Sponges from rhodolith beds surrounding Ustica Island marine protected area (southern Tyrrhenian Sea), with a comprehensive inventory of the island sponge fauna

The sponge fauna colonizing rhodolith beds from Ustica Island marine protected area was studied. Moreover, an inventory of the sponge species present along the island’s coasts was carried out for the first time. Analysis of rhodoliths trapped in nets used by local fishermen at two sites and data obt...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Scientia marina 2020-09, Vol.84 (3), p.297-308
Main Authors: Longo, Caterina, Corriero, Giuseppe, Cardone, Frine, Mercurio, Maria, Pierri, Cataldo, Nonnis Marzano, Carlotta
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Algae
Biodiversity
Cavernicolous species
Caves
Coasts
Concretions
coralligenous formations
Crusts
Demospongiae
Endemic species
Fauna
Fishers
Invertebrates
marine caves
Marine parks
Marine protected areas
mediterranean sea
Morphology
photophilous hard substrates
porifera
Protected areas
rhodolith beds
Species checklists
Sponges
Sport fishing
Substrates
Taxa
Taxonomy
Underwater
ustica island
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The sponge fauna colonizing rhodolith beds from Ustica Island marine protected area was studied. Moreover, an inventory of the sponge species present along the island’s coasts was carried out for the first time. Analysis of rhodoliths trapped in nets used by local fishermen at two sites and data obtained from underwater video images were used to identify 25 sponge taxa, 22 of them at species level. The classes Demospongiae and Homoscleromorpha were present with 24 and 1 species, respectively. Most of the specimens were small-sized and represented by thick crusts or short erect branches. Few specimens were insinuating or excavating. Furthermore, qualitative sampling was performed on Ustica’s coralligenous formations, photophilous hard substrates and in marine caves, and the results obtained were added to the literature data. The overall checklist of sponges from Ustica encompassed 97 taxa, 90 named at species level, subdivided into 6 taxa of Calcarea, 3 of Homoscleromorpha and 88 of Demospongiae. Eleven of the species were endemic to the Mediterranean Sea, mainly concentrated on rhodoliths and in marine caves. This research adds a fundamental element to the knowledge of invertebrates associated with rhodoliths, and updates the checklist of sponges colonizing Ustica’s waters, facilitating its future monitoring.
ISSN:0214-8358
1886-8134
DOI:10.3989/scimar.04991.29A