Structure and functions of Polychaetofauna living in Mytilus galloprovincialis assemblages in Thermaikos Gulf (north Aegean Sea)

The purpose of this study is to examine the Polychaetes populations of the mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis Lamarck 1819 assemblage in Thessaloniki Bay (Perea, Neoi Epivates, Agia Triada) in space and time. Forty-eight Polychaetes species, which belong to 16 families, were identified among 10 593 individuals. The different distribution in space and time can be attributed to the life cycles of the Polychaetes, and also to the various biotic interactions. In general, the abundance follows the succession of the seasons, with some deviations though. Thus, the samples can be divided into two major groups, the winter and summer samples. The structure of the feeding guilds of the Polycheates population was also investigated and 9 different feeding guilds were identified. The microphagous, sedentary Polychaetes were the dominant guild, whilst the carnivores were the most abundant among the macrophagous. No major differences were observed, as regards the composition of the feeding guilds. The study of the structure of the polychaetofauna showed similar diversity with that of other Mediterranean regions. This fact implies that the polychaetofauna of the M. galloprovincialis assemblages in the Mediterranean Sea has a stable structure and shows a certain resemblance. Furthermore, the polychaetofauna includes species known as capable of living in polluted water as well as others that are more sensitive in such conditions. Therefore, the biomonitoring of the examined regions proves to be essential for obtaining valuable information about the state of their waters.Le but de la présente étude concerne l'examen de la population des Annélides Polychètes de la moule Mytilus galloprovincialis Lamarck 1819 dans la baie de Salonique (Perea, N. Epivates et Agia-Triada) dans ses dimensions spatiale et temporelle. Pour un total de 10 593 individus, 48 espèces de Polychètes ont été déterminées, représentant 16 familles. L'abondance des Polychètes présente des variations en fonction de l'espace et du temps, ce qui est lié à leur cycle de vie, outre des interractions biotiques qui se développent entre les Polychètes et les autres organismes. Les variations de l'abondance suivent la succession des saisons. Ainsi, les échantillons se regroupent en deux groupes principaux, en fonction de la saison. Parallèlement, une étude de la structure des types trophiques des Polychètes a été réalisée. Cette partie de notre étude a mis en évidence la présence de neuf types trophiques. Au groupe principal, appartiennent les microphages, Polychètes sédentaires, tandis que, parmi les macrophages, dominent les carnivores. Les échantillons ne se différencient pas significativement en fonction de la constitution des types trophiques. L’étude de la constitution de la faune des Polychètes a mis en evidence une variabilité (nombre des espèces, indice de Shannon, stabilité) similaire à celle observée dans d'autres régions de Méditerranée, fait en faveur de la stabilité et de l'homiomorphie des phases de M. galloprovincialis en Méditerranée. En même temps, la constitution de la faune des Polychètes comporte des espèces caractérisées par leur résistance vis-à-vis de la pollution, et des espèces sensibles à la pollution. Cette observation indique que la « biosurveillance » de la phase de M. galloprovincialis peut fournir des informations considérables quant à la pureté des eaux

New Mediterranean Biodiversity Records (July 2017)

This Collective Article presents information on 37 taxa belonging to 6 Phyla and extending from the western Mediterranean to the Levantine Sea. The new records were found in 10 countries as follows: Algeria: first reports on the presence of the fish species Lesueurigobius sanzi, L. friesii, L. suerii and Luvarus imperiali; France: first record of the alien nudibranch Godiva quadricolor; Italy: first record of an adult-sized red emperor snapper Lutjanus sebae from the southern Tyrrhenian Sea; first record of the pantropical rhodophyte Chondria curvilineata and the Lessepsian fish Siganus luridus from southern Sicily; record of a large pregnant female Dusky shark Carcharhinus obscurus off Sicily; Albania: first record of the fish Ruvettus pretiosus, new records of the alien molluscs Conomurex persicus, Bursatella leachii, Dendostrea cf. folium, Fulvia fragilis and Ruditapes philippinarum and additional report of the alien bivalve Pinctada imbricata radiata; Montenegro: first record of the sea slug Thecacera pennigera in the Adriatic Sea; Greece: first record of the invasive calcarean sponge Paraleucilla magna in Greek waters; occupancy estimation of the established cryptogenic rhodophyte Ganonema farinosum, the alien crustacean Percnon gibbesi and the alien fish species Fistularia commersonii, Siganus luridus, and S. rivulatus along the Cretan coastline; first record of the alien mollusc Sticteulima lentiginosa in Greek waters suggesting a westward unintentional expansion of this species; Turkey: photographic evidence of interactions of the monk seal Monachus monachus with sea-cage farms in the Turkish Aegean Sea and first record of the yellow boxfish Ostracion cubicus in the Turkish Mediterranean; Cyprus: first records of the rare speleophilic fish Thorogobius ephippiatus and Grammonus ater in Cyprus, extending the known distribution of the latter Mediterranean endemic species eastwards; first records of the alien fish Kyphosus vaigiensis and the alien crustacean species Macrophthalmus indicus and Carupa tenuipes as well as additional records of the alien echinoderm Diadema setosum and the alien ascidian Symplegma brakenhielmi in the country; Lebanon: first report on the presence of the four alien fish species Cephalopholis taeniops, Equulites popei, Pseudupeneus prayensis and Sphoeroides pachygaster; Egypt: first record of the Lessepsian fish Synchiropus sechellensis in the Egyptian Mediterranean waters.peer-reviewe

New Mediterranean Biodiversity Records (October, 2014)

The Collective Article ‘New Mediterranean Biodiversity Records’ of the Mediterranean Marine Science journal offers the means to publish biodiversity records in the Mediterranean Sea. The current article is divided in two parts, for records of alien and native species respectively. The new records of alien species include: the red alga Asparagopsis taxiformis (Crete and Lakonicos Gulf) (Greece); the red alga Grateloupia turuturu (along the Israeli Mediterranean shore); the mantis shrimp Clorida albolitura (Gulf of Antalya, Turkey); the mud crab Dyspanopeus sayi (Mar Piccolo of Taranto, Ionian Sea); the blue crab Callinectes sapidus (Chios Island, Greece); the isopod Paracerceis sculpta (northern Aegean Sea, Greece); the sea urchin Diadema setosum (Gökova Bay, Turkey); the molluscs Smaragdia souverbiana, Murex forskoehlii, Fusinus verrucosus, Circenita callipyga, and Aplysia dactylomela (Syria); the cephalaspidean mollusc Haminoea cyanomarginata (Baia di Puolo, Massa Lubrense, Campania, southern Italy); the topmouth gudgeon Pseudorasbora parva (Civitavecchia, Tyrrhenian Sea); the fangtooth moray Enchelycore anatine (Plemmirio marine reserve, Sicily); the silver-cheeked toadfish Lagocephalus sceleratus (Saros Bay, Turkey; and Ibiza channel, Spain); the Indo-Pacific ascidian Herdmania momusin Kastelorizo Island (Greece); and the foraminiferal Clavulina multicam erata (Saronikos Gulf, Greece). The record of L. sceleratus in Spain consists the deepest (350-400m depth) record of the species in the Mediterranean Sea. The new records of native species include: first record of the ctenophore Cestum veneris in Turkish marine waters; the presence of Holothuria tubulosa and Holothuria polii in the Bay of Igoumenitsa (Greece); the first recorded sighting of the bull ray Pteromylaeus bovinus in Maltese waters; and a new record of the fish Lobotes surinamensis from Maliakos Gulf