Factors Influencing Habitat Selection of Three Cryptobenthic Clingfish Species in the Shallow North Adriatic Sea

Cryptobenthic fishes were often overlooked in the past due to their cryptic lifestyle, so knowledge of ecology is still incomplete. One most poorly studied taxa Mediterranean Sea clingfish. In this paper we examine habitat preferences three clingfish species (Lepadogaster lepadogaster, L. candolii, and Apletodon incognitus) occurring Gulf Trieste (Northern Adriatic). The results show that all have a lifestyle are well-segregated based on depth distribution macro- microhabitat preferences. lepadogaster inhabits shallow waters lower mediolittoral upper infralittoral, where it occurs rocky bottoms under stones. candolii similarly infralittoral stones, but below limit seagrass meadows, occupies empty seashells. Such hiding places meadows also occupied by A. incognitus, which mostly candolii. Despite overlap macrohabitat, probability individuals two encountering each other or competing same low when range combined with these species.