Scleractinian cold-water corals (CWCs) are among the main habitat engineers of the deep Mediterranean Sea, hosting a high diversity of species and playing a significant ecological role. In the last two decades, many new living scleractinian CWC sites throughout the Mediterranean Basin have been recorded and their distribution has been updated. In the summer of 2018, new scleractinian CWC assemblages were discovered by means of remotely operated vehicle (ROV) and multibeam echosounder (MBES) surveys on the Aceste–Tiberio seamount and Marettimo bank in the southern Tyrrhenian Sea, at depths ranging from 240 to 310 m. In the explored areas, megabenthic communities were dominated by habitat-forming species, some of which have never been reported before on these submarine structures. Healthy patches of Madrepora oculata and Desmophyllum pertusum, together with the solitary coral D. dianthus, were found on rocky pinnacles between inclined silted bottoms, as well as on a wreck. Deep-water fishing activities, mainly longline fishing, negatively affected these communities, particularly coral species. The discovery of these new sites adds new knowledge about the distribution of scleractinian CWCs in the Mediterranean Sea. Moreover, the documented negative effect of fishing activities on CWC species further stresses the need for urgent and specific conservation measures. In this regard, the co-occurrence of several long-lived, slow-growing, and vulnerable species on these seamounts and banks supports the establishment of specific marine protected areas [i.e., offshore Natura 2000 sites, in accordance with the Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC) - Habitat 1170 - Reefs].

硬骨冷水珊瑚 (CWC) 是地中海深海的主要栖息地工程师之一，拥有高度多样性的物种并发挥着重要的生态作用。在过去的 20 年中，整个地中海盆地的许多新的活石珊瑚 CWC 站点都被记录下来，并且它们的分布也得到了更新。2018 年夏天，通过遥控车 (ROV) 和多波束测深仪 (MBES) 在第勒尼安海南部的 Aceste-Tiberio 海山和 Marettimo 岸边，在 240 至 310 度的深度范围内发现了新的石珊瑚 CWC 组合米。在探索的区域，大型底栖动物群落以栖息地形成物种为主，其中一些以前从未在这些海底结构上报道过。Madrepora oculata 的健康斑块和Desmophyllum pertusum，连同孤珊瑚D. dianthus，在倾斜的淤泥底部之间的岩石尖峰以及沉船中被发现。深水捕鱼活动，主要是延绳钓，对这些社区，尤其是珊瑚物种产生了负面影响。这些新地点的发现增加了关于地中海石珊瑚CWCs分布的新知识。此外，记录在案的捕捞活动对 CWC 物种的负面影响进一步强调了采取紧急和具体保护措施的必要性。在这方面，这些海山和河岸上同时出现几种长寿、生长缓慢和脆弱的物种，支持建立特定的海洋保护区 [即，根据《栖息地指令》(92 /43/EEC) - 栖息地 1170 - 珊瑚礁]。