“New Alien Mediterranean Biodiversity Records” (March 2021)

This article includes twenty (20) new records of alien and cryptogenic species in the Mediterranean Sea, belonging to six (6) Phyla (Rhodophyta, Tracheophyta, Mollusca, Arthropoda, Bryozoa, and Chordata) distributed from the Eastern Mediterranean to the Sea of Alboran. The records are reported from nine (9) countries and can be classified into two categories: new records for the Mediterranean Sea and new records of non-indigenous species expanding within the Mediterranean Sea. The first category includes the gastropod Turbo radiatus from Lebanon coasts, the portunid crab Charybdis (Charybdis) natator from Tunis southern lagoon, the mollusc Thuridilla mazda from South Spain, and the nudibranch Okenia picoensis from the Alboran coasts of Spain and from Malta. The second category includes the bivalve Nudiscintilla cf. glabra from the Aegean coast of Turkey, the rhodophyte Colaconema codicola from the North Aegean coasts of Greece, the naked band gaper Champsodon nudivittis from the Sea of Marmara, Turkey. Also, the brachyuran Gonioinfradens giardi from the Greek Ionian waters, the codlet Bregmaceros nectabanus from the Croatian coasts of the Adriatic Sea, and the bryozoan Arbopercula tenella and copepod Parvocalanus crassirostris both from the Gulf of Trieste, Slovenian and Italian coasts, respectively. New records were also reported for the ascidian Distaplia bermudensis from brackish the Gulf of Naples, Italy, the damselfish Abudefduf cf. saxatilis and the seagrass Halophila stipulacea from Sardinia, Tyrrhenian Sea, and for the fish Paranthias furcifer from the harbour of Almeria, Alboran Sea, Spain. Through these records, an understanding of the expanding mechanisms and processes and, if possible, the development of mitigation measures within the region will be further facilitated

New Mediterranean biodiversity records (October, 2014)

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 is divided in two parts, for records of alien and native species respectively. The new records of alien species include: the red alga Asparagopsis taxiformis (Crete and Lakonikos Gulf, Greece); the red alga Grateloupia turuturu (along the Israeli Mediterranean shore); the mantis shrimp Clorida albolitura (Gulf of Antalya, Turkey); the mud crab Dyspanopeus sayi (Mar Piccolo of Taranto, Ionian Sea); the blue crab Callinectes sapidus (Chios Island, Greece); the isopod Paracerceis sculpta (northern Aegean Sea, Greece); the sea urchin Diadema setosum (Gökova Bay, Turkey); the molluscs Smaragdia souverbiana, Murex forskoehlii, Fusinus verrucosus, Circenita callipyga, and Aplysia dactylomela (Syria); the cephalaspidean mollusc Haminoea cyanomarginata (Baia di Puolo, Massa Lubrense, Campania, southern Italy); the topmouth gudgeon Pseudorasbora parva (Civitavecchia, Tyrrhenian Sea); the fangtooth moray Enchelycore anatina (Plemmirio marine reserve, Sicily); the silver-cheeked toadfish Lagocephalus sceleratus (Saros Bay, Turkey; and Ibiza channel, Spain); the Indo-Pacific ascidian Herdmania momus in Kastelorizo Island (Greece); and the foraminiferal Clavulina multicamerata (Saronikos Gulf, Greece). The record of L. sceleratus in Spain consists the deepest (350-400m depth) record of the species in the Mediterranean Sea. The new records of native species include: first record of the ctenophore Cestum veneris in Turkish marine waters; the presence of Holothuria tubulosa and Holothuria polii in the Bay of Igoumenitsa (Greece); the first recorded sighting of the bull ray Pteromylaeus bovinus in Maltese waters; and a new record of the fish Lobotes surinamensis from Maliakos Gulf.peer-reviewe

New Alien Mediterranean Biodiversity Records (March 2021)

This article includes twenty (20) new records of alien and cryptogenic species in the Mediterranean Sea, belonging to six (6) Phyla (Rhodophyta, Tracheophyta, Mollusca, Arthropoda, Bryozoa, and Chordata) distributed from the Eastern Mediterranean to the Sea of Alboran. The records are reported from nine (9) countries and can be classified into two categories: new records for the Mediterranean Sea and new records of non-indigenous species expanding within the Mediterranean Sea. The first category includes the gastropod Turbo radiatus from Lebanon coasts, the portunid crab Charybdis (Charybdis) natator from Tunis southern lagoon, the mollusc Thuridilla mazda from South Spain, and the nudibranch Okenia picoensis from the Alboran coasts of Spain and from Malta. The second category includes the bivalve Nudiscintilla cf. glabra from the Aegean coast of Turkey, the rhodophyte Colaconema codicola from the North Aegean coasts of Greece, the naked band gaper Champsodon nudivittis from the Sea of Marmara, Turkey. Also, the brachyuran Gonioinfradens giardi from the Greek Ionian waters, the codlet Bregmaceros nectabanus from the Croatian coasts of the Adriatic Sea, and the bryozoan Arbopercula tenella and copepod Parvocalanus crassirostris both from the Gulf of Trieste, Slovenian and Italian coasts, respectively. New records were also reported for the ascidian Distaplia bermudensis from brackish the Gulf of Naples, Italy, the damselfish Abudefduf cf. saxatilis and the seagrass Halophila stipulacea from Sardinia, Tyrrhenian Sea, and for the fish Paranthias furcifer from the harbour of Almeria, Alboran Sea, Spain. Through these records, an understanding of the expanding mechanisms and processes and, if possible, the development of mitigation measures within the region will be further facilitated

About the Record of Anthias anthias (Linnaeus, 1758), (Pisces: Serranidae) in the Canakkale Strait, Turkey

One specimen of Anthias anthias (SL: 138 mm, TL: 233 mm, TW: 69.9 g) was captured by a fishing line from Soganlidere off Gallipoli Peninsula off Canakkale Strait (Turkey) on 14 November 2008. This record is one of the first of the species in Canakkale Strait. A short description certain of morphometric and meristic features of specimen are give

Understanding the public attitude towards sharks for improving their conservation

12 pages, 5 figures, 3 tables, supplementary material https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2021.104811Sharks are among the oldest residents of the planet, they possess a unique value as top predators and constitute irreplaceable elements of marine ecosystems. Unfortunately, contemporary narratives widely presented in popular mainstream media have attached an utterly negative connotation to sharks, propagating an unsubstantiated and fabricated image of them as implacable and voracious predators. Recently a lot of attention is devoted to understanding the public perception towards sharks in order to promote their conservation given that a quarter of all shark species are facing extinction. This work assessed the current attitude of the public towards sharks on a global scale, utilizing modern technology through a single protocol that explored the importance of factors like culture, history, or educational level in shaping attitudes. We collected 13,800 questionnaires from 137 countries, with 25 countries presenting more than 100 answers each, representing in total 92% of the filled questionnaires. A generally positive attitude towards sharks emerged from our study, influenced significantly by several factors including knowledge and participation in marine conservation projects. Interestingly, shark attacks emerged as an important factor, with countries having high numbers of shark attacks exhibiting a highly positive attitude towards sharks, potentially because their citizens are more aware of the issue and the importance of sharks for the marine ecosystems. Guidelines for shifting public attitude towards sharks and consequently advancing shark conservation were also drawnThis work has been partially funded by the Oceans Past Platform (COST Action IS1403) and the Department of Animal Production, Fisheries & Aquaculture of the University of Patras, Greece and the Biology Department of the University of Padova, Italy as part of IG Ph.D. thesisWith the institutional support of the ‘Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence’ accreditation (CEX2019-000928-S)Peer reviewe

The use of fishers’ Local Ecological Knowledge to reconstruct fish behavioural traits and fishers’ perception of conservation relevance of elasmobranchs in the Mediterranean Sea

none37The Mediterranean Sea has a long-lasting history of fishery exploitation that, together with other anthropogenic impacts, has led to declines in several marine organisms. In particular, elasmobranch populations have been severely impacted, with drastic decreases in abundance and species diversity. Based on their experience, fishers can provide information on marine species occurrence, abundance and behavioural traits on a long-term scale, therefore contributing to research on the poorly studied biological aspects of elusive or rare elasmobranch species. In this study, for the first time, the Local Ecological Knowledge (LEK) of fishers was applied to study the behavioural traits of sharks, rays and skates in 12 FAO-GFCM geographical sub-areas (GSAs) of the Mediterranean Sea. This study found both new insight and proved the reliability of LEK-based catch seasonality, reflecting seasonal movements, by comparing LEK-based findings and available literature on five elasmobranch taxa (Mustelus spp., Squalus acanthias, Raja spp., Myliobatis aquila and Scyliorhinus stellaris) in the Adriatic Sea and 7 taxa (Mustelus spp., Raja spp., Prionace glauca, Scyliorhinus canicula, Torpedo spp., Pteroplatytrygon violacea and Isurus oxyrinchus) in the remaining Mediterranean GSAs. In addition, LEK provided new insights into a novel comprehensive representation of species aggregations (Mustelus spp., S. acanthias, M. aquila and S. canicula) in the sampled GSAs and supplied the first descriptions of the size, number of individuals and sex composition of the aggregations. When the limits and shortcomings of LEK-based research are considered, this methodology can be a complementary and cost-effective tool used to study elasmobranchs in either a data-poor scenario or a scenario in which a baseline is missing. LEK can also be useful for the evaluation and inclusion of fishers’ perceptions of bottom-up management and to provide important evidence for conservation plans.noneBARBATO, MATTEO; BARRÍA, CLAUDIO; BELLODI, ANDREA; BONANOMI, SARA; BORME, DIEGO; ĆETKOVIĆ, ILIJA; COLLOCA, FRANCESCO; COLMENERO, ANA I.; CROCETTA, FABIO; De CARLO, FRANCESCO; DEMİR, EGEMEN; Di LORENZO, MANFREDI; FOLLESA, MARIA CRISTINA; GARIBALDI, FULVIO; GIGLIO, GIANNI; GIOVOS, IOANNIS; GUERRIERO, GIULIA; HENTATI, OLFA; KSIBI, MOHAMED; KRUSCHEL, CLAUDIA; LANTERI, LUCA; LEONETTI, FRANCESCO LUIGI; LIGAS, ALESSANDRO; MADONNA, ADRIANO; MATIĆ SKOKO, SANJA; MIMICA, RENATA; MOUTOPOULOS, DIMITRIOS K.; MULAS, ANTONELLO; NERLOVIĆ, VEDRANA; PEŠIĆ, ANA; PORCU, CRISTINA; RIGINELLA, EMILIO; SPERONE, EMILIO; TSOUKNIDAS, KONSTANTINOS; TUNÇER, SEZGINER; VRDOLJAK, DARIO; MAZZOLDI, CARLOTTABarbato, Matteo; Barría, Claudio; Bellodi, Andrea; Bonanomi, Sara; Borme, Diego; Ćetković, Ilija; Colloca, Francesco; Colmenero, ANA I.; Crocetta, Fabio; De CARLO, Francesco; Demi̇r, Egemen; Di LORENZO, Manfredi; Follesa, MARIA CRISTINA; Garibaldi, Fulvio; Giglio, Gianni; Giovos, Ioannis; Guerriero, Giulia; Hentati, Olfa; Ksibi, Mohamed; Kruschel, Claudia; Lanteri, Luca; Leonetti, FRANCESCO LUIGI; Ligas, Alessandro; Madonna, Adriano; MATIĆ SKOKO, Sanja; Mimica, Renata; Moutopoulos, DIMITRIOS K.; Mulas, Antonello; Nerlović, Vedrana; Pešić, Ana; Porcu, Cristina; Riginella, Emilio; Sperone, Emilio; Tsouknidas, Konstantinos; Tunçer, Sezginer; Vrdoljak, Dario; Mazzoldi, Carlott