Based on the evaluation of 3,902 local floristic references published between 2005 and 2025, an update to the floristic knowledge map of Italy is presented. To measure the progress in floristic knowledge across Italy’s administrative regions, the ‘Index of Floristic Knowledge Advancement’ (IFA) is proposed here. This index categorizes regions based on the proportion of potential improvement that has actually been achieved. Res...

The finding of two specimens of oarfish, Regalecus glesne , in the north-western Ionian Sea (central Mediterranean), in the years 2021 and 2022 and at depths of 525 and 350 m respectively, is reported to update the current information on the distribution of this teleost fish in the Mediterranean waters. In fact, to date, that most of the R. glesne findings are distributed in the western part of the Mediterranean basin, between...

This study reports the first record and some features of two individuals of the Lessepsian migrant species smallscale codlet, Bregmaceros nectabanus, found in the stomachs of two individuals of European hake, Merluccius merluccius, sampled in the northern Ionian Sea (eastern Mediterranean) during the MEDITS International Bottom Trawl Survey. The two European hake were collected on muddy bottoms in September 2021 at 63 m depth...

During the summer season, the Italian territory is vulnerable to extended wildfires, which can have dramatic impact on human activities and ecosystems. Such wildfire events are usually associated with the presence of drought conditions and are generally more severe in southern Italy, owing to the high temperatures and reduced precipitation that characterize this geographical region. In this work, we discuss the statistical ana...

Robust assessments of taxonomic and functional diversity are essential components of research programmes aimed at understanding current biodiversity patterns and forecasting trajectories of ecological changes. Yet, evaluating marine biodiversity along its dimensions is challenging and dependent on the power and accuracy of the available data collection methods. Here we combine three traditional survey methodologies (underwater...