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In migratory species female- and male-mediated gene flow are important for defining relevant Management Units, and for evaluating connectivity between these and their respective foraging grounds. The stock composition at five Mediterranean foraging areas was investigated by analysing variation in the mitochondrial D-loop and six microsatellite loci in a sample of 268 loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) stranded or accidentally caught by fisheries. This involved a comprehensive Mixed Stock Analysis which considers also recent data from major rookeries in Libya and Turkey, and the generation of a standardized nomenclature of allele sizes at the microsatellite loci. The results indicate: that the north Adriatic, the Tunisian continental shelf, the waters around Malta and the Italian Ionian Sea represent important areas for the conservation of rookeries in Greece, Libya and Turkey, respectively; that waters off the Italian peninsula and the islands of Lampedusa and Malta are mainly inhabited by individuals of Mediterranean origin, with a major contribution from the nearest and largest colonies, while Atlantic turtles are restricted to the western areas; that specific migratory routes exist from rookeries to foraging grounds; a poor bi-parental genetic structuring, which suggests a high male-mediated gene flow in the Mediterranean; mixing of small turtles in waters distant from natal rookeries, and recovery of structuring for large-sized individuals; and that uncommon mtDNA haplotypes are more powerful markers than microsatellite alleles in assessing an individual's origin, owing to their higher geographic specificity. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Barco, A., Schiaparelli, S., Houart, R. & Oliverio, M. (2012). Cenozoic evolution of Muricidae (Mollusca, Neogastropoda) in the Southern Ocean, with the description of a new subfamily. —Zoologica Scripta, 41, 596–616. Gastropods are among the most studied group in Antarctica, and taxa with an advanced status of systematic knowledge can be used as a model to study how oceanographic and climatic patterns shaped Recent faunal assemblages. Within the ongoing study of the muricid phylogeny, we have analysed molecular and morphological data from species traditionally ascribed to the muricid subfamily Trophoninae. Particularly, the availability of specimens collected in the Southern Ocean and surrounding basins allowed to demonstrate as the genera Pagodula, Xymenopsis, Xymene and Trophonella, which are traditionally classified in the Trophoninae, actually belong to a distinct lineage, for which the new subfamily Pagodulinae is herein introduced. We propose and discuss a possible framework for the origin and radiation of Antarctic muricids.

Nitric oxide synthase (NOS) has been characterized in several opistobranchs and pulmonates but it was much less investigated in prosobranchs, which include more than 20,000 species and account for most of the gastropod diversity. Therefore, new data from this large group are needed for a better knowledge of the molecular evolution of NOS enzymes in molluscs. This study focused on NOS expressed in the nervous system of the prosobranch neogastropod Stramonita haemastoma. In this study we report compelling evidence on the expression of a constitutive Ca2+/CaM-dependent neuronal NOS in the central and peripheral nervous system. The prevailing neuronal localization of NADPHd activity was demonstrated by NADPHd histochemistry in both central and peripheral nervous system structures. L-arginine/citrulline assays suggested that Stramonita NOS is a constitutive enzyme which is both cytosolic and membrane-bound. Molecular cloning of the full-length Stramonita NOS (Sh-NOS) by reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) followed by 5′ and 3′ RACE showed that Sh-NOS is a protein of 1,517 amino acids, containing a PDZ domain at the N-terminus and sharing similar regulatory domains to the mammalian neuronal NOS (nNOS). Regional expression of the Sh-NOS gene was evaluated by RT-PCR. This analysis showed different expression levels in the nerve ring, the osphradium, the cephalic tentacles, the buccal tissues, and the foot, whereas NOS expression was not found in the salivary glands and the gland of Leiblein. The present data provide a solid background for further studies addressing the specific functions of NO in neogastropods. J. Comp. Neurol. 520:364–383, 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The primary structures of the mtDNA control region, the flanking tRNAPro and tRNAPhe genes and the partial 12S rRNA gene of the freshwater Etruscan goby Padogobius nigricans (Teleostei, Gobiidae) were determined. A tandem array of variable 17-bp repeats, named R1–7, was found to be responsible for most of the observed length and sequence variation between individuals.

Aim We discuss biogeographical hypotheses for the Mediterranean lizard species Podarcis and Teira within a phylogenetic framework based on partial mitochondrial DNA sequences. Methods We derived the most likely phylogenetic hypothesis from our data set (597 aligned positions from the 12S rDNA and phenyl tRNA) under parsimony, distance and maximum likelihood assumptions. Results The species usually included in Teira do not form a strongly monophyletic clade. In contrast, the monophyly of the genus Podarcis is rather well supported. Seven lineages are identified in the genus; in order of appearance within the tree, these are: the Balearic pityusensis and lilfordi pair, the sicula complex, a Tyrrhenian tiliguerta and raffonei pair, muralis, the Siculo-Maltese filfolensis and wagleriana pair, the Balkan group (erhardi, peloponnesiaca, milensis, melisellensis and taurica), and the Ibero-Maghrebian group (bocagei, atrata, hispanica and vaucheri). Conclusions The origin of the three European genera of lacertid assayed (Lacerta, Teira and Podarcis) is hypothesized to have occurred in the Oligocene. For Podarcis, a possible scenario of a Miocene diversification is derived from the sequence data, and the zoogeography of the lineages are discussed in relation to the palaeogeography of the Mediterranean. It is hypothesized that in the early history of the genus the main lineages separated by rapid, numerous and close events that produced a starting point very similar to a polytomy, hard to resolve by parsimony analysis of the data set.

On the basis of foregut anatomy and embryonic/larval shell morphology, the radula-less conoidean gastropod genus Clathromangelia Monterosato, 1884 is transferred to the subfamily Daphnellinae (family Turridae). The Lower Pliocene to Recent species arc reviewed. The type species is Pleurotoma granum Philippi, 1844, Recent from Sicily. C. quadrillum Dujardin, 1837 a fossil species described from the Miocene (and ranging to the Lower Pliocene) is here considered a distinct species, with planktotrophic larval development. Clathromangelia strigillata Pallary, 1904 from the Gulf of Gabe (Tunisia) is figured and redescribed. Clathromangelia loiselieri Oberling, 1970 (lectotype here selected) is a senior synonym of C. fehrae (emend. pro C. fehri) Aartsen & Zenetou, 1987. Three new species are described and figured from the Italian Pliocene: C. tavianii sp. n., C. elvirae sp. n. and C. marinae sp. n.