1,720,992 research outputs found
Aliens in changing seascapes: a newly reported non-native sacoglossan (Mollusca, Heterobranchia) in the western Mediterranean Sea
Full text linkWe report the discovery of the Indo-Pacific sacoglossan Elysia nealae Ostergaard, 1955 from northeastern Sardinia (Central Tyrrhenian Sea). This is the first record of this species in the western Mediterranean Sea and only the second for the whole of the Mediterranean Sea following a report from Cape Epanomi, Greece. We discuss the identification of this species as well as the expansion of its geographical range. Data on the ecology and behavior of E. nealae leads us to hypothesize that the increase in the Mediterranean’s water temperature due to climate change has favored this non-native species and contributed to its expanded distribution
Prima segnalazione di un episodio di mortalità di gorgonacei lungo la costa dell’isola di Tavolara (Sardegna Settentrionale). 10 (2): 506-508.
No full textSo large yet so unnoticed: The case of Marionia gemmii Almón, Pérez & Caballer, 2018 (Heterobranchia: Tritoniidae) in the Mediterranean Sea
No full textMarionia gemmii Almón, Pérez & Caballer, 2018 has been described as a new species from six localities in Ría de Arousa, Galicia (North-Western Spain) and in the Golfe de Cádiz (Southern Spain), both within Atlantic waters. Old and new findings of this species from the North-Western Mediterranean radically expand its distribution and an in-depth study of the images available on the web dates its first documented record in this area back to 2009
Filling a Gap: a population of Eunicella verrucosa (Pallas, 1766) (Anthozoa, Alcyonacea) in the Tavolara-Punta Coda Cavallo Marine Protected Area (NE Sardinia, Italy)
No full textAmong Mediterranean habitat-forming alcyonaceans, the sea fan Eunicella verrucosa is
known to form dense forests at circalittoral depths, providing seascape complexity and sustaining
a rich associated fauna. Its occurrence in the Tavolara–Punta Coda Cavallo Marine Protected Area
(NE Sardinia) has never been deeply investigated despite this area being well known from a biocoenotic
point of view. This study provides new information on the size of the colonies settled between
35 and 59 m depth on granitic outcrops and represents a contribution to highlighting the hotspot of
megabenthic diversity enclosed in the protected area. The presence of 100 colonies was assessed by
photographic samplings performed between 2015 and 2020, in a small area characterized by peculiar
ecological conditions. The morphometric descriptions and age estimation showed a persistently
isolated population probably derived from a stochastic event of settling of larvae presumably coming
from the Tuscany Archipelago. A richly associated epibiotic community, composed of 18 species/
OTUs, showed how branched bryozoans, particularly Turbicellepora avicularis, and the parasitic
octocoral Alcyonium coralloides, affected the colonies’ branches, suggesting a putative anthropogenic
impact related to fishing activity. This study indicates that proper protection and management strategies
are mandatory for the Marine Protected Area, in order to conserve this unique population and
the whole associated benthic assemblage
When morphology does not match phylogeny: The puzzling case of two sibling nudibranchs (Gastropoda)
No full textSpecies delimitation is particularly challenging in Mediterranean nudibranchs because morphological distinction between closely related species is subtle and several cryptic species have been discovered. In this study, we apply an integrative approach to investigate taxonomic distinction of Flabellina cavolini and F. gaditana and assess their genetic and morphologic distinction. We combined a comprehensive phylogeographic survey from across their distribution range and compared genetic variation at mitochondrial and nuclear markers with the variation in colour pattern of cerata that is used to discriminate these two species. Phylogenetic, phylogeographic and species delimitation analyses consistently identify two evolutionary and taxonomic units that do not match with the morphospecies, demonstrating that Flabellina cavolini and F. gaditana are indeed two cryptic, closely related, species and that colour pattern of cerata is not a valid diagnostic character. This study emphasizes how the comparison of range-wide patterns of phylogenetic and morphological variation, with the inclusion of samples from the type localities, is essential for species delimitation of Mediterranean nudibranchs. Moreover, this study demonstrates the occurrence of Flabellina gaditana in the Mediterranean Sea, allowing to extend the known distribution range of the species, that was previously restricted to the eastern Atlantic Ocean, as well as increasing our inventory of Mediterranean nudibranch diversity
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