Anomalous colouration of a starry weever, Trachinus radiatus (Actinopterygii: Perciformes: Trachinidae), from the Adriatic Sea

Abstract

The record of abnormally pigmented starry weever, Trachinus radiatus Cuvier, 1829, is described. The specimen was caught in Nature Park Lastovo archipelago, eastern Adriatic Sea, and displayed an overall lack of usual dark brown pigmentation. The skin was marked by a predominance of yellow to red pigments corresponding with a rare colour anomaly condition of xanthochromism. Due to the unusual appearance of the specimen, we used molecular methods for proper identification of the species. This seems to be the first documented record of xanthochromism in the family Trachinidae.

Keywords

• xanthochromism
• abnormal pigmentation
• abnormal co