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

中文翻译：

---

北亚得里亚海浅海三种隐底栖粘鱼种生境选择的影响因素

过去，隐底栖鱼类因其神秘的生活方式而经常被忽视，因此对其生态学的了解仍然不完整。地中海鱼类研究最薄弱的类群之一是粘鱼。在本文中，我们研究了发生在的里雅斯特湾（亚得里亚海北部）的三种粘鱼（Lepadogaster lepadogaster、L. candolii和Apletodon incognitus）的栖息地偏好。结果表明，所有三个物种都有一种神秘的生活方式，并且根据它们的深度分布以及宏观和微观栖息地的偏好进行了很好的隔离。L. lepadogaster栖息在浅海中下部和浅海上部，它出现在石头下的岩石底部。L. candolii同样出现在岩石下的近海岩石中，但低于L. lepadogaster 的分布下限和海草草甸，在那里它占据空贝壳。海草草甸中的这些藏身之处也被A. incognitus占据，其主要发生在L. candolii 的分布下限以下。尽管深度和大栖息地重叠，但当深度范围与这些物种的微栖息地偏好相结合时，两个物种的个体在同一栖息地相遇或竞争的可能性很低。