Rosalinda incrustans (Kramp, 1947) is a poorly known, deep-sea capitate hydrozoan whose biology, morphology, and ecological traits have remained largely obscure due to the rarity of collected material and its small, inconspicuous epibiontic habitus. Since its original description, the species has been collected only twice and recorded two additional times with Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs), invariably observed as an epibio...

Acesta excavata is one of the largest and ecologically relevant bivalves along continental margins and is often associated with cold‐water coral assemblages of the upper bathyal zone. Like other habitat‐forming species, A. excavata contributes to increasing the secondary substrata and provides opportunities for the colonization and feeding of other sessile and mobile organisms. Despite most of the bivalves producing byssus bei...

The distribution of gold coral Savalia savaglia is modified on the basis of bibliographic information and recent occurrence data, collected using a ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle) and SCUBA divers. The species is long-lived, rare and has been exploited in the past by divers for collection purposes. S. savaglia is listed in Annex II of the SPA/BD Protocol of the Barcelona Convention and has a wider distribution than previously...

Recent ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle) exploration and bottom sampling in the southern Adriatic Sea (Apulian and Montenegrin margins) resulted in the discovery of cnidarian-rich deep-sea habitats in the depth range of ca. 400-700 m. In particular, ROV inspection of Montenegrin canyons reveals the existence of megabenthic communities dominated by a variety of cnidarians, including scleractinians (Madrepora oculata, Lophelia per...

A significant elevation of serum immunoglobulin (Ig) concentration occurred in female gilthead sea bream Sparus aurata during spawning. Furthermore, a progressive rise of serum Ig level was observed throughout the process of sexual inversion (from functional male to functional female), suggesting that the synthesis of Ig could be regulated by sex‐related factors (probably sexual hormones) involved in the process of oogenesis....