The morphology and behaviour of Cercaria lata Lespés, 1857 (Digenea, Faustulidae) from the Mediterranean clam Tapes decussata (L.)

2009 ◽  
Vol 83 (1) ◽  
pp. 69-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Gargouri Ben Abdallah ◽  
N. Trigui El Menif ◽  
F. Maamouri
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Study ◽  
Digestive Gland ◽  
Multivariate Analyses ◽  
Eastern Mediterranean ◽  
Temporal Distribution ◽  
Gulf Of Gabes ◽  
Donax Trunculus ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
Spatio Temporal ◽  
First Time

AbstractCercaria lata (Digenea, Faustulidae), discovered by Lespés (1857) in Tapes decussata (L.) in the basin of Arcachon, was found for the first time, from the eastern Mediterranean, in the same lamellibranch from Tunisia (Bizerte and Tunis lagoons and Gulf of Gabes). These cercariae develop in daughter sporocysts, which develop in mother sporocysts in the gonads. Daughter sporocysts are observed in the gonads and sometimes in the digestive gland. A redescription and the behaviour of the naturally emerging cercariae and spatio-temporal distribution of the sporocysts are reported. A comparative study using multivariate analyses associated with morphology, biology and seasonality confirm the distinctness of Cercaria lata and the cercaria of Cercaria pectinata from Donax trunculus.

Upper-plate structural controls on the segmentation of the Kefalonia Fault (Ionian Sea, Greece)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emmanuel Skourtsos ◽  
Haralambos Kranis ◽  
Spyridon Mavroulis ◽  
Efthimios Lekkas
Keyword(s):  
Eastern Mediterranean ◽  
Source Parameters ◽  
Plate Boundary ◽  
Temporal Distribution ◽  
Western Coast ◽  
African Plate ◽  
Plate Structure ◽  
The North ◽  
Macroseismic Effects ◽  
Spatio Temporal

<p>The NNE-SSW, right-lateral Kefalonia Transform Fault (KTF) marks the western termination of the subducting Hellenic slab, which is a part of the oceanic remnant of the African plate. The inception of the KTF, described as a STEP fault, is placed in the Pliocene. KTF is considered to be the most active earthquake source in the Eastern Mediterranean. During the last two decades, four significant earthquakes (M>6.0) have been associated with the KTF. These events are attributed to the reactivation of different segments of the KTF, which are (from North to South) the North Lefkada, South Lefkada, Fiskardo, Paliki and Zakynthos segments: the North Lefkada segment ruptured in the 2003 earthquake, the 2014 Kefalonia events are associated with the Paliki segment and the 2015 Lefkada earthquake with the South Lefkada (and possibly the Fiskardo) segments.</p><p>The upper plate structure in the islands of Lefkada and Kefalonia is characterized by the Ionian Unit, thrusted over the Paxi (or Pre-Apulian) Unit. The Ionian Thrust, which brings the Ionian over the Paxi Unit, is a main upper-plate NNW-SSE, NE-dipping structure. It runs through the island of Lefkada, to be mapped onshore again at the western coast of Ithaki and at SE Kefalonia. Two other major thrusts are mapped on this island: the Aenos thrust, which has a WNW-ESE strike at the southern part of the island and gradually curves towards NNW-SSE in the west and the Kalo Fault in the northern part. These Pliocene (and still active) structures developed during the late-most stages of thrusting in the Hellenides, strike obliquely to the KTF and appear to abut against it.</p><p>We suggest that these thrusts control not only the deformation within the upper plate, but also the earthquake segmentation of the KTF. This suggestion is corroborated by the spatio-temporal distribution and source parameters of the recent, well-documented earthquake events and by the macroseismic effects of these earthquakes. The abutment of the Ionian thrust against the KTF marks the southern termination of the Lefkada earthquake segment, which ruptured in the 2003 earthquake, while the Aenos, (or the Kalo) thrust mark the southern end of the Fiskardo segment. The spatial distribution of the Earthquake Environmental Effects related to the four significant events in the last 20 years displays a good correlation with our interpretation: most of the 2003 macroseismic effects are located in the northern part of Lefkada, which belongs to the upper block of the Ionian thrust; similarly, the effects of the 2014 earthquakes of Kefalonia are distributed mainly in the Paliki Peninsula and the southern part of the island that belong to the footwall of the Aenos thrust and the 2015 effects are found in SW Lefkada, which is part of the footwall of the Ionian thrust.</p><p>We suggest that correlation between upper-plate structure and plate boundary faulting can provide insights in the understanding of faulting pattern in convergent settings, therefore contributing to earthquake management plans.</p>

scholarly journals The spatio-temporal distribution of lightning over Israel and the neighboring area and its relation to regional synoptic systems

2011 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 2125-2135 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Shalev ◽  
H. Saaroni ◽  
T. Izsak ◽  
Y. Yair ◽  
B. Ziv
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Distribution ◽  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Temporal Distribution ◽  
Lightning Activity ◽  
Eastern Coast ◽  
Synoptic Situation ◽  
Lightning Flash ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
Spatio Temporal ◽  
Neighboring Area

Abstract. The spatio-temporal distribution of lightning flashes over Israel and the neighboring area and its relation to the regional synoptic systems has been studied, based on data obtained from the Israel Lightning Location System (ILLS) operated by the Israel Electric Corporation (IEC). The system detects cloud-to-ground lightning discharges in a range of ~500 km around central Israel (32.5° N, 35° E). The study period was defined for annual activity from August through July, for 5 seasons in the period 2004–2010. The spatial distribution of lightning flash density indicates the highest concentration over the Mediterranean Sea, attributed to the contribution of moisture as well as sensible and latent heat fluxes from the sea surface. Other centers of high density appear along the coastal plain, orographic barriers, especially in northern Israel, and downwind from the metropolitan area of Tel Aviv, Israel. The intra-annual distribution shows an absence of lightning during the summer months (JJA) due to the persistent subsidence over the region. The vast majority of lightning activity occurs during 7 months, October to April. Although over 65 % of the rainfall in Israel is obtained during the winter months (DJF), only 35 % of lightning flashes occur in these months. October is the richest month, with 40 % of total annual flashes. This is attributed both to tropical intrusions, i.e., Red Sea Troughs (RST), which are characterized by intense static instability and convection, and to Cyprus Lows (CLs) arriving from the west. Based on daily study of the spatial distribution of lightning, three patterns have been defined; "land", "maritime" and "hybrid". CLs cause high flash density over the Mediterranean Sea, whereas some of the RST days are typified by flashes over land. The pattern defined "hybrid" is a combination of the other 2 patterns. On CL days, only the maritime pattern was noted, whereas in RST days all 3 patterns were found, including the maritime pattern. It is suggested that atmospheric processes associated with RST produce the land pattern. Hence, the occurrence of a maritime pattern in days identified as RST reflects an "apparent RST". The hybrid pattern was associated with an RST located east of Israel. This synoptic type produced the typical flash maximum over the land, but the upper-level trough together with the onshore winds it induced over the eastern coast of the Mediterranean resulted in lightning activity over the sea as well, similar to that of CLs. It is suggested that the spatial distribution patterns of lightning may better identify the synoptic system responsible, a CL, an "active RST" or an "apparent RST". The electrical activity thus serves as a "fingerprint" for the synoptic situation responsible for its generation.

scholarly journals High diversified benthic habitats in a tidal Mediterranean sub-tropical environment: the case of the Gulf of Gabès (Tunisia)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abir Fersi ◽  
Nawfel Mosbahi ◽  
Ali Bakalem ◽  
Jean-Philippe Pezy ◽  
Alexandrine Baffreau ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Eastern Mediterranean ◽  
Tropical Environment ◽  
Gulf Of Gabes ◽  
Annual Cycles ◽  
Gulf Of Gabès ◽  
Zostera Noltei ◽  
Sediment Types ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
The Impact

The Gulf of Gabès on the southern coasts of Tunisia in the central part of the Mediterranean is a very shallow basin, characterized by semidiurnal tides, attaining a range of 2.3 m during spring tides. The intertidal zone was covered by extended Zostera (Zosterella) noltei Hornemann, 1832 beds mainly developed around the Kneiss Islands while tidal channels ensured the water circulation in this sub-tropical environment with very low freshwater input and high summer temperature. In spite of protected conventions, the area remained under high human pressures: overfishing, and the impact of the pollution of the phosphate industry. Intensive sampling in both intertidal and shallow subtidal zones during annual cycles permitted to identify a rich macrofauna which increase considerably the species known in this eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea. More than 50 species are added for the Tunisian fauna. Moreover, patterns of diversity are analysed with the sediment types, presence or absence of Zostera noltei seagrass bed, and human pressures. The list of the collected species are compared with those of surrounding areas in both Western and Eastern Mediterranean Sea.

Toward a history of the Trecento diptych: Format, materiality, and mobility in a corpus of diptychs from Angevin Naples

2018 ◽  
Vol 81 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-29
Author(s):  
Sarah K. Kozlowski
Keyword(s):  
Eastern Mediterranean ◽  
Central Italy ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
First Time

Abstract Laying the groundwork for a larger project, this essay brings together for the first time a working corpus of diptychs connected with the Angevin court in Naples in the later thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. Comprising both surviving diptychs and diptychs now lost but recorded in inventories, this body of material reveals that objects of this type were commissioned and collected in significant numbers at the Neapolitan court, in a range of sizes, mediums, and subjects, and were produced by workshops linked not only to Naples but also to central Italy, Genoa, and the Eastern Mediterranean. In turn, diptychs in Naples raise larger questions about the histories, materialities, and meanings of the format in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries in Europe and the Mediterranean. Above all, the objects brought together here press us to set diptychs in motion through networks of artworks, artists, and patrons on the move across the Mediterranean.

Composition and spatio-temporal variation in the density of the Brachyura (Decapoda, Pleocyemata) in the rocky substrates of an Amazonian estuary

Crustaceana ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 89 (13) ◽  
pp. 1447-1466 ◽  
Author(s):  
Priscila S. V. Nóbrega ◽  
Jussara M. Martinelli-Lemos
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Species Composition ◽  
Rainy Season ◽  
Multivariate Analyses ◽  
Temporal Distribution ◽  
Homogeneous Distribution ◽  
Influence Of Temperature ◽  
Spatio Temporal ◽  
Outer Estuary ◽  
Saline Zone

The present study investigated the composition, spatio-temporal distribution, and the influence of temperature and salinity on the density of brachyurans associated with rocky substrates in an estuary of the Brazilian Amazonian coast. Specimens were collected monthly at four sites representing the two margins (profiles), zones (inner and outer estuary) and the lower and upper mediolittoral portions at each site of the Marapanim estuary. A total of 14 species were collected and multivariate analyses revealed that the species composition varied systematically between zones, margins, mediolittoral sectors and seasons, with the more saline zone, the most eroded margin, the lower mediolittoral, and the rainy season all being characterized by higher densities and a more homogeneous distribution of species. In general, high densities of brachyurans, but low species richness, and marked dominance characterized the sites. Salinity proved to play an important role in the structuring of the community.

The phylum Sipuncula in the eastern Mediterranean: composition, ecology, zoogeography

1999 ◽  
Vol 79 (5) ◽  
pp. 821-830 ◽  
Author(s):  
G.V.V. Murina ◽  
M.A. Pancucci-Papadopoulou ◽  
A. Zenetos
Keyword(s):  
Additional Data ◽  
Eastern Mediterranean ◽  
Eastern Basin ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
First Time

The bibliography concerning the Mediterranean Sipuncula is reviewed, particularly that from the eastern Mediterranean. Additional data are provided from macrobenthic samples collected between 1974 and 1997 in the Hellenic waters. A total of 17 species are recorded, five of which (Sipunculus norvegicus, Golfingia elongata, Nephasoma lilljeborgi, Thysanocardiacatharinae and Aspidosiphon (Akrikos) mexicanus) are reported for the first time in Hellenic waters. Three more species (Onchnesoma squamatum squamatum, Aspidosiphon (Aspidosiphon) elegans, Apionsoma (Apionsoma) trichocephalus) which are found exclusively in the extreme eastern basin (Israel, Egypt) raises the number of eastern Mediterranean Sipuncula species to twenty.

scholarly journals Epidémiologie moléculaire du sérotype 9 du virus de la fièvre catarrhale ovine en région méditerranéenne

2009 ◽  
Vol 62 (2-4) ◽  
pp. 148
Author(s):  
K. Nomikou ◽  
S. Maan ◽  
N. S. Maan ◽  
P. P.C. Mertens
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Mediterranean Region ◽  
Reference Strain ◽  
Eastern Mediterranean ◽  
Eastern Mediterranean Region ◽  
Eastern European ◽  
The Family ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
First Time

Bluetongue virus (BTV) is the prototype species of the genus Orbivirus within the family Reoviridae. There are 24 (possibly 25) distinct serotypes of BTV, eleven of which have entered, or have been identified in Europe and the Mediterranean region since 1998 (types 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 9, 11, 15, 16, 24 and 25). The first BTV to arrive in Greece during 1998 was serotype 9 (iso­late GRE1998/01), followed by BTV-16 (GRE1999/13) during 1999. BTV-9 spread to mainland Greece, South-Eastern Bulgaria and European Turkey during 1999, to Italy during 2000, then to Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Croatia, mainland Italy and Sicily in 2001. In 2002, BTV-9 was again identified in Bosnia, Bulgaria, Montenegro, Yugoslavia and Albania, and was identified in Libya for the first time in 2008. The whole genome was sequenced for representative field and vaccine strains of BTV-9 and 16 from the Mediterranean region, identifying the levels of genetic heterogeneity in each genome segment. The early European isolates of BTV-9 (1998 onwards) were identified as ‘eastern’ strains related to those from India, Indonesia and Australia. BTV-16 isolates are also eastern strains that are most closely related to strains from Turkey and the South African reference strain of type 16 (originally from Pakistan). Analyses of the more conserved genome segments coding for structural and non-structural proteins of BTV-9 (from Bosnia, Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey) and BTV-16 (from Greece and Turkey) show that the Eastern European isolates of these two serotypes have the remaining eight genome segments (1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9 and 10) with more than 99% similarity, in each case belonging to the same eastern lineage. These data show that the BTV-9 and 16 isolates that were circulating in the Mediterranean region are reassortants, with the majority of their genome seg­ments derived from a single parental lineage. However, the BTV-9 isolate from Libya (LIB2008/08) is more closely related to the western BTV-9 reference strain from South Africa than to the earlier BTV-9 isolates from Eastern Europe. Analysis of the more conserved segments of LIB2008/08 showed only 79.8–80.2% similarity with the eastern European BTV-9 isolates from the Eastern Mediterranean region, but 89–93.5% similarity with the BTV-9 reference and vaccine strains from South Africa. BTV-9 from Libya belongs to a distinct western lineage of viruses and represents both a new introduction to the Mediterranean region and a new threat to Europe.

The outstanding 2019 Heatwaves in Central Europe – driving mechanisms and soil-atmosphere feedbacks

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ricardo Trigo ◽  
Pedro Sousa ◽  
David Barriopedro ◽  
Ricardo García-Herrera ◽  
Carlos Ordóñez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Central Europe ◽  
Temporal Distribution ◽  
Daily Maximum ◽  
Regional Warming ◽  
Soil Desiccation ◽  
Driving Mechanisms ◽  
Spatio Temporal ◽  
Maximum Temperatures ◽  
Moisture Conditions ◽  
First Time

<p>In the current study, we analyzed the two outstanding heatwaves (HWs) that affected Europe in summer 2019. The events occurred in late June and late July and were record-breaking, although peak temperatures were observed in distinct areas. During the June HW the highest temperatures were recorded in SE France, when the country registered for the first time temperatures above 45ºC. The July HW made thermometers cross the psychological barrier of 40ºC for the first time in Belgium and the Netherlands, breaking all-time records in widespread areas of Central Europe.</p><p>We detected that a subtropical ridge fostering warm advection from lower latitudes was a common feature for both HWs. However, we have also found distinct mechanisms shaping the two HWs. While the June HW was predominantly characterized by the intrusion of a vertically homogenous air mass of Saharan origin, surface processes and upward transport of sensible heat were pivotal for the July HW. Our results suggest that the intensity and extension of the June HW contributed to soil desiccation, which together with the persistence of dry and clear sky conditions during early July led to an amplification of the surface temperature anomalies during the late July HW. This is supported by a flow analogue exercise, showing amplified surface heating for flow analogues of the July HW when they are preceded by short-term dry soil moisture conditions, like those caused by the June HW. In turn, we show that, in agreement with the long-term regional warming, soil desiccation during the June 2019 event was larger than it would have been in the recent past (assessing 1984-2018 versus 1950-1983). Finally, we compared the spatio-temporal distribution of summer temperature for 2019 and the previous record-breaking summer 2003. Results show that an outstanding warming fingerprint (circa +1.5ºC in summer daily maximum temperatures averaged over Europe) has been superimposed on the relatively larger magnitude of the August 2003 HW (with respect to the climatology at that time), thus explaining the exceptionality of the record-breaking values observed in 2019.</p><p>This work was supported by national funds through FCT (Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, Portugal) under project IMPECAF (PTDC/CTA-CLI/28902/2017).</p>

scholarly journals Diversity and Distribution of the Dinoflagellates Brachidinium, Asterodinium and Microceratium (Brachidiniales, Dinophyceae) in the open Mediterranean Sea

2011 ◽  
Vol 70 (2) ◽  
pp. 209-214 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fernando Gómez
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Eastern Mediterranean ◽  
Life Stage ◽  
Western Mediterranean ◽  
The South ◽  
Levantine Basin ◽  
First Occurrence ◽  
Local Species ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
First Time

Diversity and Distribution of the DinoflagellatesBrachidinium, AsterodiniumandMicroceratium(Brachidiniales, Dinophyceae) in the open Mediterranean SeaBrachidiniacean dinoflagellates have been investigated in the open waters of the Mediterranean Sea, along a transect from the south of France to the south of Cyprus (20 June-18 July 2008).BrachidiniumandKarenia papilionaceaoften co-occurred,B. capitatumpredominating in the surface waters. The highest abundance ofBrachidiniumwere found in the upper 25min the western Mediterranean with amaximum (24 cells L-1) at a depth of 5 m in the Balearic Sea.Asterodinium(up to 4 cells L-1) was recorded below of deep chlorophyll maxima. The genusMicroceratium, only known from the tropical Indo-Pacific region, is reported for the first time in the Mediterranean Sea.Microceratiumwas found below 100min the eastern Mediterranean Sea, with the highest abundance of 8 cells L-1at 125 m depth, in the Levantine Basin. This study also illustrates for the first time specimens under the division ofBrachidiniumandMicroceratium. This first occurrence ofMicroceratiumin the Mediterranean Sea should be considered an indicator of climate warming. However, it should not be considered a non-indigenous taxon.Microceratiumis the ‘tropical morphotype’, the adaptation of a local species (a life stage ofKarenia - Brachidinium - Asterodinium) to the tropical environmental conditions that prevail in summer in the open Mediterranean Sea.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document