Macro- and megafauna recorded in the submarine Bari Canyon (southern Adriatic, Mediterranean Sea) using different tools

Abstract

Macro- and megafauna were recorded in the submarine Bari Canyon (southern Adriatic Sea, Mediterranean Sea) during an oceanographic cruise carried out in May-June 2012 and an experimental fishing survey conducted in November 2013. During the former, a total of 20 benthic samples were taken using a Van Veen grab at depths between 268 and 770 m and 4 deployments of a baited lander, for about 43 hours of video records, were carried out at depths between 443 and 788 m. During the latter, 8 longline fishing operations were conducted from 338 down to 612 m. Eighty-five living benthic and benthopelagic species were recorded: 29 Porifera, 1 Cnidaria, 2 Mollusca, 11 Annelida, 1 Arthropoda, 19 Bryozoa, 3 Echinodermata and 19 Chordata. A total of 51 species are new records for the Bari Canyon, 29 new records for the Adriatic Sea. Among the Porifera Cerbaris curvispiculifer is a new addition for the Italian Sponge Fauna. The first certain record of living specimens for the bryozoan Crisia tenella longinodata is reported. A total of 6 Mediterranean endemic species have been identified: 4 Porifera and 2 Annelida. The bathymetric range of some species has been extended. New information acquired for deep sea species confirms their importance in the structure of cold-water coral communities. This study has updated the knowledge on the biodiversity of the Adriatic Sea, as well as of the Bari Canyon in particular, one of the sites designated as “jewels of the Mediterranean” for which urgent conservation measures are needed.

Benthic invertebrates associated with subfossil cold-water coral frames and hardgrounds in the Albanian deep waters (Adriatic Sea)

“…AL15SE1). Similar Filograna tube aggregates have been previously recorded from the Bari Canyon (D'Onghia et al, 2015). The Mediterranean endemic serpulids Vermiliopsis monodiscus and Hyalopomatus madreporae ( Figure 5) have both been reported from the SML and the Bari Canyon CWC provinces (Sanfilippo, 2009;Mastrototaro et al, 2010;D'Onghia et al, 2015).…”

“…It also shares common traits with the Apulian CWC sites and deep-sea Mediterranean hardgrounds Mastrototaro et al, 2010;Taviani et al, 2011b;Sanfilippo et al, 2013;D'Onghia et al, 2015).…”

“…2: Table 2) occur at both stations. Most taxa are widely distributed in the Mediterranean Sea and eastern Atlantic Ocean (Castelli et al, 2008;Sanfilippo, 2009;Mastrototaro et al, 2010;D'Onghia et al, 2015). Dense aggregates of Filograna encrust the surface of coral colonies (stat.…”

New records of cold‐water coral sites and fish fauna characterization of a potential network existing in the Mediterranean Sea

“…; D'Onghia et al . ,b). No data are available on the fish fauna associated with the other CWC sites along the Apulian margin.…”

Polychaetes of Greece: an updated and annotated checklist

“…Danovaro et al 2010, Taviani et al 2015), Tunisia (Ayari et al 2009), the Italian coasts of the Ionian Sea (e.g. Tursi et al 2004, Vertino et al 2010) and the Adriatic (D'Onghia et al 2015), otherwise distributed in the North Atlantic. Often associated with deep-water corals (Danovaro et al 2010), which are little studied in Greece.…”