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The first record of Tetragonurus cuvieri Risso, 1810 off Calabrian coast (Southern Italy, Central Mediterranean) is reported. The specimen, a male of 361 mm total length, was found at a depth of 7 m during a scientific visual census research activity, in March 2017. The sighting was located off the Tyrrhenian coast of Calabria (Paola: 39.355453N, 16.029192E). The present finding represents the 1st documented record for the Tyrrhenian coast of the Calabria region., Objavljen je prvi podatak o Tetragonurus cuvieri Risso, 1810. godine u blizini kalabrijske obale (Južna Italija, Središnji Mediteran). Primjerak mužjaka ukupne dužine 361 mm, pronađen je na dubini od 7 m, u ožujku 2017. godine u blizini Tirenske obale Calabrie (Paola: 39.355453N, 16.029192E). Ovaj nalaz predstavlja prvi dokumentirani zapis za Tirensku obalu pokrajine Calabria.

In this paper a contribution to the knowledge of marine and brackish water alien species recorded along the Calabrian coasts (Southern Italy, Central Mediterranean) during the period 2000-2013 is given. The study area is located in the center of the Mediterranean. Records of alien species come from 13 years of both field and opportunistic fishing surveys. Also a bibliographical search in the scientific literature and public and private archives was performed. Eighteen of marine alien species recorded: 1 cnidarian, 11 molluscs, 3 crustaceans, and 4 bony fishes; in addition to these, was considered also the presence of four bony fish, that have naturally spread into the Mediterranean: Sphoeroides pachygaster, Gymnothorax moringa, Pseunes pellucidus and Zenopsis conchifera. The highest number of records comes from the Messina Strait. The most common and widest observed species were Percnon gibbesi, Callinectes sapidus, Fistularia commersonii and Procambarus clarckii. The record of Ruditapes philippinarum in the Foce Crati is the first for the Ionian Sea and for the Central Mediterranean. Gymnothorax moringa is here recorded for the first time in the Mediterranean., Ovaj rad predstavlja prilog poznavanju stranih vrsta pronađenih u morskoj i boćatoj vodi duž Kalabrijske obale (južna Italija, Središnji Mediteran) u razdoblju od 2000. do 2013. godine. Područje istraživanja se nalazi u središtu Mediterana. Evidencija stranih vrsta je proizišla iz 13 godina terenskog rada i oportunističkih istraživanja. Također su izvršena bibliografska pretraživanja u znanstvenoj literaturi u javnim i privatnim arhivima. Ukupno je zabilježeno 18 morskih stranih vrsta: 1 cnidaria, 11 mekušaca, 3 raka i 4 ribe koštunjače koje su se prirodno proširile u Mediteranu: Sphoeroides pachygaster, Gymnothorax moringa, Pseunes pellucidus i Zenopsis conchifera. Najveći broj nalaza dolazi iz Mesinskog tjesnaca. Najčešće i najšire promatrane vrste su Percnon gibbesi, Callinectes sapidus, Fistularia commersonii i Procambarus clarkii. Zapis o nalazu vrste Ruditapes philippinarum, kod mjesta Foce Crati, je prvi za Jonsko more i središnji Mediteran. Gymnothorax moringaje po prvi put zabilježena u Mediteranu.

Dottorato di Ricerca in Biologia Animale,XX Ciclo,a.a. 2004-2007 Università della Calabria

Host traits can significantly influence patterns of infection and disease. Here, we studied the helminths parasitizing the Italian edible frog Pelophylax kl. hispanicus, giving special attention to the relationship between parasites and host traits such as sex, snout vent length, weight and body condition. The helminth community was composed of seven species: three trematode species (Diplodiscus subclavatus, Gorgodera cygnoides, Pleurogenes claviger), three nematode species (Icosiella neglecta, Oswaldocruzia filiformis, Rhabdias sp.) and one acanthocephalan species (Pomphorhychus laevis ). We found that prevalence was positively correlated with snout-vent length and weight, but did not differ with body condition or sex. We found that prevalence and mean species richness increased with age. Our results show that abundance of Icosiella neglecta was positively correlated with higher values for host body condition. In fact, we found that high prevalence and mean species richness do not necessarily imply poorer body condition in the parasitized host. In conclusion, our results show that the helminth community in this taxon has great diversity, and this host-parasite system seems to be evolved to low levels of virulence, helminths maintaining a commensal relationship with this frog., his research was carried out with the approval of the “Ministero dell’Ambiente e della Tutela del Territorio (Direzione per la Protezione della Natura)”, permit number 2004/30911.

This research was carried out from 2009 to 2011 in the Lake of Angitola on the reproductive biology of the slider turtle Trachemys scripta elegans, an alien species that in this site has been naturalized since the 1980’s. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), invasive species are one of the most important causes of biodiversity decline on a global scale. As a consequence, the impact of introduced species on local ecosystems is important to evaluate. Pet voluntary introductions are done by private people and usually concern only the release of a few individuals. However, the number of releases is as numerous as the number of pet owners that don't want to keep their pet anymore and consequently decide to "release" it. Although only a small percentage of these alien species will become invasive, the environmental impact would be insidious and often irreversible. In fact on a global scale alien species may be as damaging to native species and ecosystems as the loss and degradation of habitats. We can describe 3 steps in the biological invasions processes, comprising the initial dispersal, when an organism moves long distances to areas outside its native range, for example through human assisted dispersal; establishment of self-sustaining populations within the non-native range; and invasion of the new range. However, when species are invasive, they have strongly positive demographic trends and are often numerous, therefore their management can be extremely difficult and expensive. Our experimental model was Trachemys scripta elegans, the most popular freshwater turtle in the pet trade in the world. It is a medium to large-sized turtle as females reach a carapace length of up to 24 cm and males up to 20 cm. This reptile lives in a wide variety of freshwater habitats and it is a habitat generalist. It prefers larg pools and ponds with soft bottoms, and with many aquatic plants and suitable basking sites for thermoregulation. Trachemys scripta elegans is an opportunistic omnivore subsisting on a wide variety of plant and animal foods. The food preferences change with age. Juveniles are highly carnivorous. Instead the adults, mainly eat vegetable food. In the late 1970s a several turtle farms were established in southern USA, where the hatchlings are packed, in hundreds in small boxes, and are shipped abroad. At least 80% of them die during the first year in captivity. If released terrapins survive in nature, they pose a threat to local wildlife. Only in 1996 the total exports of Trachemys scripta elegans from USA were 8 million individuals, of which 3 million individuals were imported by Europe. With effect from 1997 the EU implemented a ban on the import of this species, in fact already in 1975 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration banned the sale of turtles under 10 cm carapace length in the United States and Canada because they transmitted human salmonellosis. Trachemys scripta elegans distribution includes eastern USA, in particular the Mississipi valley from Illinois to the Gulf of Mexico. It now has a far greater distribution area that include a lot of countries in America, Europe and Asia, where it has naturalized in some cases. Trachemys scripta elegans released in seminatural conditions were first recorded in Campobasso in the early 1970s, but sightings only becoming more common in the mid-80s. It is presently known in all of Italy except for Valle d’Aosta, Sardinia and Campania. Reproduction is common in captivity, but little is known about its reproduction in nature. Some authors suggest that naturalization wouldn’t be a serious problem, but it is known that this species is certainly able to reproduce in Friuli Venezia Giulia, Latium, Emilia Romagna and in Calabria. This research was aimed to investigate reproductive biology of Trachemys scripta elegans in order: • to evaluate if reproduction is an effective phenomenon that could interest the study area; • to estimate the reproductive success in natural condition; • to determine preferences of Trachemys scripta elegans in the nest site selection; • to define the step of the invasion process of slider turtle in the Lake of Angitola, in order to suggest conservation measures. The research was conducted at Lake of Angitola, a 196 ha artificial lake located about 5 km from Pizzo Calabro. The lake became a WWF oasis in 1975, and ten years later was declared an International Ramsar area due to the large presence of migratory birds. Today the lake is included in the Regional Park of Serre and in 2005 the area was proposed as a Site of Community Importance (SIC) by ministerial decree. The climate is typically Mediterranean; the vegetation is very varied: the shrub layer is formed by aromatic herbs; the arboreal layer includes a forests of genus Quercus . The animal communities are very interesting, especially the bird population; in fact we can see more than 150 different species per year. The study was conducted from three years, and included 3 monitors per month, in particular from April to October, when the turtles were more active. The lake’s shores were divided into eight transects using environmental criteria. Data collection were sampling focused on visual census observations, on the nesting sites research and on trapping. Also to analyze the nest site selection we divided the whole lake perimeter by differing vegetative covers and differing soil types to study the use of these selected environments by nesting females. Vegetative cover was classified by five categories by a buffer of 50 m, and including shrub land, grass, fruit growing and reforestation; mixed category was used in cases where no one coverage was present in more than 75% of the subdivisions. Soil type was classified by using the methodology of Casanova (1991), yielding three main categories of dirt, sand and clay substrates and the possible combination of them. Collected variables used in this research were tested with InStat 3.0 software; in particular we used Chi-square goodness of fit, Kruskal-Wallis and Spearman Rank Correlation tests. The results of the visual census showed that Cavalcavia was the preferred basking area for Trachemys thermoregulation. In fact, in this area was observed the highest percentage of turtle presence that performed basking on the emerged deadwood. The heterogeneity χ² test, that was used to compare number of observation and the areas, was statistically significant (N=2015; χ²=893,03; d.f.=5; P‹0,0001). Monthly monitoring activities of basking showed an increasing of turtle presence from April to July, and it is possible to observe a subsequent decreasing of basking activities from August to October. During the research we found 229 nests. The greatest distance of a nest from the shoreline was 100 m, but the greatest number of nests was found between 0 and 20 m from the shoreline. Kruskal-Wallis non-parametric test association between number of eggs and months of the year was statistically significant (KW=14,318; P=0,0137). “Movrella” and “Ceramida” were the main nesting areas; in these transects there are a lot of emerged spaces that female turtles can use for nesting activities. The correlation between the number of eggs and the depth of the nest was statistically extremely significant (N=229; r=0,2105; P

Dottorato di Ricerca in Biologia Animale, XXIV Ciclo,a.a. 2010-2011 Università della Calabria