Metazoan parasites in the head region of the bullet tuna Auxisrochei (Osteichthyes: Scombridae) from the western Mediterranean Sea

2014 ◽  
Vol 89 (6) ◽  
pp. 734-739 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Mele ◽  
S. Saber ◽  
M.J. Gómez-Vives ◽  
G. Garippa ◽  
F. Alemany ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Fork Length ◽  
Western Mediterranean ◽  
Published Data ◽  
Strait Of Gibraltar ◽  
Head Region ◽  
Metazoan Parasites ◽  
Western Mediterranean Sea ◽  
The Mean ◽  
The Mediterranean

AbstractThe head region of 72 bullet tuna Auxis rochei from the western Mediterranean Sea (south-east Spain and the Strait of Gibraltar) was examined for parasites. Seven metazoan species were found in the fish from south-east Spain: three monogeneans, two trematodes and two copepods, whereas only three species were isolated in the fish from the Strait of Gibraltar. A comparison of the levels of infection of the parasites according to fish size in south-east Spain showed that the prevalence of Didymozoon auxis and the mean abundance of Allopseudaxine macrova were higher in the larger hosts (range of fork length = 38–44 cm) than in the smaller ones (33–37 cm). A comparison of the parasite infections according to geographical region showed that the mean abundances of Nematobothriinae gen. sp. and Caligus bonito were higher in fish from south-east Spain than in those from the Strait of Gibraltar. A comparison of the parasite fauna of A. rochei from the Mediterranean Sea with the published data on Auxis spp. from the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans revealed the closest similarity between the Mediterranean A. rochei and the Atlantic A. thazard.

Some aspects of the reproductive biology of albacore Thunnus alalunga from the western Mediterranean Sea

2015 ◽  
Vol 95 (8) ◽  
pp. 1705-1715 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sámar Saber ◽  
Josetxu Ortiz de Urbina ◽  
María José Gómez-Vives ◽  
David Macías
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Reproductive Biology ◽  
Gonadosomatic Index ◽  
Fork Length ◽  
Western Mediterranean ◽  
Minimum Length ◽  
Mediterranean Population ◽  
Western Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Thunnus Alalunga ◽  
The Mediterranean

Thunnus alalunga is an important commercial tuna species widely distributed in the three major oceans and the Mediterranean Sea. The Mediterranean population is currently classified as a data-poor stock and little is known about its basic life history parameters. This study provides the first detailed information on some aspects of the reproductive biology of T. alalunga from the western Mediterranean Sea. A total of 16 104 specimens were measured between 2005 and 2012. The overall sex ratio of females to males was 1.1:1, although the ratio was female biased in fish <70 cm fork length (LF) and male biased in those >75 cm LF. Histological analysis of the ovaries (N = 587) and the monthly variation of the gonadosomatic index for both sexes showed that spawning occurred from June to August, which is a much shorter period than the 7 months reported for T. alalunga in tropical oceanic waters. Thunnus alalunga caught during June and July are capable of spawning daily. The gonadosomatic index values for T. alalunga from the western Mediterranean were up to eight times higher than those of T. alalunga from other oceans. Histological examination of the ovaries showed that the minimum length at sexual maturity of females was 56 cm LF, which is considerably smaller than those estimated for other stocks.

scholarly journals Parasites of the head of Scomber colias (Osteichthyes: Scombridae) from the western Mediterranean Sea

2014 ◽  
Vol 59 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Salvatore Mele ◽  
Maria Pennino ◽  
Maria Piras ◽  
José Bellido ◽  
Giovanni Garippa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Eastern Mediterranean ◽  
Western Mediterranean ◽  
Parasite Fauna ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Published Data ◽  
Multivariate Techniques ◽  
Western Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Scomber Colias ◽  
Non Parametric

AbstractThe metazoan parasite assemblage of the head of 30 specimens of the Atlantic chub mackerel (Scomber colias) from the western Mediterranean Sea was analysed. Eight species of parasites were found, four mazocraeid monogeneans: Grubea cochlear (prevalence = 10%), Kuhnia scombercolias (59%), K. scombri (52%), Pseudokuhnia minor (86%); three didymozoid trematodes: Nematobothrium cf. faciale (21%), N. filiforme (41%), N. scombri (7%); and one laerneopodid copepod: Clavelissa scombri (7%). Results were compared with previously published data from 14 localities of the eastern Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, using non-parametric univariate and multivariate analyses, and the whole parasite fauna of S. colias was compared with that of the congeners (S. australasicus, S. japonicus and S. scombrus). Parasites showed to reflect the biogeographical and phylogenetic history of host. From a methodological point of view, the use of both non-parametric univariate and multivariate techniques proved to be effective tools to detect dissimilarities between parasite assemblages.

scholarly journals Further spreading of the non-indigenous bryozoan Celleporaria brunnea in the Mediterranean Sea: port to port morphological variations

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jasmine Ferrario ◽  
Agnese Marchini ◽  
Martina Marić ◽  
Dan Minchin ◽  
Anna Occhipinti-Ambrogi
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Western Mediterranean ◽  
Indigenous Species ◽  
Large Variability ◽  
Morphometric Characters ◽  
Morphological Variations ◽  
The North ◽  
Western Mediterranean Sea ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
The Mediterranean

The Pacific cheilostome bryozoan Celleporaria brunnea (Hincks, 1884), a non-indigenous species already known for the Mediterranean Sea, was recorded in 2013-2014 from nine Italian port localities (Genoa, Santa Margherita Ligure, La Spezia, Leghorn, Viareggio, Olbia, Porto Rotondo, Porto Torres and Castelsardo) in the North-western Mediterranean Sea; in 2014 it was also found for the first time in the Adriatic Sea, in the marina “Kornati”, Biograd na Moru (Croatia). In Italy, specimens of C. brunnea were found in 44 out of 105 samples (48% from harbour sites ad 52% from marinas). These data confirm and update the distribution of C. brunnea in the Mediterranean Sea, and provide evidence that recreational boating is a vector responsible for the successful spread of this species. Previous literature data have shown the existence of differences in orifice and interzooidal avicularia length and width among different localities of the invaded range of C. brunnea. Therefore, measurements of orifice and avicularia were assessed for respectively 30 zooids and 8 to 30 interzooidal avicularia for both Italian and Croatian localities, and compared with literature data, in order to verify the existence of differences in the populations of C. brunnea that could reflect the geographic pattern of its invasion range. Our data show high variability of orifice measures among and within localities: zooids with broader than long orifice coexisted with others displaying longer than broad orifice, or similar values for both length and width. The morphological variation of C. brunnea in these localities, and above all the large variability of samples within single localities or even within colonies poses questions on the reliability of such morphometric characters for inter and intraspecific evaluations.

scholarly journals The Meandering Path of a Drifter around the Western Alboran Gyre

2004 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 685-692 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jesús García Lafuente ◽  
Javier Delgado
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Surveillance System ◽  
Relative Vorticity ◽  
Western Mediterranean ◽  
Tidal Currents ◽  
Strait Of Gibraltar ◽  
Short Scale ◽  
Western Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Alboran Basin ◽  
Drifter Trajectory

Abstract An accidentally released drifter in the eastern section of the Strait of Gibraltar, whose successive positions were tracked by the Argos surveillance system, was advected more than 170 km around the western Alboran gyre in the Alboran Sea of the western Mediterranean Sea during four days. The drifter trajectory along the gyre's periphery was wavelike around a hypothetical smoothed streamline, with a period of 35 h and an amplitude of approximately 2 km. Temperature observations confirm the wavelike nature of the trajectory. Neither tidal currents within the Alboran basin nor wind-related forcing are able to explain the observed path. The interaction of the incoming Atlantic jet and the western Alboran gyre at the place where they meet together with the existence of relative vorticity pulses of the Atlantic jet associated with tidal currents in the strait is put forward as a likely mechanism that generates short-scale eddies in which the drifter could have been trapped. The subsequent advection of such an eddy around the gyre would depict the observed wavelike trajectory.

The reproductive biology of swordfish (Xiphias gladius) in the Strait of Gibraltar

2018 ◽  
Vol 99 (3) ◽  
pp. 649-659 ◽  
Author(s):  
Noureddine Abid ◽  
Amin Laglaoui ◽  
Abdelhay Arakrak ◽  
Mohammed Bakkali
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Fork Length ◽  
Strait Of Gibraltar ◽  
Mixing Rate ◽  
The North ◽  
Lower Jaw ◽  
The North Atlantic ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
First Maturity

During the period from April to September for the years 2014–2016, 998 swordfishes caught by the Moroccan artisanal longline fishery in the Strait of Gibraltar were sampled to study the reproduction of this species in this mixing area between the Mediterranean Sea and the North Atlantic. The results showed that the sex ratio is slightly in favour of males for sizes smaller than 130 cm LJFL (Lower jaw-fork length), whereas females are more numerous in sizes larger than 140 cm LJFL. Fifty per cent of females were estimated to be mature at 170 cm LJFL, while for males, the size at first maturity was estimated to be 95 cm LJFL. The swordfish spawn from June to September, probably in the Mediterranean Sea. The findings of this study suggest that the reproductive characteristics of swordfish caught in the Strait of Gibraltar are similar to those of the Mediterranean swordfish, and a high mixing rate between the Mediterranean and the North Atlantic stocks occurs in the study area.

Two live sightings of Sowerby's beaked whale (Mesoplodon bidens) from the western Mediterranean (Tyrrhenian Sea)

2017 ◽  
Vol 98 (5) ◽  
pp. 1003-1009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luca Bittau ◽  
Mattia Leone ◽  
Adrien Gannier ◽  
Alexandre Gannier ◽  
Renata Manconi
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Western Mediterranean ◽  
Tyrrhenian Sea ◽  
Beaked Whale ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
The North ◽  
Western Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Beaked Whales ◽  
Species Groups ◽  
The Mediterranean

Sowerby's beaked whale (Mesoplodon bidens) was previously known in the Mediterranean Sea from a single live stranding of two individuals in the French Riviera. We report here on two live sightings in the western Mediterranean, central-western Tyrrhenian Sea off eastern Corsica (Montecristo Trough) and off eastern Sardinia (Caprera Canyon) in 2010 and 2012, respectively. In both cases single individuals, possibly the same individual, occurred within groups of Cuvier's beaked whales (Ziphius cavirostris) suggesting inter-specific interactions. Based on our close observations of mixed-species groups of Sowerby's and Cuvier's beaked whales, we hypothesize that some previous long-distance sightings of beaked whales in the Mediterranean may not be reliably attributed to Z. cavirostris. The present sightings and previous live stranding indicate that the western Mediterranean Sea is the easternmost marginal area of M. bidens within the North Atlantic geographic range. Notes on behaviour are also provided.

scholarly journals Observing Winter Mixing and Spring Bloom in the Mediterranean

Eos ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 99 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pascal Conan ◽  
Pierre Testor ◽  
Claude Estournel ◽  
Fabrizio D'Ortenzio ◽  
Xavier Durrieu de Madron
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Spring Bloom ◽  
Western Mediterranean ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Dense Water ◽  
Western Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Water Formation ◽  
Dense Water Formation ◽  
The Mediterranean

A new special issue of JGR: Oceans and JGR: Atmospheres presents new insights into the dynamics of dense water formation in the western Mediterranean Sea and its biogeochemical consequences.

scholarly journals Sertularia marginata (Cnidaria: Hydrozoa) in the Mediterranean: an alien species in expansion?

2013 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 384 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. M. GONZÁLEZ-DUARTE ◽  
C. MEGINA ◽  
M. BETHENCOURT
Keyword(s):  
Alien Species ◽  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Atlantic Coast ◽  
Western Mediterranean ◽  
Strait Of Gibraltar ◽  
Eastern Basin ◽  
Natural Zones ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
Natural Means

Mature and dense populations of the tropical hydroid species Sertulariamarginata were detected in the Alboran Sea (Western Mediterranean) and in the Atlantic coast of the Strait of Gibraltar. Until now, it had only been recorded in the eastern basin within the Mediterranean Sea.This species has previously been recorded in estuaries and anthropogenichabitats but, in the area studied here, we only found it in natural zones. These observations could indicate an early expansion and naturalization in the Mediterranean Sea. Due to its limited dispersion capacity by its own natural means and the history of its records, the observations provided here support the hypothesis of an arrival and a spread by anthropogenic vectors.A pathway of arrival and dispersion of alien species into the Mediterranean Sea is proposed for future monitoring: from Macaronesia (particularly Canary Islands) to the Atlantic coast of the Strait of Gibraltar and from here into the Mediterranean.

scholarly journals Inventory and the biogeographical affinities of Annelida Polychaeta in theAlgerian coastline (Western Mediterranean)

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 157
Author(s):  
ALI BAKALEM ◽  
PATRICK GILLET ◽  
JEAN-PHILIPPE PEZY ◽  
JEAN-CLAUDE DAUVIN
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
World Ocean ◽  
Aegean Sea ◽  
Western Mediterranean ◽  
The Black Sea ◽  
Polychaete Species ◽  
Western Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Atlantic Origin ◽  
Algerian Coast ◽  
The Mediterranean

The data analyzed to inventory of all polychaetes in Algerian waters make it possible to estimate the diversity of this group to 534 species. The most diversified families are Syllidae (66 species), Spionidae (37 species) and Terebellidae (27 species).The presence of these listed species along the Algerian coast is compared with their occurrence in nine other areas of the Mediterranean Sea, in the Black Sea and in four other areas of the World Ocean. Comparison are also made with respect to the indications of the biogeographical origin for each species. The polychaete fauna of the Algerian coast is among the richest of the Mediterranean Sea and comparable to that reported for the French Mediterranean continental shelf  and the Aegean Sea, but higher that that found in the bordering coastlines of Morocco and Tunisia. Most of the species have an Atlantic origin and are present in the western Mediterranean Sea; this inventory includes eight Non-Indigenous Polychaete Species in the Algerian waters.

scholarly journals Characterising the surface microlayer in the Mediterranean Sea: trace metals concentration and microbial plankton abundance

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio Tovar-Sánchez ◽  
Araceli Rodríguez-Romero ◽  
Anja Engel ◽  
Birthe Zäncker ◽  
Franck Fu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Trace Metals ◽  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Surface Waters ◽  
Bacterial Community Composition ◽  
Western Mediterranean ◽  
Surface Microlayer ◽  
Dissolved Metals ◽  
Western Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Sea Surface Microlayer ◽  
The Mediterranean

Abstract. The Sea Surface Microlayer (SML) is known to be enriched in trace metals relative to the underlaying water and to harbor diverse microbial communities (i.e. neuston). However, the processes linking metals and biota in the SML are not yet fully understood. In this study, we analyzed the metal (Cd, Co, Cu, Fe, Ni, Mo, V, Zn and Pb) concentrations in aerosol samples, SML (dissolved and total fractions) and in subsurface waters (SSW; dissolved fraction at ~ 1 m depth) from the Western Mediterranean Sea during a cruise in May–June 2017. The bacterial community composition and abundance in the SML and SSW, and the primary production and Chl-a in the SSW were measured simultaneously at all stations during the cruise. Residence times of particulate metals derived from aerosols deposition ranged from a couple of minutes for Co (2.7 ± 0.9 min; more affected by wind conditions) to a few hours for Cu (3.0 ± 1.9 h). Concentration of most dissolved metals in both, the SML and SSW, were well correlated with the salinity gradient and showed the characteristic eastward increase in surface waters of the Mediterranean Sea (MS). Contrarily, the total fraction of some reactive metals in the SML (i.e. Cu, Fe, Pb and Zn) showed negative trends with salinity, these trends of concentrations seem to be associate to microbial uptake. Our results suggest a toxic effect of Ni on neuston and microbiology community’s abundance of the top meter of the surface waters of the Western Mediterranean Sea.

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