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This Collective Article presents information on 20 taxa belonging to five (5) Phyla: Cnidaria (2), Mollusca (8), Arthropoda (4), Echinodermata (1) and Chordata (5) recorded from the Alboran Sea to the Levantine Sea. These new records were found in seven (7) different ecoregions as follows: Alboran Sea: new record of the rare football octopus Ocythoe tuberculata in the harbour of Algeciras (Spain) ; Western Mediterranean Sea: first record of the isopod Arcturinella deltensis in the Ligurian Sea, and the third 969Medit. Mar. Sci., 23/4 2022, 968-994in the whole Mediterranean Sea ; third Mediterranean site for the MuricidaeCoralliophila ahuiri along the Italian coasts (Alghe-ro) ; first and westernmost record of the goby Corcyrogobius liechtensteini from the Iberian Peninsula ; new record of the sea slug Glaucus atlanticus from the coast of the Iberian Peninsula ; first and easternmost record of Holothuria (Vaneyothuria) lentiginosa lentiginosa along the Italian coasts ; Tunisian Plateau/Gulf of Sidra: seventh record of the oceanic squid Thysanoteuthis rhombusin Tunisia, and first for the Gulf of Gabes. Ionian Sea: second occurrence of the Atlantic tripletail Lobotes surinamensis in the Ionian Sea and first record from the Strait of Messina area ; new record of the rare sea elephant Pterotrachea coronata from the Strait of Messina ; Adriatic Sea: first record of a facies of football ascidian Diazona violacea in the South Adriatic Sea (Tremiti Island, Italy) ; two records of the sevengill shark Heptranchias perlo in Croatian waters after more than 70 years of absence of documented records in this area ; first known occurrence of the nudibranch Jalonus hyalinus in Slovenian waters and also the first known occurrence of this species in the Adriatic Sea ; first record of the nudibranch Okenia elegans in Slovenian waters ; Aegean Sea: First record of the parasitic isopod Nerocila milesensis along Greek coasts (Crete island) as well as the second record world-wide ; additional record of the brachyuran Paragalene longicrura collected from the Saronikos Gulf (Greece) ; first record of the siphonophore Rhizophysa filiformis in Greek waters as well as the second record of this species in the eastern Mediterranean basin ; new record of the rare and protected angelshark Squatina aculeata along Turkish coasts ; Levantine Sea: first record of the marine amphipod Caprella andreae in the Levantine Mediterranean shore of Israel, based on both morphological and molecular data ; first occurrence of the cephalopod Tremoctopus violaceus along Turkish coasts, which confirms its presence in the north-eastern coasts of Turkey ; record of a bloom of the thermophilic jellyfish Pelagia noctiluca in the north Levantine Sea.

Vassalli, M. ... et al.-- 9 pages, 4 figures, 1 table, This paper describes the adoption and validation of two innovative methods for the automated count of Ostreopsis spp. concentration in sea water: a molecular assay based on RT-qPCR and an opto-electronic device implementing automatic recognition algorithms. The proposed approaches were tested on samples coming from different locations along the Mediterranean Sea and compared with the standard counting method based on microscopy observation by a taxonomy expert. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of both automatic approaches which provide a valuable tool, mostly cost and time effective, for the establishment of wide pan-Mediterranean monitoring strategies of Ostreopsis spp. blooms. Moreover, the two automatic methods demonstrated the ability to discriminate for the presence of a different but similar species, O. fattorussoi, for which new species-specific qPCR primers were developed, This publication has been produced with the financial assistance of the European Union under the ENPI CBC Mediterranean Sea Basin Programme. [...]. Magda Vila also acknowledges the support of the Spanish Government (MINECO) throught the project OstreoRisk (CTM2014-53818-R)

Concern regarding Benthic Harmful Algal Blooms (BHABs) is increasing since some harmful benthic species have been identified in new areas. In the Mediterranean basin, the most common harmful benthic microalgae are Ostreopsis cf. ovata and Prorocentrum lima, which produce palytoxin-like compounds and okadaic acid respectively, and the need to implement monitoring activities has increased. However, a general agreement on appropriate strategies (e.g. sampling season, definition of alarm thresholds, etc.) is still lagging behind, especially for P. lima, whose proliferation dynamics are still poorly known.

The new benthic toxic dinoflagellate Ostreopsis fattorussoi sp. nov. is described from eastern Mediterranean Sea Lebanon and Cyprus coasts, supported by morphological and molecular data. The plate formula, Po, 3’, 7’’, 6c, 7s, 5’’’, 2’’’’, is typical for the Ostreopsis genus. It differs from all other Ostreopsis species in that i) the curved suture between plates 1’ and 3’ makes them approximately hexagonal, ii) the 1’ plate lies in the left-half of the epitheca and is obliquely orientated leading to a characteristic shape of plate 6’’. The round thecal pores are bigger than the other two Mediterranean species (O. cf. ovata and O. cf. siamensis). O. fattorussoi is among the smallest species of the genus (DV: 60.07±5.63 μm, AP: 25.66±2.97 μm, W: 39.81±5.05 μm) along with O. ovata. Phylogenetic analyses based on the LSU and ITS rDNA shows that O. fattorussoi belongs to the Atlantic/Mediterranean Ostreopsis spp. clade separated from the other Ostreopsis species. O. fattorussoi produces OVTX-a and structural isomers OVTX-d and –e, O. cf. ovata is the only other species of this genus known to produce these toxins. The Lebanese O. fattorussoi did not produce the new palytoxin-like compounds (ovatoxin-i, ovatoxin-j1, ovatoxin-j2, and ovatoxin-k) that were previously found in O. fattorussoi from Cyprus. The toxin content was in the range of 0.28-0.94 pg. cell−1. In Lebanon coast, O. fattorussoi was recorded throughout the year 2015 (temperature range 18-31.5 °C), with peaks in June and August. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Giussani, Valentina ... et al.-- 10 pages, 4 figures, 5 tables, The frequency and geographic extension of microalgae and gelatinous zooplankton blooms seem to have been increasing worldwide over recent decades. In particular, the harmful dinoflagellate Ostreopsis cf. ovata and the Schyphozoan jellyfish Aurelia sp. are two of the most frequent and long lasting species forming blooms in the Mediterranean Sea. A kind of interaction among any of their life cycle stages (i.e. planula-polyp-ephyrae vs Ostreopsis cells) can likely occur, although in this area there are no data available on the co-occurrence of these species. The aim of this study was to investigate, for the first time, the potential noxious effect of O. cf. ovata on different life stages of Aurelia sp. (polyps and ephyrae), testing several concentrations of whole algal culture. Rsults of toxicity bioassay highlighted that ephyrae, but not polyps, are affected by this harmful dinoflagellate and comparisons among other model organisms show that Aurelia sp. ephyrae are the most sensitive model organism tested so far (EC50–24 h = 10.5 cells/mL). These findings suggest an interesting scenario on the interaction of these two bloom forming species in the natural marine environment, This work was supported by RITMARE (Ricerca Italiana per il MARE) Flagship Project, a National Research Programme funded by the Italian Ministry of University and Research (MIUR), the Programme ENPI (European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument) CBCMED (Cross Border Cooperation in the Mediterranean) M3-HABs II-B/2.1/0096, and OstreoRisk (CTM2014-53818-R)

We present the architecture and usability evaluation of virtual reality system&mdash, &ldquo, Positive Bike&rdquo, &mdash, designed for improving cognitive and motor conditions in frail elderly patients. The system consists of a cycle-ergometer integrated in an immersive virtual reality system (CAVE) which allows combining motor and cognitive exercises according to a &ldquo, dual-task&rdquo, paradigm. We tested the usability and user&rsquo, s experience of the prototype in a pilot evaluation study that involved five elderly patients. The prototype was tested in one-session training to understand the limitations and areas for improvement of our system. The evaluation consisted in (i) usability assessment using the system usability scale, (ii) evaluation of user&rsquo, s engagement using the flow state scale, and (iii) expert evaluation involving interviews with domain experts. Results showed a good usability, both for system usability scale and the semi-structured interview. The level of flow (i.e., enjoyment with the task at hand) measured using the short flow state scale, was also high. Analysis of semi-structured interview carried out with domain experts provided further indications to improve the system. Overall, these findings show that, despite some limitations, the system is usable and provides an enjoyable user&rsquo, s experience.

Blooms of benthic dinoflagellates of the genus Ostreopsis (mainly O. cf. ovata and occasionally O. cf. siamensis) represent a serious concern for humans in the Mediterranean area, due to production of palytoxin-like compounds listed among the most potent marine toxins known. In this work, six strains of Ostreopsis sp. from Cyprus Island were analyzed through an integrated approach based on molecular, chemical, and eco-toxicological methods. Cypriot Ostreopsis sp. was found to be a species distinct from O. cf. ovata and O. cf. siamensis, belonging to the Atlantic/Mediterranean Ostreopsis spp. clade. Some variability in toxin profiles emerged: three strains produced ovatoxin-a (OVTX-a), OVTX-d, OVTX-e, and isobaric palytoxin, so far found only in O. cf. ovata; the other three strains produced only new palytoxin-like compounds, which we named ovatoxin-i, ovatoxin-j(1), ovatoxin-j(2), and ovatoxin-k. The new ovatoxins present the same carbon skeleton as ovatoxin-a, differing primarily in an additional C2H2O2 moiety and an unsaturation in the region C49-C52. Other minor structural differences were found, including the presence of a hydroxyl group at C44 (in OVTX-j(1) and OVTX-k) and the lack of a hydroxyl group in the region C53-C78 (in OVTX-i and OVTX-j(1)). The toxin content of the analyzed Ostreopsis sp. strains was in the range 0.06-2.8 pg cell(-1), definitely lower than that of a Ligurian O. cf. ovata strain cultured under the same conditions. Accordingly, an eco-toxicological test on Artemia salina nauplii demonstrated that Ostreopsis sp. presents a very low toxicity compared to O. cf. ovata. The whole of these data suggest that Ostreopsis sp. from Cyprus Island poses a relatively low risk to humans.

Ostreopsis cf. ovata is a harmful benthic dinoflagellate, widespread along most of the Mediterranean coasts. It produces a wide range of palytoxin-like compounds and variable amounts of mucus that may totally cover substrates, especially during the stationary phase of blooms. Studies on different aspects of the biology and ecology of Ostreopsis spp. are increasing, yet knowledge on toxicity mechanism is still limited. In particular, the potential active role of the mucilaginous matrix has not yet been proven, although when mass mortalities have occurred, organisms have been reported to be covered by the typical brownish mucilage. In order to better elucidate toxicity dependence on direct/indirect contact, the role of the mucilaginous matrix and the potential differences in toxicity along the growth curve of O. cf. ovata, we carried out a toxic bioassay during exponential, stationary and late stationary phases. Simultaneously, a molecular assay was performed to quantify intact cells or to exclude cells presence. A liquid chromatography - high resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS) analysis was also carried out to evaluate toxin profile and content in the different treatments. Our results report higher mortality of model organism, especially during the late stationary phase, when a direct contact between model organism and intact microalgal cells occurs (LC50-48h < 4 cells/ml on A. salina), although also growth medium devoid of microalgal cells but containing O. cf. ovata mucilage cause significant toxic effects. This finding is also supported by chemical analysis which shows the highest toxin content in pellet extract (95%) and around to 5% of toxins in the growth medium holding mucus, while the treatment deprived of both cells and mucilage didn’t contain any detectable toxins. Additionally, the connection between mucilaginous matrix and thecal plates, pores and trychocysts was explored by way of atomic force microscopy (AFM) to investigate cell surface at a sub-nanometer resolution, providing a pioneering description of cellular features.

Ostreopsis sp. is a toxic marine benthic dinoflagellate that causes high biomass blooms, posing a threat to human health, marine biota and aquaculture activities, and negatively impacting coastal seawater quality. Species-specific identification and enumeration is fundamental because it can allow the implementation of all the necessary preventive measures to properly manage Ostreopsis spp. bloom events in recreational waters and aquaculture farms. The aim of this study was to apply a rapid and sensitive qPCR method to quantify Ostreopsis cf. ovata abundance in environmental samples collected from Mediterranean coastal sites and to develop site-specific environmental standard curves. Similar PCR efficiencies of plasmid and environmental standard curves allowed us to estimate the LSU rDNA copy number per cell. Moreover, we assessed the effectiveness of mitochondrial COI and cob genes as alternative molecular markers to ribosomal genes in qPCR assays for Ostreopsis spp. quantification. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.