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generally expected to vary with higher rates thus representing a useful tool in
phylogeographic studies devoted to found structuring, if any, among species,
populations or even individuals.
In sueh context, DNA-sequencing techniques, including genotyping of rnicrosatellite
and DNA barcoding, and Inter-simple sequence repeat markers (ISSR- Zietckiewicz et
al. 1994) were used in the following articles (published, submitted or in prep.) for
estimations of different genomic parameters, as well restriction-enzyme assays of
mtDNA bave been developed in order to solve a cryptic species case.

Patella ferruginea
Patellaferruginea Gmelin, 1791 is an endangered marine gastropod endemie to the
Western Mediterranean. Its range is restricted to the Sardinian-Corsican region, North
Africa, a few scattered sites in Southem Spain, and Sicily. The occurrence of shells in
Palaeolithic and Neolithic deposits suggests that P. ferruginea was commonly
distributed in the Western Mediterranean throughout the Pleistocene to modero times
(Espinosa and Ozawa 2006), but intense human exploitation of the species during the
centuries has led to the fragmentation of its range (Paracuellos et al. 2003). How this
fragm entation has affected the genetic population structure ofthe species need to be
cleared (Espinosa and Ozawa 2006; Casu et al. 2006).

Pinna nobilis
The fan mussel Pinna nobilis Linnaeus, 1758 is the largest endemie Mediterranean
bivalve; it is a long-living species, which on average may reach a maximum age of20
years (Butler et al. 1993), albeit a 27-year-old specimen has been found (Galinou-
Mitsoudi et al., 2006).

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Gìan Luca Dedola: ANALISI DELLA VARIABILITÀ GENETICA DI PATELLA FéRRUGINEA, PATEL-LA ULl'SSIPONENSIS (MOLLUSCA: GASTROPODA) E PINNA
NOBILIS (MOLLUSCA: BIVALVIA): lLCONTRJBUTO DEl DATI MOLECOLARI ALLA CONSERVAZIONE DI SPECIE MINACCIATE - Tesi di douorato in Scienze
della natura e delle sue risorse • indiri7.zo BK>logi.a Ambientale, Università degli Studi di Sassarl