The stuffed crocodile of "Castel Nuovo" in Naples (Italy): new insights from ancient DNA and radiocarbon

In the present study, a stuffed crocodile displayed for centuries at the "Castel Nuovo" (New Castle) in Naples was radiocarbon dated and examined using ancient DNA analysis. The specimen was classified as Crocodylus niloticus based on its large body size and the mitochondrial DNA haplotype obtained, already described for a living population in Lake Nasser (Egypt). Radiocarbon analysis indicated an age of 585 ± 40 14C year BP, which coincides with the end of the Middle Ages. These results are commented in the light of Medieval religious symbolism and ancient legends which link the crocodile to the history of Naples during the mid-fifteenth century. The data obtained seem to confirm the explanation found in an old guidebook to Naples, according to which the stuffed crocodile was offered by a soldier returning from Egypt as an ex-voto to the image of the "Madonna del Parto" in the chapel of the castle. In addition, the radiocarbon dating shows that the individual analysed could be the oldest taxidermied vertebrate in Europe

Mitochondrial DNA suggests uniqueness of an isolated population of the Italian minnow (Phoxinus lumaireul Schinz, 1840) (Teleostei: Cyprinidae) in central Apennines (Italy)

Two mitochondrial genes (cytochrome oxidase I and cytochrome b) were examined to compare an isolated population of the Italian minnow in the central Apennines to other populations in the species’ range (Po plain) and other European minnow species. Both mitochondrial markers showed a new haplotype, fixed in a sample of 30 specimens, never observed in the main species distribution range, and ostensibly divergent from other Italian minnow haplotypes. The result suggests a long history of isolation, probably preceding the Holocene retreat northwards of the Po River. This relict population is now at serious extinction risk owing to habitat loss and predation by alien trout restocked into the wild for recreational fishing purposes

Nothing is as it seems: genetic analyses on stranded fin whales unveil the presence of a fin-blue whale hybrid in the Mediterranean Sea (Balaenopteridae)

The fin whale Balaenoptera physalus is a large rorqual species occurring worldwide, mainly in temperate and subpolar zones. In contrast to many baleen whales, not all the fin whale populations show the same model of migration. In fact, migratory behaviours of this latter species range from long seasonal migration between high and low latitudes to a complete nonmigratory behaviour. A resident fin whale population was described in the Mediterranean Sea, which is also frequented by North Atlantic individuals entering through the Strait of Gibraltar in winter to feed. Between 2020 and 2021 three individuals initially identified as fin whales died along the Tyrrhenian coasts (Mediterranean Sea, Italy). Their mitochondrial DNA control region (mtDNA CR) was analysed and compared to fin whale haplotypes previously described in North Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea to identify their geographical origin. Our results show that two individuals most likely belong to the Mediterranean fin whale population, while an individual was recognised as a putative fin-blue whale hybrid (Balaenoptera physalus x Balaenoptera musculus) with a North Atlantic origin. The discovery of the first fin-blue whale hybrid in the Mediterranean Sea was confirmed by the analysis of a biparentally inherited marker, the α-lactalbumin (α-lac) nuclear gene, demonstrating that the morphological analysis alone does not allow to correctly identify hybrids, especially if intermediate characters of both parental species are not clearly distinguishable

Opening a window on the past: paleo-horizons across Pleistocene and Holocene. Madonna della Grotta, Praia a Mare, Southern Italy

The goal of this study was to identify and characterize three paleo-horizons along a stratigraphic succession embracing sediments from Paleolithic to historic that has been preserved inside a grotto close to the Tyrrhenian Sea in southern Italy. The studied paleo-horizons date back to the transition period between Pleistocene and Holocene, when swift alternations of cold and warm phases profoundly altered the range dynamics of many organisms, including salmonids like Salmo trutta and, consequently, the behavior of the humans that occupied the grotto. Morphological observations and preliminary analysis were run to assess if the paleo-horizons preserved information of the human modified behavior. Results confirmed that one of the three paleo-horizons (Bud horizon, dating back to 10,300 cal YBP) had a strongly affected anthropic origin as it contains the rests of terrestrial (mammals, birds, and snails) and sea food (Salmo trutta and Patella spp.), and showed a hard compaction acquired via hydroconsolidation

Life History Traits of Sperm Whales Physeter macrocephalus Linnaeus, 1758 Stranded along Italian Coasts (Cetartiodactyla: Physeteridae)

We investigated the relationship between age and body length, and age at sexual maturity of Physeter macrocephalus individuals stranded along the Italian coast. Our molecular analysis shows that all our samples belong to the C.001.002 haplotype, shared between Atlantic and Mediterranean populations. We show that males attain sexual maturity at 10 years, similar to those from other marine areas. However, considering the same body length class, Mediterranean males are older than Atlantic ones. Our finding of a Mediterranean pregnant female of only 6.5 m in length and an assessed age of 24–26 years is particularly noteworthy, considering that females reach sexual maturity at about 9 years and 9 m of total length in other regions. Comparing our results with the literature data, we highlight the positive correlation between lifespan, adult body length and weight of males from the Mediterranean and Atlantic Ocean. Regardless of whether the relatively small size of Mediterranean specimens is a consequence of an inbreeding depression or an adaptation to less favorable trophic conditions, we recommend to closely monitor this population from a conservation perspective. In fact, its low genetic diversity likely corresponds to a relatively limited ability to respond to environmental changes compared with other populations

The name of the trout: considerations on the taxonomic status of the Salmo trutta L., 1758 complex (Osteichthyes: Salmonidae) in Italy

The systematic status of the Italian trout in the Salmo trutta L., 1758 complex (including marble, Mediterranean and lacustrine trout), has long been - and is still today–subject of controversies among ichthyologists. The specific name and the taxonomic rank changed several times in the last years, and the natural occurrence of this salmonid fish in some Italian areas was debated due to spread of alien strains. The main difficulty with the taxonomy of the Italian trout stems from the impossibility of disentangling it “on paper” or, even worse, trying to face this systematic issue considering only a very limited (local/national scale) part of the brown trout range. The taxonomy of the Italian trout population is inextricably linked to the necessity of clarifying first phylogeny and phylogeography in an overall Mediterranean context. The opportunity of a non “self-referential” taxonomy is even more fundamental for a vulnerable salmonid like the Italian brown trout, for which there is a very conflicting management problem related to sport fishing and, at the same time, the urgent need for effective conservation measures. It is however necessary to emphasize that conservation is independent from taxonomy but must start from the level of the local population. In fact, management units need stability and they cannot, therefore, coincide with entities–the Linnean species–requiring continuous taxonomic revisions. Modern molecular methods are the best tools for defining these units of management and conservation in an evolutionary perspective

A Mediterranean Monk Seal Pup on the Apulia coast (Southern Italy): sign of an ongoing recolonisation?

The Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus) is one of the most endangered marine mammals in the world. This species has been threatened since ancient times by human activities and currently amounts to approximately 700 individuals distributed in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea (Aegean and Ionian Sea) and Eastern Atlantic Ocean (Cabo Blanco and Madeira). In other areas, where the species is considered “probably extinct”, an increase in sporadic sightings has been recorded during recent years. Sightings and accidental catches of Mediterranean monk seals have become more frequent in the Adriatic Sea, mainly in Croatia but also along the coasts of Montenegro, Albania and Southern Italy. A Mediterranean monk seal pup was recovered on 27 January 2020 on the beach of Torre San Gennaro in Torchiarolo (Brindisi, Apulia, Italy). DNA was extracted from a tissue sample and the hypervariable region I (HVR1) of the mitochondrial DNA control region was amplified and sequenced. The alignment performed with seven previous published haplotypes showed that the individual belongs to the haplotype MM03, common in monk seals inhabiting the Greek islands of the Ionian Sea. This result indicates the Ionian Islands as the most probable geographical origin of the pup, highlighting the need to intensify research and conservation activities on this species even in areas where it seemed to be extinct

Historical DNA as a tool to genetically characterize the Mediterranean sand tiger shark (Carcharias taurus, Lamniformes: Odontaspididae): A species probably disappeared from this basin

The sand tiger shark (Carcharias taurus) is a coastal species distributed in temperate and sub-tropical waters, classified as ‘Vulnerable’ at global level and ‘Critically endangered’ in eastern Australia, south-western Atlantic Ocean, and Mediterranean Sea. Six populations (north-western Atlantic, Brazil, South Africa, Japan, eastern Australia, and western Australia) with low genetic diversity and limited gene flow were identified worldwide, but genetic information for many other geographic areas are still missing. Specifically, this species is listed in several reports as part of the Mediterranean fauna, even if there has been a lack of catches and sightings in recent years in this basin. To clarify the origin of C. taurus individuals caught in the past in the Mediterranean Sea, historical samples were genetically analysed. Nine samples with certain Mediterranean origin were collected from different European museums. DNA was extracted and ~600 bp of the mitochondrial DNA control region were amplified using eight overlapping species-specific primer pairs. Sequences obtained were aligned with all the haplotypes globally known so far. Genetic analysis revealed the misidentification of one museum specimen. Among the remaining Mediterranean historical samples, three different haplotypes were recovered. Two of them previously observed only in South Africa and one described in both South African and Brazilian populations. Results suggest a genetic relationship between Mediterranean sand tiger sharks and those from the western Indian Ocean. According to previous studies, we hypothesized that, during the Pleistocene, the cold Benguela upwelling barrier was temporarily reduced allowing the passage of C. taurus individuals from the Indian to Atlantic Ocean. After the restoration of this phylogeographic barrier some individuals were trapped in the Atlantic Ocean and probably migrated northward colonizing the western African coasts and the Mediterranean Sea