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Harbor basins are strategically important and heavily impacted water bodies according to the water framework directive. Due to constant traffic, variety of activities, and low-energy hydrodynamics, these areas can have high degrees of water pollution. This study reports the results of the preliminary investigation of anthropogenic microlitter (AM) pollution in a semi-enclosed basin (Civitavecchia harbor; northern Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy) using the tubes built by the polychaete Sabella spallanzanii. The visual inspection showed AM particles within the tube structure as a result of its building process. The total average AM abundance was 20.8 ± 3.7 AM g−1. AM abundances and flushing time as the hydrodynamic parameter of water renewal highlight the homogeneity of the sampling area. The suitability of S. spallanzanii tubes as a potential tool to investigate the AM pollution level in sheltered and polluted environments is highlighted.

Marine litter is composed mainly of plastics and is recognized as a serious threats to marine ecosystems. Ecotoxicological approaches have started elucidating the potential severity of microplastics (MPs) in controlled laboratory studies with pristine materials but no information exist on marine environmental microlitter as a whole. Here, we characterized the litter in the coastal Northern Tyrrhenian sea and in the stomach of two fish species of socio-economic importance, and exposed primary cell cultures of mucosal and lymphoid organs to marine microlitter for evaluating possible cytotoxic effects. An average of 0.30 ± 0.02 microlitter items m-3 was found in water samples. μFT-IR analysis revealed that plastic particles, namely HDPE, polyamide and polypropylene were present in 100% and 83.3% of Merluccius merluccius and Mullus barbatus analyzed, which overall ingested 14.67 ± 4.10 and 5.50 ± 1.97 items/individual, respectively. Moreover, microlitter was confirmed as a vector of microorganisms. Lastly, the apical end-point of viability was found to be significantly reduced in splenic cells exposed in vitro to two microlitter conditions. Considering the role of the spleen in the mounting of adaptive immune responses, our results warrant more in-depth investigations for clarifying the actual susceptibility of these two species to anthropogenic microlitter.Highlights0.30 ± 0.02 microlitter items m-3 were found at the surface of coastal Northern Tyrrhenian sea14.67 ± 4.10 and 5.50 ± 1.97 items/individual were retrieved from the stomach of hakes and mulletsThe ingested microlitter contained plastic itemsMicrolitter was validated as a carrier of bacteria, fungi and flagellatesSplenic cells exposed to two microlitter conditions for 72 hours suffered cytotoxicity

Biological invasions result in negative and unpredictable impacts on oceans worldwide. Non-indigenous macrophytes often synthesize secondary metabolites for defensive purposes and increased competition efficiency: this is the case of Caulerpa cylindracea, which has entered the Mediterranean Sea in 1990 and competed against local flora and fauna since. It was demonstrated that the white seabream Diplodus sargus (i) has included the algae into its diet, (ii) is subject to the peculiar Abnormally Tough Specimen (ATS) condition post-cooking, and (iii) suffers physiological and behavioral disturbances from caulerpin, one of the three major algal secondary metabolites. This paper confirms a feeding relationship between the fish and the algae, quantifies caulerpin accumulation in the liver, suggests a possible mollusk- and echinoderm-driven biomagnification, and highlights the fact that all ATS specimens were males. Multivariate analyses on a multi-biomarker panel reveals differential correlations to key cellular processes such as oxidative stress, metabolism, neurotoxicity, and lipid peroxidation as well as to condition indexes.

Callinectes sapidus is considered one of the worst invasive species in the Mediterranean Sea. After its first observation in 1948, the species has colonized several Mediterranean areas. In this work, we report the first records of the species in Latium and Campania (northern-central and central Tyrrhenian Sea respectively), filling a gap in its distribution along the Italian coasts. We also provide a review of Italian records., Plavi rak, Callinectes sapidus smatra se jednom od najgorih invazivnih vrsta u Sredozemnom moru. Nakon prvog nalaza 1948. godine, vrsta je kolonizirala nekoliko mediteranskih područja. U ovom radu izvještavamo o prvim zapisima o vrsti u pokrajinama Latium i Campania (sjeverno-centralno i središnje Tirensko more), popunjavajući nedostatak nalaza o njihovoj rasprostranjenosti duž talijanskih obala. Prikazan je pregled svih talijanskih nalaza.

The ectoparasite communities of two juvenile Diplodus species, D. sargus and D. puntazzo, were studied in a rocky coast of the Central Tyrrhenian sea (Mediterranean Sea) where three neighbouring nursery areas showed a differential availability of microhabitats due to a gradual protection gradient capable of influencing local hydrodynamic conditions. Five parasite forms were detected on juvenile hosts: Peniculus fistula, the two larval forms of gnathiids (praniza and zuphea stages), Caligus sp. and Anilocra physodes. Among these species an increasing rates of infestation (up to 57%), from the less protected to the most sheltered site, was detected. The largest infestation rate occurred in the most enclosed site, where P. fistula was the most infective species, also capable of affecting the body condition of juvenile fishes. In addition, to investigate behavioural processes among infected fish, both gut content analyses and in situ HD video sequences were used. Our results demonstrate that ectoparasites cannot be considered as accidental food items, implying an active removal of parasites among conspecifics. The highest frequencies of cleaning interactions were recorded during high ambient light conditions, suggesting the role of visual displays as an important factor in stimulating cleaning interactions.

Marine litter is a serious global environmental threat that has received increasing attention in the last decades from the academic world, intergovernmental organizations and agencies due to its impact on ecosystems, fisheries and, ultimately, human health. The Mediterranean Sea is characterized by one of the highest densities of marine litter in the world: although much research has been conducted on floating litter, little data exist on benthic litter and its associated macrozoobenthic fauna and only one study has investigated the matter in Italian waters. In the present work, marine litter was collected through demersal trawl nets in the coastal sector of Civitavecchia (northern Tyrrhenian sea, GSA 9) at 50–120 m of depth with the aim of (i) describing the marine litter-associated macrozoobenthic community, (ii) identifying the associations between macrozoobenthic species and litter categories and (iii) evaluating the presence of unrecorded and/or non-indigenous species (NIS) associated with marine litter. Marine litter was recovered from all hauls, confirming its ubiquity and global dispersion in coastal areas, with plastic materials being the most frequently retrieved category. The highest and lowest litter items density were 2125 and 312.50 items/km2. A total of 656 litter items weighing 15.8 kg were classified according to the MSFD Technical Group on Marine Litter categories and analyzed. Their associated fauna consisted of 1536 benthic organisms belonging to 62 species. Species abundance-wise, Bryozoans were the dominant taxon followed by Polychaeta, Bivalvia, Ascidiacea and Anthozoa. Six non-indigenous species (NIS) were retrieved on anthropogenic substrates and, among them, two bryozoans species previously unreported in Italian waters were herein recorded. At last, our results highlight the possible selective association between some sessile species and specific marine litter categories, even though further validation is needed.

Ophelia roscoffensis Augener, 1910 is an opheliid worm identifiable by the number of anterior abranchiate chaetigers and the number of the gill pairs. Although it was already reported in the Mediterranean Sea, it has never been found in the Italian waters. This study represents the first record of Ophelia roscoffensis in the Italian waters. A total of 18 specimens were collected along the coast of Civitavecchia (Tyrrhenian Sea) in a Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile bed at a depth of 7 m.

This is the accepted manuscript of the paper "A Benthic Zonation System as a Fundamental Tool for Natural Capital Assessment in a Marine Environment: A Case Study in the Northern Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy", published as final paper in "Sustainability2018,10(10), 3786;https://doi.org/10.3390/su10103786" Coastal marine areas are characterized by the highest values of ecosystem services and by multiple uses that are often in conflict with each other. Natural capital analysis is claimed to be a valid tool to support space planning. In the context of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) of the European Union (EU), the EU Joint Research Centre (JRC) Scientific and Policy Report 2014 defines the monitoring of specific descriptors and their possible use, based on an ecosystem-services approach. Mediterranean marine ecosystems are characterized by high biodiversity and the presence of relevant benthic biocenosis that can be used as a tool to support coastal planning, conservation, and monitoring programs. In this study, we considered the Mediterranean benthic biocenosis, as classified by Pérès and Picard, as a working tool and propose a basic spatial unit for the assessment of marine ecosystem services. Focusing on a high-resolution local-scale analysis, this work presents an accurate identification of the different biocenoses for the coastal area of Civitavecchia in the Northern Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy, and ecosystem services, as well as a benefits assessment, of the Posidonia oceanica meadows.

WOS: 000423194500015, Science Citation Index Expanded, The "New Mediterranean Biodiversity Records" series includes new records of marine species found in the Mediterranean basin and/or information on the spatial distribution of already established species of particular interest. The current article presents information on 21 marine taxa classified per country according to their geographic position in the Mediterranean, from west to east. The new records per ecoregion are as follows: Algeria: the first record of the fish Etrumeus golanii is reported along the Algerian coast. Tunisia: the alien jellyfish Phyllorhiza punctata is reported for the first time in the Gulf of Gabes. Italy: the first record of Siganus rivulatus in the Strait of Sicily and a new record of Katsuwonus pelamis from the central Tyrrhenian Sea are reported. The establishment of the isopod of the genus Mesanthura in the northern Tyrrhenian with some notes on its ecology are also included. Croatia: signs of establishment of the Lessepsian Siganus luridus and the occurrence of the alien mollusc Rapana venosa are reported. Albania: the first record of the elasmobranch Alopias superciliosus and a recent sighting of the rare monk seal Monachus monachus in Albanian waters are given. Greece: signs of the establishment of the fish Parupeneus forsskali and of the ascidian Hermania momus in Hellenic Aegean waters are reported. Turkey: a new record of the fish P. forsskali and of the halacarid mites Acaromantis monnioti and Simognathus adriaticus are given, while the first case of Remora australis in association with delphinids and the occurrence of the sea star Coscinasterias tenuispina are reported. Also, the establishment of the two alien species Isognomon legumen and Viriola sp. [cf. corrugata] are presented. Egypt: the fish Bathygobius cyclopterus is reported for the first time in Mediterranean Sea waters. Also, a new record of Pagellus bogaraveo and a first record of Seriola fasciata in Egyptian Mediterranean waters are reported. Lebanon: the first record of Dondice banyulensis is presented., Interreg MED Project Mpa-Adapt Guiding Mediterranean MPAs through the climate change era: building resilience and adaptation; Croatian Science Foundation (HRZZ) [IP-2016-06-5251]; Rufford Foundation [19938-1]; Rufford Foundation; Marine Mammals Research Association; Interreg MED Project Mpa-Adapt Guiding Mediterranean MPAs through the climate change era: building resilience and adaptation; Croatian Science Foundation (HRZZ) [IP-2016-06-5251]; Rufford Foundation [19938-1]; Rufford Foundation; Marine Mammals Research Association; [R 2000 Eb F 42 / L43], Azzurro E. and Giardina F. are indebted to Giuseppe Maggiore and Peppino Sorrentino for providing all the information regarding the capture of Siganus rivulatus in Lampedusa Island; their study was supported by the Interreg MED Project Mpa-Adapt Guiding Mediterranean MPAs through the climate change era: building resilience and adaptation. Rabaoui L. and El Zrelli R. would like to thank all fishermen who provided information on the recent occurrence of Phyllorhiza punctata in the Gulf of Gabes. Dulcic J. and Dragicevic B. acknowledge the Croatian Science Foundation (HRZZ) that partly supported their work under project IP-2016-06-5251. Giovos I. and Cakalli M. would like to warmly thank the fisherman Arsen Jupe for helping and assisting them in taking all the measurements. Bakiu R. and Cakalli M. would like to thank the Rufford Foundation (Project ref. 19938-1) for financially supporting the Mediterranean monk seal monitoring program along the Ionian coast of Albania; furthermore, they wish to warmly thank Eng. Agron Bakiu for the power supply system that he built for the camera traps.. Bas A.A. and Gonulal O. would like to thank Prof. Dr. Ivan Sazima and Isil Danyer for their help on species identification and the Rufford Foundation and Marine Mammals Research Association for their financial support. Durucan F. and Boyaci Y.O. wish to express special thanks to Dr. Matteo Dal Zotto (Universita degli Studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia, Department of Life Sciences, Modena, Italy) who kindly sent them a copy of Dr. Morselli's article that was lacking from the first author's library. Durucan F. would like to thank the anonymous reviewers for their useful comments and also Suleyman Demirel University, Fisheries Faculty, Ecology and Limnology laboratory (Isparta, Turkey) for providing laboratory facilities. Crocetta F. and Bitar G. thank Jean Vacelet (Marseille, France) for the photo of Dondice banyulensis taken during the Franco-Lebanese cooperation program - CEDRE (1999-2002) (R 2000 Eb F 42 / L43). Kassar A. and Hemida F. are deeply grateful to the fisherman Benssada Djamel for providing the specimen of Etrumeus golanii.

Jassa slatteryi is a cosmopolitan amphipod reported as cryptogenic or invasive species throughout the world. Although it had been signaled in the Mediterranean Sea, it was never found on the Italian coasts. This study represents the first record of J. slatteryi in Italy. A total of 87 specimens were collected on artificial hard substrates in the Port of Civitavecchia (Rome). The presence of this species in the Mediterranean Sea was probably underestimated due to the similar morphological features and ecological requirements of different species of Jassa spp.

The presence of Chaetodon auriga Forsskål, 1775 is reported for the first time from the Mediterranean Sea. A specimen was spearfished in 2015 in the central Mediterranean Sea and was in all likelihood an aquarium release. This and similar cases are discussed, with particular emphasis on exotic fishes notoriously known to be commonly kept in aquarium.

This is the accepted manuscript of the paper " Concentrations of As, Cd, Cr, Ni, and Pb in the echinoid Paracentrotus lividus on the coast of Civitavecchia, northern Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy", published as final paper in "Regional Studies in Marine Science 1 (2015) 7–17" Scanu S, Soetebier S, Piazzolla D, Tiralongo F, Mancini E, Romano N, Marcelli M (2015). Concentrations of As, Cd, Cr, Ni, and Pb in the echinoid Paracentrotus lividus on the coast of Civitavecchia, northern Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy. Regional Studies in Marine Science 1 7–17. DOI: 10.1016/j.rsma.2015.02.001. This work assessed the levels of As, Cd, Cr, Ni, and Pb in soft tissues (gonads and gut) of specimens of Paracentrotus lividus (Lamarck, 1816) collected from the coast of Civitavecchia, in the northern Tyrrhenian Sea. The average levels, in order of concentration, were 14.64 mg/kg As, 3.58 mg/kg Cr, 1.18 mg/kg Pb, 1.15 mg/kg Ni, and 0.07 mg/kg Cd. Dry weight concentrations described bioaccumulation of As and Cr, and, to a lesser extent, Ni and Pb. A hotspot of As at the station near the delta of Marangone stream reflected the effect of mine waste deposits of galena, pyrite, and marcasite in this basin. The As concentration in the northern part of the study area increased closer to the Mignone delta, and according to the prevailing winds, this could reflect enrichment from the combustion of coal at the Torrevaldaliga power plant. Comparing data with the literature, As in marine sediments show a ratio of 0.7 in the tissues of P. lividus from the Civitavecchia area. These results were also compared to those found in P. lividus in an environmental biomonitoring program currently ongoing to control the emissions from the coal-fired power plant in Torrevaldaliga Nord, highlighting a substantial quantitative correspondence. In view of the presence of various industrial activities in the study area that can influence the enrichment of these elements, this work emphasizes the need for performing further studies aimed at assessing the actual contribution of anthropogenic activities even when the background concentrations in marine sediments and marine organisms are high, because burning coal is considered the major anthropogenic source of many trace elements especially As. &nbsp

WOS: 000392316000003, This contribution forms part of a series of collective articles published regularly in Mediterranean Marine Science that report on new biodiversity records from the Mediterranean basin. The current article presents 51 geographically distinct records for 21 taxa belonging to 6 Phyla, extending from the western Mediterranean to the Levantine. The new records, per country, are as follows: Spain: the cryptogenic calcareous sponge Paraleucilla magna is reported from a new location in the Alicante region. Algeria: the rare Atlanto-Mediterranean bivalve Cardium indicum is reported from Annaba. Tunisia: new distribution records for the Indo-Pacific lionfish Pterois miles from Zembra Island and Cape Bon. Italy: the ark clam Anadara transversa is reported from mussel cultures in the Gulf of Naples, while the amphipod Caprella scaura and the isopods Paracerceis sculpta and Paranthura japonica are reported as associated to the -also allochthonous- bryozoan Amathia verticillata in the Adriatic Sea; in the latter region, the cosmopolitan Atlantic tripletail Lobotes surinamensis is also reported, a rare finding for the Mediterranean. Slovenia: a new record of the non-indigenous nudibranch Polycera hedgpethi in the Adriatic. Greece: several new reports of the introduced scleractinian Oculina patagonica, the fangtooth moray Enchelycore anatina, the blunthead puffer Sphoeroides pachygaster (all Atlantic), and the lionfish Pterois miles (Indo-Pacific) suggest their ongoing establishment in the Aegean Sea; the deepest bathymetric record of the invasive alga Caulerpa cylindracea in the Mediterranean Sea is also registered in the Kyklades, at depths exceeding 70 m. Turkey: new distribution records for two non-indigenous crustaceans, the blue crab Callinectes sapidus (Atlantic origin) and the moon crab Matuta victor (Indo-Pacific origin) from the Bay of Izmir and Antalya, respectively; in the latter region, the Red Sea goatfish Parupeneus forsskali, is also reported. Lebanon: an array of records of 5 alien and one native Mediterranean species is reported by citizen-scientists; the Pacific jellyfish Phyllorhiza punctata and the Indo-Pacific teleosteans Tylerius spinosissimus, Ostracion cubicus, and Lutjanus argentimaculatus are reported from the Lebanese coast, the latter notably being the second record for the species in the Mediterranean Sea since 1977; the native sand snake-eel Ophisurus serpens, rare in the eastern Mediterranean, is reported for the first time from Lebanon, this being its easternmost distribution range; finally, a substantial number of sightings of the lionfish Pterois miles further confirm the current establishment of this lessepsian species in the Levantine., COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology) Action TD1209 Alien Challenge project; East and South European Network for Invasive Alien Species - a tool to support the management of alien species in Bulgaria (ESENIAS-TOOLS) (EEA) project [33-51/30.06.2015]; EEA GRANTS; Public Investments Programme (PIP) of the Hellenic Republic; Cretaquarium, Nadhera Babali would like to thank Mr Nabil Hadjadji and Mr Mhamed Laid for taking pictures of the specimen of Cardium indicum during collection, which helped with identification of the collection date and site, as well as Mr Samuel Iglesias for valuable guidance. Gianna Servello and Fabio Crocetta acknowledge the study of the alien species recorded in the Italian Seas that was partially funded by the COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology) Action TD1209 Alien Challenge (GS) and the East and South European Network for Invasive Alien Species - a tool to support the management of alien species in Bulgaria (ESENIAS-TOOLS) (EEA funded: Contract No. -33-51/30.06.2015) (FC) projects. Francesco Tiralongo is grateful to the fishermen of the vessel "Oreste" (3288) who caught the specimen of Lobotes surinamensis, for providing the information and the picture. The reports of Caulerpa cylindracea, Oculina patagonica, and Enchelycore anatina were conducted along a survey in the Aegean Sea within the framework of the MARISCA project, co-funded (85%) by EEA GRANTS, 2009-2014, and the Public Investments Programme (PIP) of the Hellenic Republic (15%). Thomas Hasiotis and Stelios Katsanevakis thank Kostas Tsiamis for his comments on an earlier draft of their manuscript. Michail Ragkousis and Vasilis Gerovasileiou are thankful to Nina Premezzi and Ioannis Havakis who provided information and photos about the later record of E. anatina. Aspasia Sterioti sincerely thanks Cretaquarium for support and funding, G. Vardanis for the transportation and photo of the species and C.K. Doxa for the photo of the species. Fabio Crocetta and Michel Bariche acknowledge Messrs T. Assal, M. Ali Ibrahim, J. Bacha, J. Bahout, V. Bayrakdarian, D. Captan, K. Greig, M. Hado, M. Hayek, J.-P. Massoud K. Merhabi, W. Nini, H. Rifai, N. Saidi, E. Saliba, I. Sidawi, N. Weber, and several other fishermen and scuba divers who kindly provided records, photographs and videos of the reported animals from Lebanon. Finally, thanks are due to all anonymous reviewers for critical reading and providing helpful and constructive comments on the included articles.

Sabellaria alveolata is a widespread coastal engineer species that builds sandy bioconstructions in coastal marine habitats, which host a rich associated fauna. Some of these associated species are quite common on rocky or sandy substrates, but few taxa are strictly linked to Sabellaria reefs. In this study, we report, for the first time, the phyllodocid worm Eulalia ornata in the Tyrrhenian Sea and highlight its high-fidelity link with S. alveolata bioconstructions. Despite being included in the European Red List of Habitats, little is known about Sabellaria reefs, their associated fauna and their ecological role in the Mediterranean Sea. For these reasons, studies aiming at improving our knowledge of S. alveolata reefs and their associated fauna can be regarded as an important step towards more appropriate management plans for sensitive coastal habitats.