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“GeoSUB – Underwater geology” – Ustica, 13-17 September 2016

Two preliminary monitoring programmes were carried out on these species in the Egadi Islands
Marine Protected Area. The presence and density of P. ferruginea were monitored in the high rocky
mesolittoral of Marettimo island, while P. nobilis was monitored within the harbour bay of
Favignana island.
We counted 31 individuals of P. ferruginea, with a density of 0.004 individuals/m, and 48 shells
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of P. nobilis, with a mean of 2.256 individuals/100m .
These are the first monitoring on these two species within the Egadi Islands Marine Protected
Area, which constitute an important baseline for build further plan for their protection and
conservation. While P. nobilis is widespread in the Mediterranean and classified as vulnerable
species (IUCN), P. ferruginea has a very limited areal to few localities and is a critically endangered
species according to IUCN
Future monitoring programmes have to map, measure, count and tagging these indicator
species, to create a distribution model that could be a potential tool in management strategies and
contributing to the MSDF requirements of Good Environmental Status.

References
FREE ESPINOSA (2009). Population status of the endangered mollusc Patella ferruginea Gmelin,
1791 (Gastropoda, Patellidae) on Algerian islands (SW Mediterranean). Animal Biodiversity &
Conservation; 32 (1): 19-28.

JOSÉ RAFAEL GARCÌA-MARCH, ANTONIO MANUEL GARCÌA-CARRASCOSA and ÁLVARO LUÍS PEÑA
(2002). In situ measurement of Pinna nobilis shells for age and growth studies: a new device; PSZN:
Marine Ecology 23: 207–217.

ROVER PROJECT: DEVELOPING TOOLS FOR SHALLOW WATER GEOLOGICAL
EXPLORATION

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D’Alessandro A. , Bottari C. , Capizzi P. , Cavallaro D. , Cocchi L. , Costanza A. , Coltelli M. , D’Anna
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G. , D’Anna R. , Fagiolini A. , Fertitta G. , Martorana R. , Passafiume G. , Speciale S. , Vitale G.

1 Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia - Centro Nazionale Terremoti, OBS Lab, Gibilmanna, Italy
2 Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia - Osservatorio Etneo, Catania, Italy
3 Università degli Studi di Palermo, Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra e del Mare, Palermo, Italy
4 Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia - Roma 2, Portovenere, Italy
5 Università degli Studi di Palermo, Control and Automation Lab, Facoltà di Ingegneria, Palermo, Italy

Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROV) are underwater vehicles operated from the surface able
to integrate/replace diver’s surveys. By using ROV dives the researchers can observe in real-time
what the ROV sees through its cameras and reach depths excluded to scuba divers. The objectives

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