World Register of marine Cave Species (WoRCS)

Fishes in marine caves have attracted limited attention by the scientific community in comparison to subterranean fishes which have lost eyes and pigmentation. They constitute a largely unexplored component of marine fish diversity, except for the relatively well-studied marine caves of the Mediterranean Sea where 132 fishes have been recorded to date (17% of the total Mediterranean fish species richness). However, the fishes recorded so far in marine caves are not exclusive residents of this habitat and they are also present in other mesolithial habitats (e.g., pseudocaves and cryprobenthic habitats). This review paper showed that five different morphological types of fish can be identified in relation to their adaptation to mesolithial habitats.