Fine-scale variability of Mediterranean moray (Muraena helena) parasite communities as potential bioindicators of marine ecosystem stability.

Parasites are integral to marine biodiversity, playing key ecological roles and serving as indicators of ecosystem status. Despite their potential to reflect trophic network stability and habitat conditions, parasites often remain underexplored, particularly within broader ecological frameworks. In this study, we investigated the parasite community structure of the Mediterranean moray Muraena helena, a high-trophic-level predator with a strong site fidelity, and assess whether small-scale geographical variations in the Gulf of Naples (central-western Mediterranean) influence parasite assemblages.

Paedomorphic adaptations in a new species: a novel strategy for ascidians to live in soft-bottom habitats.

Inhabiting soft substrates presents complex challenges for some groups of sessile filter feeders. Among these, ascidians have independently evolved traits and strategies to live in such habitats. Paedomorphosis, the retention of juvenile features of the ancestor into the adult stage, has been associated with taxa living freely within the sediment, including species of the pyurid genus Heterostigma Ärnbäck-Christie-Linde, 1924 (Ascidiacea: Stolidobranchia: Pyuridae).

Short and long-term exposure to ocean acidification in limpets from the Castello Aragonese vent systems (Ischia Island, Italy).

Ocean acidification (OA) is reported to entail a detrimental impact on calcifying organisms. Nevertheless, patellid limpets - P. caerulea, P.

Methacrylated chitosan/jellyfish collagen membranes as cell instructive platforms for liver tissue engineering.

Although the multidisciplinary area of liver tissue engineering is in continuous progress, research in this field is still focused on developing an ideal liver tissue template. Innovative strategies are required to improve membrane stability and bioactivity. In our study, sustainable biomimetic membranes were developed by blending methacrylated chitosan (CSMA) with jellyfish collagen (jCol) for liver tissue engineering applications.

Not only in the crowd: Benthic litter characterization in a low population density area still reveals widespread pollution and local malpractices.

Various anthropogenic activities affect marine coastal habitats, leading to heavy litter pollution. However, whilst high litter concentrations are nowadays common in the proximity of metropolises, few studies investigated the magnitude of this phenomenon around coastal villages and small towns. We hereby characterized the benthic litter occurring in the trawlable grounds of the Gulf of Policastro (Tyrrhenian Sea, central-western Mediterranean), a low population density area that becomes a popular tourist destination during summer.

n. sp. (Nematoda: Philometridae), a new muscle-infecting species in the Mediterranean moray () revealed using integrative taxonomy.

Yamaguti, 1935 is a genus of dracunculoid nematodes of the family Philometridae Baylis & Daubney, 1926 comprising tissue-infecting species worldwide. In the present study, a new species of is described from the Tyrrhenian Sea (central-western Mediterranean Sea) using integrative approaches such as light and scanning microscopy, histopathology and 18S rRNA sequencing. n.

The genome of the rayed Mediterranean limpet Patella caerulea (Linnaeus, 1758).

Patella caerulea (Linnaeus, 1758) is a mollusc limpet species of the class Gastropoda. Endemic to the Mediterranean Sea, it is considered a keystone species due to its primary role in structuring and regulating the ecological balance of tidal and subtidal habitats. It is currently being used as a bioindicator to assess the environmental quality of coastal marine waters and as a model species to understand adaptation to ocean acidification.

Integrative taxonomy of metazoan parasites of the bluntnose sixgill shark Hexanchus griseus (Bonnaterre, 1788) in the Mediterranean Sea, with the resurrection of Grillotia acanthoscolex Rees, 1944 (Cestoda: Trypanorhyncha).

Appropriate diagnoses of parasites of apex marine predators are crucial to understand their biodiversity, host specificity, biogeography, and life cycles. Such diagnoses are also informative of ecological and biological characteristics of both host and environment in which the hosts and their parasites live. We here (i) investigate the parasite fauna of a bluntnose sixgill shark Hexanchus griseus (Bonnaterre, 1788) obtained from the Gulf of Naples (Tyrrhenian Sea), (ii) characterize molecularly all its metazoan parasites, and (iii) resurrect and report the main morphological features and phylogenetic position of Grillotia acanthoscolex, a cestode species previously synonymized with Grillotia adenoplusia.

Chemical and Pharmacological Prospection of the Ascidian .

Marine invertebrates are a traditional source of natural products with relevant biological properties. Tunicates are soft-bodied, solitary or colonial, sessile organisms that provide compounds unique in their structure and activity. The aim of this work was to investigate the chemical composition of the ascidian , selected on the basis of a positive result in biological screening for ligands of relevant receptors of the innate immune system, including TLR2, TLR4, dectin-1b, and TREM2.

Duplication and Losses of Opsin Genes in Lophotrochozoan Evolution.

Opsins are G-coupled receptors playing a key role in metazoan visual processes. While many studies enriched our understanding of opsin diversity in several animal clades, the opsin evolution in Lophotrochozoa, one of the major metazoan groups, remains poorly understood. Using recently developed phylogenetic approaches, we investigated the opsin evolution in 74 lophotrochozoan genomes.

The complete mitochondrial genome of the zebra seabream (Perciformes, Sparidae) from the Mediterranean Sea.

The complete nucleotide sequence of the mitochondrial (mt) genome of the demersal zebra seabream (Lowe, 1838) was determined for the first time. The double stranded circular molecule is 16,559 base pairs (bp) in length and encodes for the typical 37 metazoan mitochondrial genes, and 2 non-coding regions (D-loop and L-origin). The gene arrangement of the mt genome follows the usual one for fishes.

Parasites and prey of the nursehound shark Scyliorhinus stellaris (Linnaeus, 1758): Insights into hidden trophic web interactions in the Mediterranean Sea.

The metazoan parasite community and the stomach contents of the nursehound shark Scyliorhinus stellaris from the Gulf of Naples (central Mediterranean Sea) were studied. The nursehound shark harboured a poor parasite community composed of a species of gill monogenean (Hexabothrium appendiculatum) and three intestinal cestode taxa (Acanthobothrium coronatum and two unidentified species of the genera Yamaguticestus and Scyphophyllidium), all represented by adult stages. Hosts were mostly parasitized by individuals of A.

A Comparative Analysis of Mucus Immunomodulatory Properties from Seven Marine Gastropods from the Mediterranean Sea.

The treatment of inflammatory and immune-related diseases due to dysfunctioning of the immune system necessitates modulation of the immune response through immunomodulatory compounds. Marine environments are considered as a new frontier for health benefit product implementations. Marine biodiversity is still a low explored resource, despite it is expected to represent an important platform for chemical bioactive compounds.

Benthic litter in the continental slope of the Gulf of Naples (central-western Mediterranean Sea) hosts limited fouling communities but facilitates molluscan spawning.

Seafloor pollution by benthic litter is an emerging phenomenon, although debris colonization by biota remains largely unexplored. We characterized the litter of the continental slope (~400-600 m) of the Gulf of Naples (Mediterranean) and investigated its fouling biota through integrative taxonomic approaches. Plastic pieces (82 %) with land-based origin (96 %) and limited sizes (10-20 cm) were the items most commonly encountered, suggesting a transfer to deep waters through floating and sinking.

Drivers of parasite communities in three sympatric benthic sharks in the Gulf of Naples (central Mediterranean Sea).

Sharks play a key role in the functioning of marine ecosystems and maintenance of trophic web balance, including life cycles of parasites co-occurring in their habitats. We investigated the structure of parasite communities of three sympatric shark species (Etmopterus spinax, Galeus melastomus, and Scyliorhinus canicula) and explored both the influence of host features in shaping the communities and their role as biological indicators of environment stability in the Gulf of Naples (central Mediterranean Sea), a geographical area characterized by strong anthropic pressure. Parasites found were all trophic transmitted helminths with a complex life cycle, except Lernaeopoda galei, that is a ecto-parasite copepod.

A molecular and ecological study of (Cestoda: Trypanorhyncha) larval infection in small to mid-sized benthonic sharks in the Gulf of Naples, Mediterranean Sea.

Aim: Trypanorhyncha cestodes comprise a wide range of heteroxenous parasites infecting elasmobranchs as definitive hosts. Limited data exist on the larval infection of these cestodes and the role of intermediate and paratenic hosts in the life cycle of these parasites. We investigated the factors that determine the occurrence and the level of infection of plerocerci in the skeletal muscles of various benthonic sharks and analyzed the parasites through an integrative taxonomic approach.

The complete mitochondrial genome of the white seabream (Perciformes: Sparidae) from the Tyrrhenian sea.

The white seabream (Linnaeus, 1758) is a species of interest for commercial fisheries throughout its range of distribution and it is also reared using aquaculture techniques. Herein, we present the first complete sequence and annotation of the mitochondrial genome of this species. The mitogenome is 16,515 base pairs in length and contains 13 protein-coding genes, 2 rRNA, 22 tRNA, and 2 non-coding regions (D-loop and L-origin).

Morphological updates, host-specificity, molecular data and phylogenetic analysis of Acanthobothrium coronatum (Cestoda: Onchoproteocephalidea), a neglected parasite of the nursehound Scyliorhinus stellaris.

Acanthobothrium is the most speciose genus of onchoproteocephalidean cestodes, whose adults parasitize the intestine of elasmobranch fishes. Acanthobothrium coronatum, the type species of the genus described from Mediterranean elasmobranchs, remains a little known parasite, with the most recent reports dating back to the fifties. We hereby investigate host-specificity and redescribe A.

Molecular taxonomy confirms that the northeastern Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea harbor a single lancelet, Branchiostoma lanceolatum (Pallas, 1774) (Cephalochordata: Leptocardii: Branchiostomatidae).

Branchiostomatidae (lancelets or amphioxus) comprises about 30 species, several of which are well-established models in evolutionary development. Our zoological and ecological knowledge of the family is nonetheless limited. Despite evident differences can be found among known populations, the taxonomy of Branchiostoma lanceolatum (type species of the genus Branchiostoma) has never been investigated with modern methods through its range in the northeastern Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea.

Insights into the role of deep-sea squids of the genus Histioteuthis (Histioteuthidae) in the life cycle of ascaridoid parasites in the Central Mediterranean Sea waters.

Ascaridoid nematodes comprise a wide range of heteroxenous parasites infecting top fish predators and marine mammals as definitive hosts, with crustaceans, squids, and fishes acting as intermediate/paratenic hosts. Limited data exist on the species and role of several intermediate and paratenic hosts in the life cycle of these parasites. In the aim of adding knowledge on the role of squid species in their life cycle, we have here investigated the larval ascaridoid nematodes collected from the deep-sea umbrella squid Histioteuthis bonnelli and the reverse jewel squid Histioteuthis reversa captured in the Central Mediterranean Sea (Tyrrhenian Sea).

The role of social media in compensating for the lack of field studies: Five new fish species for Mediterranean Egypt.

In the Mediterranean Sea, where biological invasions constitute a serious threat, the combination of citizen science and social networks amplified the power of proper field studies, recording species that would have otherwise presumably passed unnoticed. Based on data collected on several Facebook groups, we hereby first report the presence of five fish taxa (Kyphosus sp., Heniochus intermedius, Pomacanthus imperator, Pomacanthus maculosus and Abudefduf sp.

Cohabiting with litter: Fish and benthic assemblages in coastal habitats of a heavily urbanized area.

Anthropogenic litter negatively impacts the marine environment and threatens biodiversity. At the same time, it represents a suitable substrate for the settlement of sessile species, thus potentially altering composition and structure of soft bottom benthic assemblages. By using a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV), we hereby investigated patterns of abundance, distribution, and origin of benthic litter in three subtidal habitats of a heavily urbanized area and tested whether litter distribution related to patterns of fish and mega- and macro-benthic diversity.