Occurrence of the alien nudibranch Melibe viridis (Kelaart, 1858) (Opisthobranchia, Tethydidae), in the Maltese Islands

The alien dendronotacean nudibranch Melibe viridis (Kelaart, 1858), a tropical Indo-Pacific species that seems to have been introduced by shipping into the Mediterranean via the Suez Canal, and which has established populations in Greece, Turkey, Cyprus, Montenegro, Croatia, NW Sicily, southern peninsular Italy and Djerba Island in the Gulf of Gabes, is recorded for the first time from Malta. A thriving population was observed on a soft sediment bottom at a depth of 18-20 m off the western coast of the island of Comino (Maltese Islands). It is suggested that this species was introduced into Malta due to a natural range expansion of surrounding populations

On the occurrence of Cephalopholis hemistiktos and C. taeniops (Actinopterygii, Perciformes, Serranidae) in Malta, with corrections of previous misidentifications

The only species of Cephalopholis currently known from the Mediterranean is Cephalopholis taeniops (Valenciennes, 1828), which was recorded from Libya, Malta, and Lampedusa after having autochthonously extended its original Atlantic range. All records of Cephalopholis substantiated by specimens or images from Malta were evaluated, showing that an individual filmed in August 2009 was misidentified and instead represents the first record of Cephalopholis hemistiktos (Rüppell, 1830) from the Mediterranean. Based on these records, C. taeniops is considered to be established in Maltese waters while C. hemistiktos is regarded as a ‘casual’ species, most likely transported by shipping or introduced as an aquarium escapee

First record of Paranthias cf. furcifer (Actinopterygii: Perciformes: Serranidae) from the central Mediterranean, with notes on the identification of marine species from imagery

An individual fish, identified as a species of Paranthias, is recorded from a photograph taken in July 2013 at Marsascala, Malta. The species is likely to be P. furcifer but since no actual specimen has been forthcoming in spite of a long time since this record, and as certain identification is based on meristic counts, the fish is only conclusively identified to the genus level. Nonetheless, this is the first record of this genus from the central Mediterranean. The problems of identification based on images alone are discussed and it is recommended that publications based on such identifications should include a critical analysis of the uncertainties in the identification and of alternative identifications

Evaluation of a multiplex PCR to identify and serotypeActinobacillus pleuropneumoniaeserovars 1, 5, 7, 12 and 15

The aim of this study was to validate a multiplex PCR for the species identification and serotyping of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae serovars 1, 5, 7, 12 and 15. All 15 reference strains and 411 field isolates (394 from Australia, 11 from Indonesia, five from Mexico and one from New Zealand) of A. pleuropneumoniae were tested with the multiplex PCR. The specificity of this multiplex PCR was validated on 26 non-A. pleuropneumoniae species. The multiplex PCR gave the expected results with all 15 serovar reference strains and agreed with conventional serotyping for all field isolates from serovars 1 (n = 46), 5 (n = 81), 7 (n = 80), 12 (n = 16) and serovar 15 (n = 117). In addition, a species-specific product was amplified in the multiplex PCR with all 411 A. pleuropneumoniae field isolates. Of 25 nontypeable field isolates only two did not yield a serovar-specific band in the multiplex PCR. This multiplex PCR for serovars 1, 5, 7, 12 and 15 is species specific and capable of serotyping isolates from diverse locations. Significance and Impact of the Study A multiplex PCR that can recognize serovars 1, 5, 7, 12 and 15 of A. pleuropneumoniae was developed and validated. This novel diagnostic tool will enable frontline laboratories to provide key information (the serovar) to guide targeted prevention and control programmes for porcine pleuropneumonia, a serious economic disease of pigs. The previous technology, traditional serotyping, is typically provided by specialized reference laboratories, limiting the capacity to respond to this key disease

A study of osteological and molecular differences in populations of Aphanius fasciatus Nardo 1827, from the central Mediterranean (Teleostei, Cyprinodontidae).

Nine populations of Aphanius fasciatus Nardo, 1827 from the central Mediterranean were analysed by examining the mitochondrial control region and the morphology of the bony elements of the skull and vertebral column, to study the degree of intraspecific differentiation of A. fasciatus considering the level of isolation of the different populations and the palaeogeographic history of the central Mediterranean area. Both the molecular and morphological analyses differentiate between the populations, even if the topologies of the two trees are different. Molecular and osteological investigations have consistently demonstrated a well-supported differentiation of the south-eastern Sicilian populations both within the same group (Tigano et al. in Ital J Zool 71:1124-1133, 2004a; Tigano et al. in Abstract volume XI European Congress of Ichthyology, Tallin, Estonia, 2004b), and from the populations from western Sicily, Tunisia and the island of Malta. The molecular results show that the nine populations are characterised by haplotypes that are well defined in relation to a probably limited gene flow; while, as regards the morphological data the differentiation found could be explained in terms of the geographic isolation of the various populations, although the influence of environmental factors, which differ greatly between the various sites where the populations live, cannot be ruled out