“New Alien Mediterranean Biodiversity Records” (March 2021)

This article includes twenty (20) new records of alien and cryptogenic species in the Mediterranean Sea, belonging to six (6) Phyla (Rhodophyta, Tracheophyta, Mollusca, Arthropoda, Bryozoa, and Chordata) distributed from the Eastern Mediterranean to the Sea of Alboran. The records are reported from nine (9) countries and can be classified into two categories: new records for the Mediterranean Sea and new records of non-indigenous species expanding within the Mediterranean Sea. The first category includes the gastropod Turbo radiatus from Lebanon coasts, the portunid crab Charybdis (Charybdis) natator from Tunis southern lagoon, the mollusc Thuridilla mazda from South Spain, and the nudibranch Okenia picoensis from the Alboran coasts of Spain and from Malta. The second category includes the bivalve Nudiscintilla cf. glabra from the Aegean coast of Turkey, the rhodophyte Colaconema codicola from the North Aegean coasts of Greece, the naked band gaper Champsodon nudivittis from the Sea of Marmara, Turkey. Also, the brachyuran Gonioinfradens giardi from the Greek Ionian waters, the codlet Bregmaceros nectabanus from the Croatian coasts of the Adriatic Sea, and the bryozoan Arbopercula tenella and copepod Parvocalanus crassirostris both from the Gulf of Trieste, Slovenian and Italian coasts, respectively. New records were also reported for the ascidian Distaplia bermudensis from brackish the Gulf of Naples, Italy, the damselfish Abudefduf cf. saxatilis and the seagrass Halophila stipulacea from Sardinia, Tyrrhenian Sea, and for the fish Paranthias furcifer from the harbour of Almeria, Alboran Sea, Spain. Through these records, an understanding of the expanding mechanisms and processes and, if possible, the development of mitigation measures within the region will be further facilitated

New Alien Mediterranean Biodiversity Records (March 2021)

This article includes twenty (20) new records of alien and cryptogenic species in the Mediterranean Sea, belonging to six (6) Phyla (Rhodophyta, Tracheophyta, Mollusca, Arthropoda, Bryozoa, and Chordata) distributed from the Eastern Mediterranean to the Sea of Alboran. The records are reported from nine (9) countries and can be classified into two categories: new records for the Mediterranean Sea and new records of non-indigenous species expanding within the Mediterranean Sea. The first category includes the gastropod Turbo radiatus from Lebanon coasts, the portunid crab Charybdis (Charybdis) natator from Tunis southern lagoon, the mollusc Thuridilla mazda from South Spain, and the nudibranch Okenia picoensis from the Alboran coasts of Spain and from Malta. The second category includes the bivalve Nudiscintilla cf. glabra from the Aegean coast of Turkey, the rhodophyte Colaconema codicola from the North Aegean coasts of Greece, the naked band gaper Champsodon nudivittis from the Sea of Marmara, Turkey. Also, the brachyuran Gonioinfradens giardi from the Greek Ionian waters, the codlet Bregmaceros nectabanus from the Croatian coasts of the Adriatic Sea, and the bryozoan Arbopercula tenella and copepod Parvocalanus crassirostris both from the Gulf of Trieste, Slovenian and Italian coasts, respectively. New records were also reported for the ascidian Distaplia bermudensis from brackish the Gulf of Naples, Italy, the damselfish Abudefduf cf. saxatilis and the seagrass Halophila stipulacea from Sardinia, Tyrrhenian Sea, and for the fish Paranthias furcifer from the harbour of Almeria, Alboran Sea, Spain. Through these records, an understanding of the expanding mechanisms and processes and, if possible, the development of mitigation measures within the region will be further facilitated

Marine litter in Sardegna: valutazione dello stato dei rifiuti bentonici come contributo alla Marine Strategy Framework Directory

Anthropogenic debris are known to be present in all marine habitats, from coasts to the most remote points of the planet like deep sea floors and poles. In spite of the growing interest from the political and scientific community regarding this spreading threat, the knowledges on marine litter status still remain fragmentary. Most of studies have been carried out on the sea surface and on coastal habitats, whereas there are few information available about the assessment of anthropogenic debris on the sea bottoms. This PhD thesis aims to evaluate the state of benthic marine litter in terms of composition, density and abundance along the continental shelf and continental slope of FAO Geographical Sub Area 11: Sardinia Island (NW Mediterranean Sea) according to Marine Strategy Framework Directive. Soft bottoms and rocky habitats have been investigated separately by mean of two different sampling methods (trawling and ROV video transect). Trawl surveys are defined as the most appropriate way to collect litter on sandy and muddy seafloors. Within the MEDITS (International Mediterranean Trawls Survey) framework, three years repeated survey permitted the acquisition of a marine debris data in a wide bathymetric range. Uni and multivariate analyses were used to test differences between \inshore and offshore habitats and between geographical zones in terms of litter amount. Results highlighted that, among the 302 investigated stations, plastic resulted by far the main component in terms of occurrence, density and abundance. Concentration of debris derived from land- 2 based activities tends to decrease as we move farther from the coastline. Anthropogenic Marine-based activities are supposed to be the main cause of the sudden increased values of debris observed in the deep habitats, which was investigated through the Deep Sea Cruise PSP15 on a bathymetric range comprise between 800-1600 m. The behaviour of fishermen observed and recorded emphasizes the necessity of a change in the management policy for the conservation of the environment. Investigation on rocky habitats have been carried out through the non-invasive technique of ROV footage. All canyons and pinnacles surveyed, showed the presence of anthropic pressure in terms of marine litter. Discarded fishing gears are the main components of all litter observed. Distance from coastline do not cause significant difference of the variation of debris density. In the rocky bottom investigated 26.5% of marine litter damaged the benthonic coral community, indeed urgently needing special protection measures. Our results constitute an important and needed set of information regarding the treat of marine litter in an high ecological value area such as the Mediterranean basin. As a result these information are useful for future spatio-temporal comparisons, as well for a collaboration to create a unique dataset as required by the MSFD, considered a fundamental tool for the development of proper conservation measures

Preliminary ROV surveys data on deep-coral assemblages from South-East Sardinian Sea (central western Mediterranean)

Deep-sea habitats have a high conservation interest since they often host greater diversity than surrounding areas as well as unique assemblages. Within a deep-sea research cruise aimed to monitor the presence of the resource from circa-littoral to down to the upper bathyal zone (from100 to 300 meters), the occurrence of the most representative coral species was observed. The cruise was carried out on board the ISPRA’s R/V Astrea in the Southeastern waters of Sardinian (Central-Western Mediterranean) during Autumn 2011 by means of Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV Seaeye Falcon by Saab). Biological data were collected combining large and fine scale Multibeam dataset and ROV imaging. Three heads of canyons located inside the Marine Protected Area of Capo Carbonara were investigated and species belonging to three main orders (gorgonians, alcyonaceans and antipatharian) were recorded to characterize those rocky habitats. The results, in terms of occurrence and abundance of the main species are presented, considering these cnidarians as valid surrogate descriptors of megabenthic marine biodiversity due to their richness, abundance and identification easiness. Among gorgonians, few banks of both living and dead red coral were documented. Also the presence of discarded fishing gear and other kind of anthropic debris has been recorded, showing how these environments are potentially threatened by human activities. Given the rarity of fine-scale in situ direct observations, the present study aims to describe preliminary data on deep-sea corals diversity in a poorly investigated area in the heart of the Mediterranean Sea, representing an important contribution in filling the existing gaps in knowledg

Artificial dens for Octopus vulgaris Cuvier, 1797 in the Sardinian Sea

Monitoring on 244 artificial dens from 2011-2013 in the Sardinian Sea, showed that Octopus vulgaris (Cephalopoda: Octopoda) chose them as shelters (40.72%), staying inside (86.67%) or leaving only signs of its occupation (13.33%). The 58.97% of the dens with animals inside had spawning females, with their eggs completed the embryological development. These preliminary results suggest the use of artificial dens in fishing management to protect the octopus stock

New sites expanding the “Sardinian cold-water coral province” extension: a new potential Cold Water Coral network?

reserved8no1. Cold‐water coral (CWC) ecosystems are protected both in national and international waters. They are considered Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems and, in addition, meet the criteria to be defined ecological or biological significant areas. 2. Two new sites of the “Sardinian CWC province” were discovered by means of remotely operated vehicle surveys in two submarine canyons in the north‐eastern portion of the Sardinian continental margin, at depths ranging from 230 to 430 m. 3. Dense and healthy patches of small and medium‐sized Madrepora oculata colonies were found dwelling on rocky walls and inclined silted soft bottoms. 4. A rich and diverse associated megafauna was found within both live and dead portions of the coral framework. In addition, the presence of benthic litter and derelict fishing gears were also documented. 5. These results further extend the “Sardinian CWC province” extension, providing insights of a potential CWC network along the Sardinian continental margin with implications for the Mediterranean mosaic of CWC provinces, further stressing the need for urgent conservation measures for these habitats.mixedMoccia D., Cau A., Alvito A., Canese S., Cannas R., Bo M., Angiolillo M., Follesa M.Moccia, D.; Cau, A.; Alvito, A.; Canese, S.; Cannas, R.; Bo, M.; Angiolillo, M.; Follesa, M

Submarine canyons along the upper Sardinian slope (Central Western Mediterranean) as repositories for derelict fishing gears

By means of ROV surveys, we assessed the quantity, composition and bathymetric distribution of marine litter in 17 sites along the Sardinian continental margin (Central Western Mediterranean) at depths ranging from 100 to 480m. None of the investigated sites was litter free, but the mean density of litter (0.0175±0.0022itemsm-2) was lower than that reported from other Tyrrhenian regions. The difference in the total litter density among sites was negligible, but the density of derelict fishing gear (DFG) items (most of which ascribable to small scale fishery) in submarine canyons was higher in submarine canyons than in other habitats. Our result suggest that submarine canyons (known to be highly vulnerable ecosystems) act as major repositories of DFGs, and, therefore, we anticipate the need of specific measures aimed at minimizing the loss and abandonment of DFGs in submarine canyons