AMPHIBLESTRUM (AVICULAMPHIBLESTRUM) RUGGEROI SP. N., SUBGEN. N. (BRYOZOA) FROM THE WESTERN MEDITERRANEAN SEA

A new species and a new subgenus Amphiblestrum (Aviculamphiblestrum) ruggeroi sp.n. are described from deep circalittoral-epibathyal bottoms from the Sicily Strait and the north-western Mediterranean. The new subgenus is created to distinguish, within Amphiblestrum, species with both gymnocystal adventitious and large interzooidal avicularia, both originating from basal pore chambers.&nbsp

BRYOZOANS AS SEDIMENTARY INSTABILITY INDICATORS

In several Neogene stratigraphic sections of Italy bearing bryozoan assemblages, a great dominance of lunulitiform bryozoans was recorded in those levels characterized by the abundant muddy fraction of the sediment, and by the presence of Heterogeneous Communities. These latter settle and quickly evolve on sea-floors where anomalous sedimentation rates occur, caused by climatic or tectonic factors. Research carried out so far shows that lunulitiform bryozoans may be regarded as insrabiliry indicators, characterizing the early phase of Hererogeneous Communities

First record of sabellid and serpulid polychaetes from the Permian of Sicily

Some tubular fossils attributable to sabellids and serpulids, and a serpulid operculum are described for the first time from the Wordian to upper Permian “Pietra di Salomone”, “Rupe di San Calogero”, and “Rupe di San Benedetto” limestones (Sosio Valley, western Sicily, Italy). Tubes are attached to skeletons of sponges, crinoids, brachiopods and stromatoporoids. The material consists of about twenty incomplete tubes (attached and free portions) and includes some small tubes, ca. 0.2 mm wide, belonging to the sabellid Glomerula (with the species G. testatrix comb. nov. and G. gemmellaroi sp. nov.), the serpulid Filograna sp., and large-sized tubes, up to 3 mm wide, belonging to three newly described serpulids: Propomatoceros permianus sp. nov., “Serpula” distefanoi sp. nov., and Serpulidae sp. indet. They are triangular or circular in cross-sections, and display growth lines and/or ornamentations (keels or ribs) on their outer surfaces. Furthermore, an opercular cup referable to those assigned to the genus Pyrgopolon, is also described under the name P. gaiae sp. nov. All specimens show large secondary calcite crystals in their tubes, the original structure being biased by diagenesis. Material represents the first evidence of genuine calcareous tube-dwelling polychaetes from the Palaeozoic, and possibly so far unknown ancestral representatives of the families Sabellidae and Serpulidae. The tubeworm association together with the invertebrates upon which they settled, presumably lived in an exposed shallow- water palaeoenvironment, at the outer edge of a carbonate platform

Benthic invertebrates associated with subfossil cold-water coral frames and hardgrounds in the Albanian deep waters (Adriatic sea)

The fauna collected associated with subfossil Lophelia pertusa and Dendrophyllia cornigera coral samples and hardgrounds from Albanian waters between 190–230 m is discussed. Eighty-three benthic species are recorded: 2 Foraminifera, 22 Porifera, 6 Cnidaria, 25 Mollusca, 14 Annelida, 1 Arthropoda, 12 Bryozoa, and 1 Echinodermata. Seventy-four species are new records for the poorly investigated Albanian deep waters

New serpulid polychaetes from the Permian of western Sicily

Two new tubeworms, “Serpula” calannai sp. nov. and “Serpula” prisca sp. nov. are described from the Permian limestone of the Sosio Valley, western Sicily. Both species possess large tubes with long free anterior portions circular in cross-section. All morphological characters, such as tube shape and ornamentation, as well as inner structure of the wall, even if barely visible due to diagenesis, are still preserved. These two new species increase the previously known diversity of the Permian serpulid community, which flourished at the shelf edge of the western sector of the Palaeotethys and disappeared thereafter. The likely Wordian age of these serpulids, and their presumed absence in younger rocks up to the Middle–Late Triassic, suggests reduction, or even extinction, of these reef-related serpulid taxa during the end-Guadalupian biotic crisis, before the end-Permian extinction

Degradation of a photophilic algal community and its associated fauna from eastern Sicily (Mediterranean Sea)

The status of the "Biocoenosis of the Infralittoral Algae" of the upper infralittoral zone (at 5 m depth) from two selected stations along the eastern coast of Sicily (Ionian Sea, Mediterranean) was studied with a multiproxy approach involving the study of algae and associated protist and animal organisms, including foraminifers, serpulids, molluscs, bryozoans and ostracods. Scraped samples (40x40 cm) were collected at selected seasons during a 2-year period (2015-2016) in order to identify possible seasonal and spatial differences between the two stations, and to compare present data with historical ones. A community made up of the algae Halopteris scoparia, Padina pavonica, Dictyota dichotoma, Ellisolandia elongata and several other geniculate coralline algae was found in sites historically colonised by a Cystoseira brachycarpa community, which was not found during our study. These algae presently structure the community and provide substratum for several associated epibiotic species. Hierarchical cluster analysis and Non-Metric Multi-Dimensional Scaling Ordination significantly differentiate the communities between the two stations but show no clear seasonal trend. Differences largely relate to changes in the algal vegetation and the impact produced by the regression of structuring species on epibiots (especially serpulids and bryozoans). Comparison with historical algal data from the area indicates the disappearance of Cystoseira brachycarpa, which was present at least until the last '1990s, and a community degradation with a considerable loss in species richness. This parallels observations in other Mediterranean areas, and could be related to the increase in echinoid population density and their heavy grazing activity

Palaeohistology reveals a slow pace of life for the dwarfed Sicilian elephant

Altres ajuts: CERCA Programme/Generalitat de CatalunyaThe 1-m-tall dwarf elephant Palaeoloxodon falconeri from the Pleistocene of Sicily (Italy) is an extreme example of insular dwarfism and epitomizes the Island Rule. Based on scaling of life-history (LH) traits with body mass, P. falconeri is widely considered to be 'r-selected' by truncation of the growth period, associated with an early onset of reproduction and an abbreviated lifespan. These conjectures are, however, at odds with predictions from LH models for adaptive shifts in body size on islands. To settle the LH strategy of P. falconeri, we used bone, molar, and tusk histology to infer growth rates, age at first reproduction, and longevity. Our results from all approaches are congruent and provide evidence that the insular dwarf elephant grew at very slow rates over an extended period; attained maturity at the age of 15 years; and had a minimum lifespan of 68 years. This surpasses not only the values predicted from body mass but even those of both its giant sister taxon (P. antiquus) and its large mainland cousin (L. africana). The suite of LH traits of P. falconeri is consistent with the LH data hitherto inferred for other dwarfed insular mammals. P. falconeri, thus, not only epitomizes the Island Rule but it can also be viewed as a paradigm of evolutionary change towards a slow LH that accompanies the process of dwarfing in insular mammals

La longue séquence de Marchésieux: reconstitution de paléoenvironnements marins durant le premier cycle glaciaire de l'hémisphère nord

International audienceA l'échelle des cinq derniers millions d'années, les enregistrements paléoclimatiques restitués par les sédiments océaniques illustrent le contrôle des paramètres orbitaux (précession, obliquité et excentricité) sur le climat global. La tendance au refroidissement qui accompagne la fin du Néogène est ainsi marquée, vers -2,4 Ma, par le développement rapide des calottes de glace de l'hémisphère nord (Shackleton et al., 1984). Alors que l'histoire du climat global restituée par les enregistrements océaniques est sans cesse précisée, les données concernant l'évolution des environnements continentaux et côtiers au cours de ces changements restent essentiellement fragmentaires. Le forage effectué à Marchésieux (Manche; Normandie) a permis de réaliser une étude pluridisciplinaire de la signature de ce premier cycle glaciaire de l'hémisphère nord (Prétiglien). Les premiers résultats stratigraphiques, paléoenvironnementaux (eustatisme, température, paléobathymétrie) sont présentés

Alien species in the Mediterranean Sea by 2012. A contribution to the application of European Union's Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). Part 2. Introduction trends and pathways

More than 60 marine non-indigenous species (NIS) have been removed from previous lists and 84 species have been added, bringing the total to 986 alien species in the Mediterranean [775 in the eastern Mediterranean (EMED), 249 in the central Mediterranean (CMED), 190 in the Adriatic Sea (ADRIA) and 308 in the western Mediterranean (WMED)]. There were 48 new entries since 2011 which can be interpreted as approximately one new entry every two weeks. The number of alien species continues to increase, by 2-3 species per year for macrophytes, molluscs and polychaetes, 3-4 species per year for crustaceans, and 6 species per year for fish. The dominant group among alien species is molluscs (with 215 species), followed by crustaceans (159) and polychaetes (132). Macrophytes are the leading group of NIS in the ADRIA and the WMED, reaching 26-30% of all aliens, whereas in the EMED they barely constitute 10% of the introductions. In the EMED, molluscs are the most species-rich group, followed by crustaceans, fish and polychaetes. More than half (54%) of the marine alien species in the Mediterranean were probably introduced by corridors (mainly Suez). Shipping is blamed directly for the introduction of only 12 species, whereas it is assumed to be the most likely pathway of introduction (via ballasts or fouling) of another 300 species. For approximately 100 species shipping is a probable pathway along with the Suez Canal and/or aquaculture. Approximately 20 species have been introduced with certainty via aquaculture, while >50 species (mostly macroalgae), occurring in the vicinity of oyster farms, are assumed to be introduced accidentally as contaminants of imported species. A total of 18 species are assumed to have been introduced by the aquarium trade. Lessepsian species decline westwards, while the reverse pattern is evident for ship-mediated species and for those introduced with aquaculture. There is an increasing trend in new introductions via the Suez Canal and via shipping.The research leading to these results was partly supported by funding from the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme ([FP7/2007-2013]) under grant agreement n° 287600 - PERSEUS project (Policy-oriented marine Environmental Research for the Southern European Seas). MAMIAS has been developed for the Regional Activity Centre for Specially Protected Areas of the UNEP/ Mediterranean Action Plan under contracts No 67, 68, 69, 70 and 71 /2011/RAC/RPA