Recent research hypothesised that the Siculo-Tunisian Strait might fit, at least for some species, the picture of a genetic transitional zone instead of a sharp genetic break between the Western and Eastern Mediterranean basins. The present study aimed at using the common Octopus, Octopus vulgaris as an empirical test-case to evaluate this hypothesis. To accomplish this goal, 458 new sequences of the mitochondrial gene cytochr...

Aphanius fasciatus is a small fish occurring in Mediterranean brackish environments. In Cyprus it is known from three localities separated by long stretches of coast. The genetic diversity of these populations was evaluated using fragments of two mitochondrial genes. A comparison with the other available data showed that Cyprus populations represent a distinct lineage. The other lineages are concentrated in a relatively small...

A pilot study, using the dataset from the research network ‘FLT Med Net’, which regularly monitors transborder regions in the Mediterranean Sea using ferries as platform for systematic surveys, was undertaken to assess common bottlenose dolphin range and population trends within the Natura 2000 EU marine site “Tutela del Tursiops truncatus”. The site was recently designated by the Tuscany Region (Italy) within the requirement...

Non-indigenous species (NIS) represent one of the most relevant threats to biodiversity, ecosystem functioning and human activities, and their occurrence and spread have been the subject of numerous works and revisions. However, the information available is rather confused for several taxa, including polychaetes, which are characterised by having a high number of cryptogenic and questionable species. This work aims at providin...

The pleated ascidian Styela plicata (Lesueur, 1823) is a solitary species commonly found in ports and marinas around the world. It has been recorded in the Mediterranean region since the mid‐19th century. In the present work, the species’ genetic diversity was analysed, employing a 613‐bp portion of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I ( COI ) gene from 149 individuals collected in 14 ports along Italian coasts at...

Species of the genus Ophryotrocha are a well‐studied group of organisms but, despite the relatively large body of biological studies, little is known about their intra‐specific patterns of genetic diversity. In the present study, we analysed the patterns of genetic variation in samples of Ophryotrocha labronica (Polychaeta, Dorvilleidae) collected along the Italian coasts within three regions with different thermal regimes: th...

Coastal lagoons can be characterised by strong environmental changes along the outer marine‐inner brackish gradient, which are reflected in the patterns of distribution of organisms and composition of assemblages. Close to the sea the assemblages are dominated by marine animals, while in the innermost confined areas, there would be estuarine taxa and organisms typical of organically‐enriched areas. During the last decades, hum...