagic species from temperate waters of the north-eastern and north-western Atlantic and the western Mediterranean (Bini, 1968; Tortonese, 1975; Haedrich, 1986). The first record of this fish from the Adriatic Sea was reported in 1880 according to Ninni (1912). The second record was during the invasion of medusae Pelagia noctiluca (Malej, 1982; Rottini-Sandrini & Stravisi, 1982; Vučetić, 1982,1983) in Pelješac channel near the town of Korčula-island Koršula (central Adriatic) in 1982 (Onofri, 1986). Ten juvenile specimens, from 10·0 to 20·0cm total length (TL), were collected with medusae at 2m depth. This record Onofri (1986) connected with the ingression of inter-median waters (50–100 m) in the central Adriatic influenced the increase of salinity and temperature in 1982. Jardas (1996) noted that S. medusophagus is a very rare species in the Adriatic Sea.

A cumulative species description curve (from 1830 to 1995) is given for open water marine fauna in excess of 2 m long in the major axis of the body. This curve has not yet closely approached its asymptote. Estimation by maximum likelihood fit of a hyperbola suggests a maximum of some 47 species awaiting formal scientific description and an approximate current rate of description of one new species every 5·3 years. Consideration of the most recently described species and recent observations by field workers suggests that any imminent species descriptions are most likely to be cetaceans.

Since official records were first initiated in 1973, there have been reports of 154 small cetacean strandings in Hong Kong territorial waters. The species Neophocaena phocaenoides (finless porpoise) and Sousa chinensis (Indo-Pacific hump-backed dolphin) accounted for 77% of these strandings. There are seasonal peaks in the number of reported strandings: Sousa chinensis is more frequently reported during the summer monsoon season and Neophocaena phocaenoides is more frequent in the winter. Almost a third of all finless porpoises stranded were calves. The number of reported small cetacean strandings in Hong Kong has increased dramatically in recent years; partially due to an increasing awareness of local cetaceans and possibly due to escalating levels of human disturbance and anthropogenic pollution.