Decapod Crustacean Records from A Collection of Marine Soft-Bottom Macrofauna of the Italian Waters Supporting the Update of Checklists and Registers of the Mediterranean Basin

Abstract

Decapod crustaceans are important components of the fauna of soft-bottom habitats. In this work, the records of decapod crustaceans are provided through the analysis of a large soft-bottom benthic macroinvertebrates dataset of the Central Mediterranean Sea. Decapod crustacean assemblages were collected in the last twenty years by a Van Veen grab in 42 study sites located along the Italian coasts at depths ranging from 1 up to 120 m. The spatial distribution of the crustaceans examined, which include 120 species belonging to 40 families, was investigated according to the biogeographical zones identified in the Italian seas. The spatial distribution of 36 species was updated, comparing the ISPRA decapod crustacean dataset with the most recent Italian checklists. For the species updated, the number of specimens, the year and season of sampling, and environmental data, such as the bathymetric range and habitat details, are provided for each site investigated. Data are discussed and compared with the existing literature, also referring to what is reported in the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS), with the aim of contributing to the knowledge of the biodiversity of the marine species and supporting the updating of checklists and registers in the Mediterranean Basin.