An annotated checklist and bibliography of the diaptomidae (copepoda, calanoida) of Italy, Corsica, and the maltese islands

Calanoids of the family Diaptomidae are the most widespread copepods in the lentic inland waters of the Palearctic region. In Italy, studies on the family date back to the end of 19th century. Since then, several papers contributed to increase the knowledge on their presence, distribution, and ecological preferences. Nevertheless, new records for the area and the discovery of putative new species stress that the current knowledge on these inland water crustaceans is still far from being exhaustive. This paper presents an updated and annotated checklist and bibliography of the Diaptomidae of the Italian peninsula and surrounding islands, including Corsica and the Maltese islands, compiled through a critical review of the existing literature and carrying out further field research. The doubtful records reported in the literature are discussed and clarified. The updated checklist includes 30 diaptomid species and subspecies; among them, an alien species and three putative new species pending formal description are reported. About 20% of the observed species are endemic or subendemic to the study area. The faunal provinces ascribed to the Mediterranean limnofaunistic region host the highest species richness and contribute to the checklist with rare species and unique occurrences. The high species richness observed in the Mediterranean area supports the hypothesis of a long-lasting persistence of an ancient and peculiar copepod fauna

The Racovitzan impediment and the hidden biodiversity of unexplored environments

SCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Diversity and Distribution of the Inland Water Decapods of Sicily (Crustacea, Malacostraca)

The current knowledge of Sicilian inland water decapod malacostracans is scarce and an updated synopsis on species distribution is lacking. Therefore, we reviewed the checklist and recent distribution of Sicilian inland water decapods based on published and unpublished records and novel observations with the aim of providing an exhaustive repository, also to be used as a sound baseline for future surveys. Overall, five native decapod species occur in the study area, i.e., the atyid shrimp Atyaephyra desmarestii, the palaemonid shrimps Palaemon adspersus, P. antennarius, and P. elegans, and the freshwater crab Potamon fluviatile, and their current local distributions are described. In addition, three alien species were recorded: the common yabby Cherax destructor and the red swamp crayfish Procambarus clarkii, strictly linked to inland waters, and the Atlantic blue crab Callinectes sapidus, a mainly marine species that can also colonise the lower stretches of rivers and coastal brackish waters. The collected data suggest the existence of a partial segregation of native versus non-native species, with the latter currently confined to coastal water bodies and the lower stretches of rivers. Moreover, the exclusively freshwater caridean A. desmarestii and P. antennarius show a parapatric distribution in the study area, which may suggest the existence of mutual exclusion phenomena. The results obtained raise some concerns about the effects of alien species on the native biota, and dedicated monitoring and management strategies should be implemented in order to better understand and mitigate their impact

The water mites (Acari: Hydrachnidia) of the standing waters of Corsica, Sardinia and Sicily: review and new data

A compilation of our present knowledge of the water mites (Acari: Hydrachnidia) adapted to life in standing waters on the three large islands in the western Mediterranean (Corsica, Sardinia and Sicily) is provided. In addition to published data, this study deals with a rich volume of new material from recent field work, mostly deriving from intermittent ponds and pools, an extremely poorly investigated yet peculiar habitat type in the Mediterranean area. Species richness of water mites reported for the standing waters of the three islands amounts to 91 species. Out of the 47 species for which we present new distributional data, Hydrachna incisa Halbert, 1903, Hydrachna leegei Koenike, 1895, Piersigia limophila Protz, 1896, Hydryphantes crassipalpis Koenike, 1914 and Piona laminata (Thor, 1900) have not been recorded previously from the Mediterranean area. Most of these species were believed to have typical North European distributions. In addition to these, a further 13 species are recorded for the first time from the area covered. In total, 11 species are new for Italy, seven more are new for Sicily, three for Sardinia and seven for Corsica. Redescriptions are given of Axonopsis complanata (Müller, 1776) (A. graeca, nov. syn), Brachypoda baderi (reported for the first time after the original description from Abruzzo, Italy, synonymization with B. mutila rejected) and B. mutila (recorded for the first time outside Algeria with certainty). For each species, information is given on habitat preference and geographical distribution; the significance of the data is discussed under perspectives of zoogeography and nature protection. The completeness of our knowledge for the three investigated island is assessed using rarefaction curves and non-parametric estimators of species richness; while Sicily can be considered fairly well known, Corsica and Sardinia require further sampling to assess their water mite diversity

An updated checklist and biogeography of the Sardinian large branchiopods, with a focus on Spinicaudata (Crustacea, Branchiopoda)

The large branchiopod fauna of Sardinia is reviewed based both on literature and newly collected data. Based on the available evidence, 13 taxa are present on the island (8 Anostraca, 2 Notostraca, and 3 Spinicaudata). Among them, the finding of the spinicaudatan Leptestheria dahalacensis is new for Sardinia, while the spinicaudatans Cyzicus bucheti and Eulimnadia sp. were overlooked in the most recent synopses on the fauna of the island due to misidentifications. Conversely, Cyzicus tetracerus and Limnadia lenticularis, previously erroneously reported based on misidentifications, must be excluded from the fauna of Sardinia. The finding of Eulimnadia sp. is the first record in Europe and the northernmost record of the genus. The occurrence of Leptestheria dahalacensis in Sardinia is rather unexpected and probably due to its accidental introduction linked with rice cultures. At least four of the 13 Sardinian large branchiopod species are absent from the Italian mainland and Sicily, stressing the uniqueness of its fauna and its significant contribution to the Mediterranean inland water crustacean diversity

New distributional data for the Mediterranean medicinal leech Hirudo verbana Carena, 1820 (Hirudinea, Hirudinidae) in Italy, with a note on its feeding on amphibians

Scarce data are currently available about the distribution of the Mediterranean medicinal leech Hirudo verbana in Italy, and most of the known occurrence localities are based on records collected in the nineteenth and the first half of the twentieth century, which were not confirmed in the last decades, mostly due to a lack of surveys. Accordingly, the available knowledge on the distribution of the species is far from being updated and representative, although a significant negative trend of H. verbana throughout the country is supposed. The lack of sound distribution data is a significant shortfall, which hinders the implementation of the monitoring of the species as required by the Article 17 of the “Habitats Directive” on the species of Union concern. To provide recent, validated distributional data for the Mediterranean medicinal leech in Italy to be used as baseline data for further surveys and monitoring, we present herein a set of unpublished observations collected in the last decades in peninsular Italy, Sicily, and Sardinia. Moreover, we report observation of H. verbana feeding on amphibians, a feeding habit to date poorly documented for the Mediterranean medicinal leech. Based on both published and novel data, H. verbana is characterised by a large but fragmented distribution in Italy. Therefore, dedicated monitoring programs and the collection of validated occasional observations are highly desirable to get a clearer picture of the real distribution of the species

Ecosistemi di acque interne e di transizione

In questo contributo la vulnerabilità degli ecosistemi acquatici ai cambiamenti climatici è analizzata in relazione ai meccanismi di organizzazione e mantenimento della biodiversità e dei processi ecosistemici. Dai processi degli ecosistemi derivano funzioni che forniscono una serie di benefici o servizi per il genere umano (Daily et al., 2009). Tali servizi sono in larga misura dipendenti dalle componenti biologiche degli ecosistemi86. Negli ecosistemi acquatici i processi biogeochimici (ad es. denitrificazione batterica e assimilazione da parte della vegetazione acquatica), garantiscono l’abbattimento dei nutrienti, una funzione ecosistemica che produce il servizio di depurazione dell’acqua. Altri servizi sono la laminazione delle piene, la ricarica degli acquiferi, la regolazione del microclima locale, la produzione di risorse alimentari quali pesci, crostacei, ecc. (Jones, 2013). Le alterazioni degli ecosistemi, in particolare la perdita di specie e la diminuzione della biodiversità danneggiano questi servizi, con ricadute anche di tipo economico(si pensi, ad esempio, ai costi della depurazione dell’acqua destinata al consumo umano)

Advances in Glucocorticoid-Induced Osteoporosis

Glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis (GIOP) is one of the most important side effects of glucocorticoid use, as it leads to an increased risk of fractures. Recently, many published studies have focused on the cellular and molecular mechanisms of bone metabolism, the pathophysiology of GIOP, and the intervention options to prevent GIOP. In this review, recent advances in GIOP are summarized, particularly recent progress in our understanding of the mechanisms of GIOP resulting in improved insight that might result in the development of new treatment options in the near future

A systematic review and meta-analysis of bone metabolism in prostate adenocarcinoma

<p/> <p>Background</p> <p>Osteoporosis could be associated with the hormone therapy for metastatic prostate carcinoma (PCa) and with PCa <it>per se</it>. The objective of this review is to determine the incidence of bone loss and osteoporosis in patients with PCa who are or are not treated with hormone therapy (ADT).</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The Medline, Embase, Cancerlit, and American Society of Clinical Oncology Abstract databases were searched for published studies on prostate cancer and bone metabolism. The outcomes assessed were: fracture, osteoporosis and osteopenia.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Thirty-two articles (116,911 participants) were included in the meta-analysis. PCa patients under ADT had a higher risk of osteoporosis (RR, 1.30; <it>p </it>< 0.00001) and a higher risk of fractures (RR, 1.17; <it>p </it>< 0.00001) as compared to patients not under ADT. The total bone mineral density was lower in patients under ADT when compared with patients not under ADT (<it>p </it>= 0.031) but it was similar to bone mineral density found in healthy controls (<it>p </it>= 0.895). The time of androgen deprivation therapy correlated negatively with lumbar spine and total hip bone mineral density (Spearman's rho = -0.490 and -0.773; <it>p </it>= 0.028 and 0.001, respectively) and with total hip <it>t </it>score (Spearman's rho = -0.900; <it>p </it>= 0.037).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>We found consistent evidence that the use of androgen deprivation therapy in patients with PCa reduces bone mineral density, increasing the risk of fractures in these patients.</p