Marine recreational fishers accumulate a vast amount of local ecological knowledge (LEK) during their fishing activity that can be of paramount importance for monitoring how climate change affects ...fish assemblages. We assessed LEK of recreational fishers to investigate the increase in the abundance of 5 northward-expanding indigenous thermophilic fish species in 2 Mediterranean subregions. We accessed LEK through an online survey completed by 794 recreational fishers (386 from the Adriatic/Ionian subregion and 408 from the Tyrrhenian/Ligurian subregion). The species perceived to have increased most in abundance were Pomatomus saltatrix (71% of replies) followed by Sphyraena viridensis (58%). The remaining species (Sparisoma cretense, Balistes capriscus and Coryphaena hippurus) ranged between 17 and 25%. Recreational fishers have a stable system of beliefs about meridionalization, which is perceived homogeneously between recreational anglers and recreational spearfishers. Our results indicate that latitude is negatively correlated with meridionalization in the Adriatic/Ionian, but not in the Tyrrhenian/Ligurian Seas, suggesting that meridionalization of the Adriatic/Ionian Seas could be a process that has temporally lagged with respect to the Tyrrhenian/Ligurian Seas. Our study demonstrates that LEK of recreational fishers can be easily accessed on a large geographical scale and can be useful to monitor changes in the distributions of data-limited species such as those studied here.
A single specimen of Pterois cf. miles has been recorded in the eastern middle Adriatic Sea. It was observed near the island of Vis at a depth of 15 m. The location of the record is further north ...than previous Adriatic records and it constitutes the northernmost record of this species in the Mediterranean Sea to date. The record is based solely on photographs and video footage provided by a professional underwater photographer.
The age and growth of the blackspot seabream, Pagellus bogaraveo, were determined by examining sagittal otoliths from fish sampled in the eastern Adriatic Sea. A total of 674 specimens (181 males, 90 ...hermaphrodites, 108 females, and 295 immatures) ranging from 8.80 to 47.27 cm (21.93 ± 9.00 cm) in total length were analyzed. The maximum observed age for the whole sample was 13 years. The sample was dominated by 1-year-old specimens as a consequence of an abundance of juvenile specimens collected by beach seines. Growth was described by the von Bertalanffy growth curve (L∞ = 52.3 cm, K = 0.15 year−1, t0 = 0.49 year, R2 = 0.97), and the growth performance index (Φ’) was 2.61. The length, width, thickness, and mass of the otoliths were compared with the total length and age of P. bogaraveo from the eastern Adriatic. The analysis showed that the measures were adequate predictors of age. These results can be of value for more effective management measures aimed at the conservation of this species.
Invasive alien species are a major worldwide driver of biodiversity change. The current study lists verified records of non-indigenous species (NIS) in European marine waters until 2020, with the ...purpose of establishing a baseline, assessing trends, and discussing appropriate threshold values for good environmental status (GES) according to the relevant European legislation. All NIS records were verified by national experts and trends are presented in six-year assessment periods from 1970 to 2020 according to the European Union Marine Strategy Framework Directive. Altogether, 874 NIS have been introduced to European marine waters until 2020 with the Mediterranean Sea and North-East Atlantic Ocean hosting most of the introductions. Overall, the number of new introductions has steadily increased since 2000. The annual rate of new introductions reached 21 new NIS in European seas within the last six-year assessment period (2012–2017). This increase is likely due to increased human activities and research efforts that have intensified during the early 21st century within European Seas. As Europe seas are not environmentally, nor geographically homogenous, the setting of threshold values for assessing GES requires regional expertise. Further, once management measures are operational, pathway-specific threshold values would enable assessing the effectiveness of such measures.
In this Collective Article on alien and cryptogenic diversity in the Mediterranean Sea we report a total of 19 species belonging to nine Phyla and coming from nine countries. Several of these records ...concern fish species, and of particular interest are the first records of: Terapon puta for Italian waters; Pteragopus trispilus from Malta; Plotosus lineatus from Cyprus; and the northernmost Mediterranean record of Lagocephalus sceleratus. The northernmost Mediterranean record was also reported for the sea urchin Diadema setosum. The portunid crab Thalamita poissonii was recorded for the first time in Libya. The copepod Pseudodiaptomus marinus was recorded for the first time in the Marmara Sea. The polychaete Branchiomma luctuosum was recorded for the first time from the Mediterranean coast of France. The alien anemone Diadumene lineata was recorded for the first time from Slovenia. The macroalgae Sargassum furcatum was recorded for the first time from Italy. The new Mediterranean records here reported help tracing abundance and distribution of alien and cryptic species in the Mediterranean Sea.
Abstract
The first record of the little known stomatopod Parasquilla ferussaci (Roux, 1828) in the Adriatic Sea is documented. One specimen was captured near islet Blitvenica in the eastern Adriatic ...(Croatian coast) on 26 January 2021 with a bottom trawl. This record indicates the extension of the known distributional range of this species in the Mediterranean Sea. Here we also provide the first data on the molecular identification of Parasquilla ferussaci supported by the detailed morphological description of the investigated specimen. Parasquilla is derived as a sister group to Faughnia, which together are sister to the genus Pseudosquillopsis.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Records of European catfish
in the Neretva River delta (Adriatic Sea basin) in Croatia are reported. The first occurrence of this non-native species was reported via social network which led to its ...timely detection by researchers. Origin of introduction is unknown but it is most likely the case of human-mediated introduction. The importance of social networks as a useful tool for the timely detection of non-native fish species, as well as the importance of raising awareness about the impacts of biological invasions, is discussed in this paper.
In this study we present a list of invasive/potential invasive alien species in the East and South European Network for Invasive Alien Species (ESENIAS) countries with marine borders. The species ...were classified according to the existing literature and experts’ judgment, as established, casual, invasive and expected. Finally, factsheets were compiled for ten species of high importance based on their expanding/invading character. Of the 160 species comprising the list, 149 were already present in the ESENIAS countries, while eleven were invasive species either present in the Mediterranean or in other European Seas, likely to be recorded in the ESENIAS countries. The majority of the species were of Red Sea/IndoPacific origin (97 species; 60.6%). Italy, Turkey and Greece were the countries with the highest representation of species (159, 152 and 139 species respectively), due to their extended coastline and the number of scholars working on marine invasive species. The highest number of established species was recorded in Turkey (116 species), whereas in Italy and Greece the most numerous species were the “expected” ones (85 and 48 species, respectively). The eastern Adriatic Sea countries (i.e. Albania, Croatia, Montenegro and Slovenia) had generally low numbers of species in this list, many of which are still “expected” to arrive from the neighbouring countries of Greece and Italy. Finally, the most frequently potential pathway was transfer stowaways (ship ballast water: 41 cases; ship hull fouling: 55), whereas unaided spread of Lessepsian immigrants followed (95 cases). This list is intended to serve as an early warning system that through horizon scanning process would assist ESENIAS countries to prioritise invasive alien species, their pathways and the areas of higher likelihood to appear, in order to take management measures.
U ovom radu predstavljamo popis invazivnih i potencijalno invazivnih vrsta na istoku i jugu Europske mreže za invazivne vrste (ESENIAS) u zemljama s morskim granicama. Vrste su klasificirane prema postojećoj literaturi i procjeni stručnjaka, pa su tako utvrđene grupe povremenih, invazivnih i očekivanih vrsta. Podaci su dati za deset vrsta čija se važnost temelji na njihovom širenju i invazivnom karakteru. Od 160 vrsta koje sadrži popis, 148 je već bilo prisutno u ESENIAS zemljama, dok je 9 invazivnih vrsta bilo prisutno u Sredozemnom ili u drugim europskim morima, a vjerojatno je da će se zabilježiti i u zemljama udruženim u ESENIAS. Većina vrsta je bile iz Crvenog mora / indopacifičkog podrijetla (97 vrsta, 60,6%). Italija, Turska i Grčka su zemlje s najvišom zastupljenošću vrsta (159, 152 i 139), zbog njihove proširene obale i broja znanstvenika koji rade na morskim invazivnim vrstama. Najveći broj utvrđenih vrsta zabilježen je u Turskoj (116 vrsta), dok su u Italiji i Grčkoj najbrojnije vrste bile “očekivane” (85 i 48 vrsta, respektivno). Istočne zemlje Jadranskog mora (npr. Albanija, Hrvatska, Crna Gora i Slovenija) imale su općenito nizak broj vrsta na ovom popisu, od kojih mnoge još “očekujemo” da pristignu iz susjednih zemalja: Grčke i Italije. Konačno, najčešće su potencijalni putovi bili „transferni putnici“ (balastna voda broda: 41 slučaj, obraštaj brodskog trupa: 55), dok je slijedilo i širenje lesepsijskih migranata (95 slučajeva). Ovaj popis je namijenjen da služi kao sustav ranog upozorenja koji bi kroz proces skeniranja pomogao državama ESENIAS da daju prioritet invazivnim stranim vrstama, njihovim putovima i područjima veće vjerojatnosti pojavljivanja, kako bi se poduzele potrebne mjere upravljanja.
Many Ophidiidae are active in dark environments and display complex sonic apparatus morphologies. However, sound recordings are scarce and little is known about acoustic communication in this family. ...This paper focuses on Ophidion rochei which is known to display an important sexual dimorphism in swimbladder and anterior skeleton. The aims of this study were to compare the sound producing morphology, and the resulting sounds in juveniles, females and males of O. rochei.
Males, females, and juveniles possessed different morphotypes. Females and juveniles contrasted with males because they possessed dramatic differences in morphology of their sonic muscles, swimbladder, supraoccipital crest, and first vertebrae and associated ribs. Further, they lacked the 'rocker bone' typically found in males. Sounds from each morphotype were highly divergent. Males generally produced non harmonic, multiple-pulsed sounds that lasted for several seconds (3.5 ± 1.3 s) with a pulse period of ca. 100 ms. Juvenile and female sounds were recorded for the first time in ophidiids. Female sounds were harmonic, had shorter pulse period (±3.7 ms), and never exceeded a few dozen milliseconds (18 ± 11 ms). Moreover, unlike male sounds, female sounds did not have alternating long and short pulse periods. Juvenile sounds were weaker but appear to be similar to female sounds.
Although it is not possible to distinguish externally male from female in O. rochei, they show a sonic apparatus and sounds that are dramatically different. This difference is likely due to their nocturnal habits that may have favored the evolution of internal secondary sexual characters that help to distinguish males from females and that could facilitate mate choice by females. Moreover, the comparison of different morphotypes in this study shows that these morphological differences result from a peramorphosis that takes place during the development of the gonads.
This work presents refined, updated subregional and regional non-indigenous species (NIS) inventories for the Mediterranean Sea, validated by national and taxonomic experts, with species records ...observed until December 2020. These datasets will be used as the baselines for the implementation of the Integrated Monitoring and Assessment Programme for the Mediterranean (IMAP) and the Mediterranean Quality Status Report 2023. In total, 1006 non-indigenous species have been found in Mediterranean marine and brackish waters. The highest numbers of NIS were observed in Israel, Türkiye, Lebanon and Italy. Approximately 45 species were categorized as data deficient, either due to lack of consensus on their alien status or the validity of their identification. Polychaeta, Foraminifera and macroalgae were the groups with the highest numbers of controversial species. There was a general increase in the yearly rate of new NIS introductions after the late 1990s, which appears to be slowing down in the last decade, but this may be confounded by reporting lags and differential research efforts. Between 1970 and 2020 there has been a steep increase in the proportion of shared species present throughout all four Mediterranean subregions, which are predominantly transported via shipping and recreational boating. While Lessepsian species are gradually spreading westwards and northwards, there is still a considerable invasion debt accumulating in the eastern and central Mediterranean.