First record of the Bath’s goby, Pomatoschistus bathi (Miller 1982), from central-south Italy: a southern proof of fragmented distribution restricted to the north?

The ecology and distribution of Pomatoschistus bathi are discussed on the basis of the first record from central-south Italy. A comparison with the co-generic and apparently similar P. tortonesei, indicated the two species are ecologically distinct and their areal does not overlap. The present record, from an area whose surface waters are cooled by upwelling currents, agrees with the hypothesis of a fragmented distribution restricted to the north. The species, which has not been of conservation interest, might be thus emblematic of ongoing habitat regression and fragmentation in strictly cold-water Mediterranean species. The present record, from a deeply anthropized basin, also represents a profitable case-study on the conservation dynamics in humanmediated aquatic ecosystems.