Marine alien species in Italy: A contribution to the implementation of descriptor D2 of the marine strategy framework directive
A re-examination of marine alien species or Non Indigenous Species (NIS) reported in Italian Seas, until December 2018, is provided, focusing on establishment success, year of first record, origin, potential invasiveness, and likely pathways, in particular. Furthermore, their distribution is assessed according to the marine subregions outlined by the European Union (EU) Marine Strategy Framework Directive: Adriatic Sea (ADRIA), Ionian Sea and Central Mediterranean Sea (CMED), and Western Mediterranean Sea (WMED). In Italy, 265 NIS have been detected with the highest number of species being recorded in the CMED (154 species) and the WMED (151 species) subregions, followed by the ADRIA (143) …
The distinction betweenChondrophycus patentirameusandC. paniculatus(Ceramiales, Rhodophyta)
The red algae Chondrophycus patentirameus (Montagne) Nam (‘patentiramea’) and L. paniculata (C. Agardh) J. Agardh were investigated on the basis of type material and recent collections. Both species show the following features: (i) production of two vegetative pericentral cells from each axial segment; (ii) absence of secondary pit connections between cortical cells; (iii) lack of projecting cortical cells near the apex; (iv) absence of lenticular thickenings in the walls of medullary cells; and (v) perpendicular arrangement of tetrasporangia, each of which is produced from the second pericentral cell in each fertile segment with no additional tetrasporangial pericentral cells. However, C. …