have been reported from the northern Adriatic Sea in the past (Avian and Rottini Sandrini, 1994; Purcell et al., 1999). On the other hand, Ctenophora were generally neglected due to difficulties with preservation and lack of taxonomic expertise in the region. Semi-quantitative data on a few Ctenophora species were reported in the early 20th century (Cori and Steuer, 1901; Issel, 1925; see Table I), but despite several observations of high ctenophore abundances during the last few decades, there have been no recent published reports on this gelatinous group.