Abstract
The marine biodiversity of the Tricase coastal area (Ionian Sea, Italy) was investigated at the MARE Outpost (Avamposto MARE) between 2016 and 2017, with the help of citizen scientists and trained taxonomists. Among the most interesting groups encountered, heterobranch molluscs deserve a special mention. Altogether, 268 specimens were ascribed to this group and referred to 49 taxa. Notwithstanding the extensive literature on Mediterranean heterobranchs, two species proved to be new to the Italian coasts, the records of eight species represented their easternmost sightings in the Mediterranean Sea, and 13 taxa represented new records for the Ionian Sea. In addition, several feeding habits and phenological events were new to science. Although the European Union’s Marine Strategy Framework Directive lists “Biodiversity is maintained” as the first descriptor in achieving “Good Environmental Status”, our results highlighted the presence of conspicuous gaps in the knowledge of species distribution, taxonomy and ecology of heterobranch molluscs, indicating the necessity of even small-scale species checklists to understand biodiversity changes in worldwide biota.
Highlights
Biodiversity is the result of billions years of evolution and supplies all the goods and services humans need to live (Haines-Young & Potschin 2010)
The 49 taxa censused here belong to two main clades, seven orders (Pleurobranchida, Nudibranchia, Umbraculida, Cephalaspidea, Runcinida, Aplysiida and Sacoglossa) (Table I; Figure 2), 27 families, and at least 34 genera
Our results contribute to filling some gaps in the knowledge of distribution, taxonomy and ecology of these taxa
Summary
Biodiversity is the result of billions years of evolution and supplies all the goods and services humans need to live (Haines-Young & Potschin 2010). The European Union fully recognises the importance of biodiversity, but the unsustainable development of human societies threats its integrity (Sandifer et al 2015; Thiede et al 2016). Along this line, the European Union’s Marine Strategy Framework Directive lists “Biodiversity is maintained” as the first descriptor in achieving “Good Environmental Status” (EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive 2008). There is enough evidence that over the last few decades the distribution, phenology and physiology of many animal and plant species have been altered due to climate change, with feedbacks on local abundances and geographic ranges (Hughes 2000; Puce et al 2009; Rivetti et al 2014; Boero et al 2016). In 2015, the University of Salento, in collaboration with the CIHEAM IAM Bari
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