Topography and flora of the satellite islets surrounding the Maltese Archipelago

This present study provides a list of flora species encountered during multiple visits to the following locations listed below during 1998-2010. The majority of species are new records to the respective locations. Also the distributions of various species found and a general description on topography of each islet is given.peer-reviewe

Additions to the Heteroptera fauna of the Maltese Islands (Hemiptera, Heteroptera, Coreidae)

Two new records of species of Hemiptera Coreidae, Leptoglossus occidentalis (Heidemann, 1910) and Gonocerus insidiator (Fabricius, 1787) from the Maltese islands (Central Mediterranean ) are hereby reported.peer-reviewe

Notes on the distribution of Helichrysum Melitense, Hyoseris Frutescens and MatthiolaIncana Melitensis in the Maltese Islands

Considerations are made on the historical distribution of Helichrysum melitense, Hyoseris frutescens and Matthiola incana subsp. melitensis, three floral species endemic to the Maltese Islands, whilst new records for the three species are also reported. A new variety of Matthiola incana subsp. melitensis is also recorded, whilst biogeographical aspects are also discussed for the three species.peer-reviewe

A contribution to the knowledge of alien flora in the Maltese Islands

The occurrence of Limoniun sinuatum L., Malephora crocea var purpureo crocea Schwantes J. , Pennisetum setaceum (Forsskal.) Chiov. and Viola alba Bess. In the Maltese Islands is recorded. Considerations are also made on the distribution of Cyperus alternifolius L. and Solanum elaeagnifolium Car. R.peer-reviewe

Two specimens of Hypolimnas misippus (Linnaeus, 1764) (Lepidoptera : Nymphalidae) in the Maltese Islands

Two specimens of Hypolimnas misippus (Linnaeus, 1764) are reported in the Maltese islands.peer-reviewe

Observations on the life history of Synclisis baetica Rambur 1842 (Neuroptera : Myrmeleontidae) at the Ramla l-Hamra sand dunes in Gozo (Malta, Central Mediterranean)

Although the neuropteran species Synclisis baetica was recorded in the Maltese Islands (Central Mediterranean) way back in 1996, and is the largest neuropteran species on the Islands, no research on the local ecology of this species has ever been conducted. This study summarises the observations on the behaviour of the species made in the wild within the sand dune remnants of Ir-Ramla l-Ħamra (Gozo, Maltese Islands) over the 2003-2009 period, as well as observations on the life cycle of the same species made on a number of captive-bred individuals.peer-reviewe

On the occurrence of a new population of Potamon Fluviatile Lanfranconi at Wied Ghajn Zejtuna, Mellieha, Malta

Potamon fluviatile lanfrancoi is being recorded in this study from a new locality in Malta: Wied Għajn Żejtuna, Mellieha. Individual crabs, exuviae, carcasses, snail shell fragments and excavated mud piles were discovered at various points of the valley, conclusively indicating the presence of the species.peer-reviewe

The protected taxon Ocypode cursor (Linnaeus, 1758)(Crustacea : Decapoda : Ocypodidae) - documenting its well-established presence in the Central Mediterranean

Ocypode cursor (Linnaeus, 1758) is the only Ocypode species present in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the nine marine crustacean species protected in the basin. It is widely distributed in the eastern Mediterranean, but knowledge about its presence in the central Mediterranean is very limited so far. We hereby first document the established presence of O. cursor in the central Mediterranean (Sicily and Malta), backdate the known presence of this taxon in Italy, and offer preliminary observations on the main known Maltese population. In Sicily, O. cursor is distributed along most of the south-western coast of the island of Sicily, whilst at least three beaches in the Maltese Islands are known to support populations of this species. The main Maltese population exhibits numerous similarities (e.g. burrow width, zonation along the beach) to another Mediterranean population studied in northern Cyprus, although occurring at lower densities. We conclude that the species has been probably present within the study area for a long period, but went undetected in view of the low population densities at which it previously occurred, the lack of a comprehensive census for the species within the same study area, and its nocturnal habits. The presence of this species in the central Mediterranean seems to be attributable to secondary natural spreading.peer-reviewe

The first record of the white-spotted Australian jellyfish Phyllorhiza punctata von Lendenfeld, 1884 from Maltese waters (Western Mediterranean) and from the Ionian coast of Italy

The occurrence of the white-spotted Australian jellyfish Phyllorhiza punctata Lendenfeld, 1884, an Indo-Pacific scyphozoan species mainly restricted to the Levantine Basin, is hereby reported for the first time from Maltese waters (western Mediterranean) and from the Ionian coast of Italy. Considerations on possible vectors of introduction of the jellyfish species to this part of the Mediterranean are made.peer-reviewe

Morphological variability in and distributional data on Phaleria bimaculata populations from islands of the Central Mediterranean area

This study aimed to collect new taxonomic and distribution data on Phaleria bimaculata (L.) (Coleoptera Tenebrionidae) from Sicily (southern Italy), the circum-Sicilian islands and the Maltese archipelago. Particular attention was paid to the diagnostic morphological features observed in the populations sampled, focusing on the subspecies Phaleria bimaculata marcuzzii Aliquò. P. bimaculata individuals were collected from 20 different locations, of which 2 were located in the Sicilian mainland, 9 in circum-Sicilian islands and 9 in the Maltese Islands. In addition, four Phaleria acuminata Kuster populations were also recorded along southern Sicilian shores. The two Phaleria species were never recorded in sympatry within the current study. Geometric morphometrics were deployed to quantify and analyze the intra-specific differentiation in the shape of two external anatomical structures, i.e. the pronotum and the elytra. The elytra of the individuals from the Aeolian island of Vulcano, locus typicus of the ssp. marcuzzii, were more elongated and elliptical in comparison to the Maltese and the Sicilian individuals, underscoring the degree of genetic differentiation within different populations of the species.peer-reviewe