Deep-sea polychaetes (Annelida) from the Malta Escarpment (western Ionian Sea)

AbstractThe polychaete assemblages from an escarpment area in the western Ionian Sea are characterised in terms of species richness, evenness and trophic composition. Moreover, the first occurrence of the genus Barantolla in the Mediterranean Sea, and of Lumbrinerides carpinei and Exogone (Parexogone) campoyi in Italian waters, is reported. Aricidea trilobata Laubier and Ramos, 1974 is redescribed on the basis of new material with the new name Aricidea (Acmira) jeaneteae, together with a brief description of two deep-water species belonging to the genus Levinsenia

First record of Acanthurus chirurgus (Perciformes: Acanthuridae) in the Mediterranean Sea, with some distributional notes on Mediterranean Acanthuridae

The occurrence of the doctorfish Acanthurus chirurgus is reported for the first time in the Mediterranean Sea, off Elba Island, Tyrrhenian Sea (42.726667° N, 10.434444° E). This record is tentatively related to aquarium release. The occurrence of Acanthuridae in the Mediterranean Sea is briefly reviewed, and some distributional notes on Acanthurus coeruleus and Acanthurus monroviae in the Mediterranean are provided

Protect the natives to combat the aliens: Could octopus vulgaris cuvier, 1797 be a natural agent for the control of the lionfish invasion in the mediterranean sea?

[No abstract available

Is the mangrove red snapper Lutjanus argentimaculatus (Forsskål, 1775) established in the eastern Mediterranean Sea? First records from Greece through a citizen science project

The Indo-Pacific mangrove red snapper Lutjanus argentimaculatus (Forsskål, 1775) (Chordata: Actinopterygii: Perciformes: Lutjanidae) is an alien fish that has recently invaded the eastern Mediterranean Sea, with records from Israel, Lebanon, and Turkey. We here first report the presence of this species in Greece based on three specimens spearfished between July and August 2019; they also represent the westernmost observations of the species in the Mediterranean basin up to date. After a long period of latency, this taxon seems to undergo a very rapid expansion. The likely presence of an established population in the eastern part of the Mediterranean is discussed

The bastard grunt Pomadasys incisus (Bowdich, 1825) (Teleostei: Haemulidae) in Cyprus (eastern Mediterranean Sea) - a late arrival or just a neglected species?

Pomadasys incisus is a thermophilous coastal subtropical fish species belonging to the family Haemulidae. Originally described from Gambia, this species is widely distributed in the Eastern Atlantic from Galicia to South Africa. It has also been recorded in the Mediterranean Sea since 1840, presumably expanding its distribution in the next decades, although the species could have been already present in the basin, but simply overlooked until the mid XIX century. In this study, we first record P. incisus from Cyprus (eastern Mediterranean Sea), based on two opportunistic observations obtained through a citizen-science project and review the distribution of this species in the Mediterranean Sea. The present sighting raises the question on whether this species is a late arrival in the country or its presence has just been neglected until now. Based on present data, the most likely hypothesis is the latter one, with P. incisus occurring in low densities and being overlooked due to the absence of field studies. Whatever is true, some intrinsic or extrinsic factors may have played a role in limiting its spread or wide establishment in the above-mentioned country.</jats:p

PRIORITIZZAZIONE DELLE SPECIE ALIENE MARINE ITALIANE PER L’IMPLEMENTAZIONE DI UNA LISTA DI SPECIE ALIENE INVASIVE DI RILEVANZA NAZIONALE AI SENSI DEL REGOLAMENTO EU 1143/2014 E DEL DECRETO LEGISLATIVO 230/2017

The EU regulation on the prevention and management of the introduction and spread of invasive alien species (IAS) is based on the core concept of “IAS of EU concern”: species to be targeted for action. Besides the existing, and continuously being updated, European list, Italy is developing its own national list. Here we describe the process of development of the list of marine IAS of Italian concern and show the highest priority marine IAS