New Mediterranean biodiversity records (October 2015)

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 has adopted a country-based classification and the countries are listed according to their geographic position, from west to east. New biodiversity data are reported for 7 different countries, although one species reported from Malta is new for the entire Mediterranean basin, and is presumably also present in Israel and Lebanon (see below, under Malta). Italy: the rare native fish Gobius kolombatovici is first reported from the Ionian Sea, whilst the alien jellyfish Rhopilema nomadica and the alien fish Oplegnathus fasciatus are first reported from the entire country. The presence of O. fasciatus from Trieste is concomitantly the first for the entire Adriatic Sea. Finally, the alien bivalve Arcuatula senhousia is reported for the first time from Campania (Tyrrhenian Sea). Tunisia: a bloom of the alien crab ortunus segnis is first reported from the Gulf of Gabes, where it was considered as casual. Malta: the alien flatworm Maritigrella fuscopunctata is recorded in the Mediterranean Sea for the first time, on the basis of 25 specimens. At the same time, web searches include possible unpublished records from Israel and Lebanon. The alien crab P. segnis, already mentioned above, is first formally reported from Malta based on specimens collected in 1972. Concomitantly, the presence of Callinectes sapidus in Maltese waters is excluded since based on misidentifications. Greece: the Atlantic northern brown shrimp Penaeus atzecus, previously known from the Ionian Sea from sporadic records only, is now well established in Greek and international Ionian waters. The alien sea urchin Diadema setosum is reported for the second time from Greece, and its first record from the country is backdated to 2010 in Rhodes Island. The alien lionfish Pterois miles is first reported from Greece and concomitantly from the entire Aegean Sea. Turkey: the alien rhodophyte Antithamnion hubbsii is first reported from Turkey and the entire eastern Mediterranean. New distribution data are also provided for the native fishes Alectis alexandrina and Heptranchias perlo. In particular, the former record consists of a juvenile measuring 21.38 mm total length, whilst the latter by a mature male. Cyprus: the rare native cephalopod Macrotritopus defilippi, and the alien crab Atergatis roseus, sea slug Plocamopherus ocellatus and fish Cheilodipterus novemstriatus are first recorded from the entire country. Lebanon: the alien crabs Actaea savignii and Matuta victor, as well as the alien fish Synanceia verrucosa, are first recorded from the entire country. In addition, the first Mediterranean record of A. savignii is backdated to 2006, whilst the high number of M. victor specimens observed in Lebanon suggest its establishment in the Basin. The Atlantic fishes Paranthias furcifer and Seriola fasciata, and the circumtropical Rachycentron canadum, are also first reported from the country. The P. furcifer record backdates its presence in the Mediterranean to 2007, whilst S. fasciata records backdate its presence in the eastern Mediterranean to 2005. Finally, two of these latter species have been recently ascribed to alien species, but all three species may fit the cryptogenic category, if not a new one, better.peer-reviewe

New Alien Mediterranean Biodiversity Records (October 2020)

This article includes 23 new records of alien and cryptogenic species in the Mediterranean Sea, belonging to 4 Phyla (Chordata, Echinodermata, Arthropoda and Mollusca), distributed from the Alboran to the Levantine Sea. Records are reported from eight countries listed from West to East as follows: Algeria: new records of the Atlantic blue crab Callinectes sapidus; Spain: further spread and establishment of the sea slug Lamprohaminoea ovalis in continental shores; Tunisia: first record of the Atlantic Blue Crab Callinectes sapidus in the Gulf of Gabes; Italy: a new occurrence of the pufferfish Lagocephalus sceleratus in Northern Ionian waters; first record of Cephalopholis taeniops in the Ionian Sea; first record of the redlip blenny, Ophioblennius atlanticus in the Ionian Sea; Slovenia: first record of the isopod Paranthura japonica in Slovenia; Greece: first record of the molluscs Eunaticina papilla, Plocamopherus ocellatus and the fish Cheilodipterus novemstriatus; first record of the ascidian Ecteinascidia turbinata in Kriti; the long-spined sea urchin Diadema setosum in the Ionian Sea; Turkey: first record of the sea spider Ammothea hilgendorfi; the stomatopod Cloridina cf. ichneumon; the fishes Pempheris rhomboidea from the Sea of Marmara and Paranthias furcifer from the Aegean Sea; Lebanon: new records of the fishes Arothron hispidus, Rachycentron canadum, Heniochus intermedius and Acanthurus monroviae; first record of Acanthostracion polygonius. The records of Cloridina cf. ichneumon from southern Turkey and the fish Acanthostracion polygonius from Lebanon, both being the first Mediterranean records, are noteworthy

Unpublished Mediterranean and Black Sea records of marine alien, cryptogenic, and neonative species

To enrich spatio-temporal information on the distribution of alien, cryptogenic, and neonative species in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, a collective effort by 173 marine scientists was made to provide unpublished records and make them open access to the scientific community. Through this effort, we collected and harmonized a dataset of 12,649 records. It includes 247 taxa, of which 217 are Animalia, 25 Plantae and 5 Chromista, from 23 countries surrounding the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. Chordata was the most abundant taxonomic group, followed by Arthropoda, Mollusca, and Annelida. In terms of species records, Siganus luridus, Siganus rivulatus, Saurida lessepsianus, Pterois miles, Upeneus moluccensis, Charybdis (Archias) longicollis, and Caulerpa cylindracea were the most numerous. The temporal distribution of the records ranges from 1973 to 2022, with 44% of the records in 2020–2021. Lethrinus borbonicus is reported for the first time in the Mediterranean Sea, while Pomatoschistus quagga, Caulerpa cylindracea, Grateloupia turuturu, and Misophria pallida are first records for the Black Sea; Kapraunia schneideri is recorded for the second time in the Mediterranean and for the first time in Israel; Prionospio depauperata and Pseudonereis anomala are reported for the first time from the Sea of Marmara. Many first country records are also included, namely: Amathia verticillata (Montenegro), Ampithoe valida (Italy), Antithamnion amphigeneum (Greece), Clavelina oblonga (Tunisia and Slovenia), Dendostrea cf. folium (Syria), Epinephelus fasciatus (Tunisia), Ganonema farinosum (Montenegro), Macrorhynchia philippina (Tunisia), Marenzelleria neglecta (Romania), Paratapes textilis (Tunisia), and Botrylloides diegensis (Tunisia).peer-reviewe

Modalités des transferts des éléments traces métalliques dans la partie centrale du Golfe de Gabès, Tunisie : une approche géochimique, minéralogique, sédimentologique et biologique

Le Golfe de Gabès, situé dans le bassin méditerranéen oriental, réunit plusieurs traits distinctifs lui conférant une forte sensibilité vis à vis des contaminations d'origine anthropique. D'une part, l'influence des courants Atlantiques y très limitée, d'autre part, son orientation et sa morphologie caractérisée par une faible profondeur sur une grande étendue ne permettent qu'un faible taux de renouvellement des eaux. Dans cet environnement vulnérable, plus de 200 millions de tonnes de phosphogypse (sous- produit résultant de la production d'acide phosphorique) ont été rejetés dans l'environnement marin depuis près d'un demi-siècle en ayant comme conséquence une dégradation conséquente de l'écosystème benthique en particulier des herbiers de posidonies. La caractérisation du phosphogypse conduit à identifier les différentes modalités des transferts au sein des milieux marins des métaux contenus initialement dans le phosphate. Sa charge en métaux toxiques est essentiellement associée à la matière organique qui s'agrège lors de son transfert dans l'émissaire industriel pour former une mousse se déplaçant à la surface de la mer. Cette mousse présente une structure complexe constituée de matière organique amphiphile jouant le rôle de tensioactif au contact de l'eau de mer et de gypse synthétique qui en constitue le squelette auxquels s'ajoutent halite, sphalérite et francolite. Elle se dégrade en fonction de l'état d'agitation du milieu marin via la dissolution du gypse relarguant ainsi sa charge polluante selon l'amplitude de la houle. Une fraction limitée des métaux passe directement en solution transportés par l'action des courants côtiers. Enfin, des grains de phosphate brut sont transportés soit par roulement-saltation soit en suspension. Ils s'accumulent surtout au niveau de la plage de Chatt Essalam du fait des impacts hydrodynamiques des structures portuaires du site. Les métaux toxiques affectent également les sédiments de surface et les organismes benthiques. En particulier, les mattes posidonies jouent le rôle d'archivage de la contamination permettant ainsi de retracer l'évolution de la contamination métallique des eaux marines depuis le début du développement industriel de la côte en 1972. Enfin, une première évaluation des pertes financières associées aux services écosystémiques fournis par les herbiers de Posidonies à l'activité économique de la pêche côtière, conduit à mettre en perspective le coût d'une partie des externalités négatives associées à la contamination chronique à l'échelle de la partie centrale du Golfe de Gabès.The Gulf of Gabes, located in the oriental Mediterranean basin, has many particular properties making it very sensitive to anthropogenic contaminations. One of the distinguishing features of Gabes Gulf is low water flush-activity related mainly to its orientation and morphology marked by its largely-extended shallow plateau as well as to the limited influence of Atlantic water currents. For more than 50 years, than 200 million tons of phosphogypsum (by-product of phosphoric acid production) have been continuously dumped in this vulnerable environment leading to an accentuated degradation of the local benthic habitat represented mainly by the seagrass meadows of Posidonia oceanica. Within this context, knowing the characterization of phosphogypsum will certainly help to identify the different transfer modalities of the metals (composing the initial phosphate ore) within the marine environment. The pollutants load of phosphogypsum is mainly associated to the organic matter which aggregates during the transfer process via the evacuation channel leading to the formation of floating foam. These latter foams are passively transported by winds and local currents to distant areas and are found to be rich in organic matter with an amphipathic character that makes them act as a surfactant in contact with seawater. The skeleton of phosphogypsum foam was also found to be composed of synthetic gypsum as well as halite, sphalerite and francolite. The degradation of the phosphogypsum foam is accentuated by the degree of agitation/hydrodynamics of the marine environment through the dissolution of gypsum, leading to the release of its polluting components following the swell amplitude. It is worth noting that a limited metal fraction passes directly into solution. These latter metals are hence transported by the coastal currents. As for the phosphate grains, they are trained towards the south either by rolling-saltation or in suspension, and end by accumulating mainly in Chat Essalam beach due to the hydrodynamics effects exerted by the ports structures leading to modify the coastline. In addition, the toxic metals affect also the surface sediments as well as the benthic organisms and hence these latter can inform about the health status and the contamination history of the local marine environment. Within this context, the mats of Posidonia oceanica meadows can be used as an archiving tool of the contamination history in the Gulf of Gabes and allow hence retracing the evolution of metallic contamination of sea waters since the set-up of the coastal industrial complex in Gabes city (i.e. 1972). Finally, a first assessment of the financial losses linked to the ecosystemic services provided by Posidonia oceanica seagrass beds to coastal fisheries activity was conducted allowing to evaluate the cost of a part of the negative consequences linked to the industrial chronic pollution at the central part of Gabes Gulf

Metallic trace element transfer modalities in the central part of Gabes gulf, Tunisia : a geochemeicla, mineralogical, sedimentological and biological approach

Le Golfe de Gabès, situé dans le bassin méditerranéen oriental, réunit plusieurs traits distinctifs lui conférant une forte sensibilité vis à vis des contaminations d'origine anthropique. D'une part, l'influence des courants Atlantiques y très limitée, d'autre part, son orientation et sa morphologie caractérisée par une faible profondeur sur une grande étendue ne permettent qu'un faible taux de renouvellement des eaux. Dans cet environnement vulnérable, plus de 200 millions de tonnes de phosphogypse (sous- produit résultant de la production d'acide phosphorique) ont été rejetés dans l'environnement marin depuis près d'un demi-siècle en ayant comme conséquence une dégradation conséquente de l'écosystème benthique en particulier des herbiers de posidonies. La caractérisation du phosphogypse conduit à identifier les différentes modalités des transferts au sein des milieux marins des métaux contenus initialement dans le phosphate. Sa charge en métaux toxiques est essentiellement associée à la matière organique qui s'agrège lors de son transfert dans l'émissaire industriel pour former une mousse se déplaçant à la surface de la mer. Cette mousse présente une structure complexe constituée de matière organique amphiphile jouant le rôle de tensioactif au contact de l'eau de mer et de gypse synthétique qui en constitue le squelette auxquels s'ajoutent halite, sphalérite et francolite. Elle se dégrade en fonction de l'état d'agitation du milieu marin via la dissolution du gypse relarguant ainsi sa charge polluante selon l'amplitude de la houle. Une fraction limitée des métaux passe directement en solution transportés par l'action des courants côtiers. Enfin, des grains de phosphate brut sont transportés soit par roulement-saltation soit en suspension. Ils s'accumulent surtout au niveau de la plage de Chatt Essalam du fait des impacts hydrodynamiques des structures portuaires du site. Les métaux toxiques affectent également les sédiments de surface et les organismes benthiques. En particulier, les mattes posidonies jouent le rôle d'archivage de la contamination permettant ainsi de retracer l'évolution de la contamination métallique des eaux marines depuis le début du développement industriel de la côte en 1972. Enfin, une première évaluation des pertes financières associées aux services écosystémiques fournis par les herbiers de Posidonies à l'activité économique de la pêche côtière, conduit à mettre en perspective le coût d'une partie des externalités négatives associées à la contamination chronique à l'échelle de la partie centrale du Golfe de Gabès.The Gulf of Gabes, located in the oriental Mediterranean basin, has many particular properties making it very sensitive to anthropogenic contaminations. One of the distinguishing features of Gabes Gulf is low water flush-activity related mainly to its orientation and morphology marked by its largely-extended shallow plateau as well as to the limited influence of Atlantic water currents. For more than 50 years, than 200 million tons of phosphogypsum (by-product of phosphoric acid production) have been continuously dumped in this vulnerable environment leading to an accentuated degradation of the local benthic habitat represented mainly by the seagrass meadows of Posidonia oceanica. Within this context, knowing the characterization of phosphogypsum will certainly help to identify the different transfer modalities of the metals (composing the initial phosphate ore) within the marine environment. The pollutants load of phosphogypsum is mainly associated to the organic matter which aggregates during the transfer process via the evacuation channel leading to the formation of floating foam. These latter foams are passively transported by winds and local currents to distant areas and are found to be rich in organic matter with an amphipathic character that makes them act as a surfactant in contact with seawater. The skeleton of phosphogypsum foam was also found to be composed of synthetic gypsum as well as halite, sphalerite and francolite. The degradation of the phosphogypsum foam is accentuated by the degree of agitation/hydrodynamics of the marine environment through the dissolution of gypsum, leading to the release of its polluting components following the swell amplitude. It is worth noting that a limited metal fraction passes directly into solution. These latter metals are hence transported by the coastal currents. As for the phosphate grains, they are trained towards the south either by rolling-saltation or in suspension, and end by accumulating mainly in Chat Essalam beach due to the hydrodynamics effects exerted by the ports structures leading to modify the coastline. In addition, the toxic metals affect also the surface sediments as well as the benthic organisms and hence these latter can inform about the health status and the contamination history of the local marine environment. Within this context, the mats of Posidonia oceanica meadows can be used as an archiving tool of the contamination history in the Gulf of Gabes and allow hence retracing the evolution of metallic contamination of sea waters since the set-up of the coastal industrial complex in Gabes city (i.e. 1972). Finally, a first assessment of the financial losses linked to the ecosystemic services provided by Posidonia oceanica seagrass beds to coastal fisheries activity was conducted allowing to evaluate the cost of a part of the negative consequences linked to the industrial chronic pollution at the central part of Gabes Gulf

Seasonal patterns of microplastics in surface sediments of a Mediterranean lagoon heavily impacted by human activities (Bizerte lagoon, Northern Tunisia)

International audienc

Economic impact of human-induced shrinkage of Posidonia oceanica meadows on coastal fisheries in the Gabes Gulf (Tunisia, Southern Mediterranean Sea)

International audienc

Characterization of microplastics in the surface waters of an urban lagoon (Bizerte lagoon, Southern Mediterranean Sea): Composition, density, distribution, and influence of environmental factors

International audienc