Page 2 - Giangrasso_alii_2017

666 MARIA GIULIA GIANGRASSO ET ALII

MATERIAL AND METHODS In this study only the beach-hopper group was
captured, though previous surveys collected both
The study was carried out on Favignana Island, sand-hopper and beach-hopper categories in close
which is located approximately five kilometers off geographic areas. Jelassi et al. (2015) recorded eight
the west coast of Sicily. Samples were collected species of sand-hoppers and beach-hopper talitrids
during July - August 2015 from eight sites (37.93° along Tunisian coastal lagoons. Prato et al. (1995)
N 12.27° E; 37.94° N 12.28° E; 37.93° N 12.32° E; reported seven species, belonging to sand-hopper
37.93° N 12.34° E; 31.94° N 12.36° E; 37.91° N and beach-hopper groups, along the coast of
12.33° E; 37.91° N 12.32° E; 37.91° N 12.32° E), Taranto (Ionian Sea, southern Italy); while Lowry
located in the northern and southern side of & Fanini (2013) listed four species of sand-hopper
Favignana Island. These supralittoral sites, display- and beach-hopper talitrids on the coast of Crete.
ing two types of habitat, i.e. banquette of Posidonia The sampling method (pitfall traps) may have
oceanica (Linnaeus) Delile, 1813 or sand and selected species having mainly surface activity, i.e.
algal/seagrass wrack, were sampled by means pit- beach-hopper, though Fanini & Lowry (2016) dem-
fall-traps: these consisted of plastic cups about 10 onstrated that recreational use of the beaches can
cm in diameter and 20 cm in height, positioned in affect talitrid composition. In fact, sand-hoppers
the sand or in the banquettes. The traps were de- (substrate modifiers) appeared to be more sensitive
ployed at nightfall, at approximately 7.30 pm, and than beach-hoppers (non-substrate modifiers) to
emptied at dawn in order to intercept individuals such kind of bioturbation (Fanini & Lowry, 2016).
moving across the supra-littoral zone.
Identification of the collected specimens was BRIEF GUIDE FOR BEACH-HOPPER
carried out according to the morphological charac- IDENTIFICATION IN FAVIGNANA ISLANDS
teristics described by Ruffo ed. (1993), Iaciofano &
Lo Brutto (2016; 2017) and Lowry & Fanini Here a dichotomous key to species identification
(2013).
is presented.

1) A1 longer than peduncle of A2, U3 inner ramus
RESULTS
poorly defined ___________ Parhyale aquilina
A1 shorter or equal to peduncle of A2, U3
On the whole 171 individuals of amphipods uniramous_____________________________2
were collected: four of Talitridae, three belonging 2) A2 peduncle inflated___Platorchestia platensis
to the Orchestia Leach, 1814 genus, one species of A2 peduncle not inflated ________________3
the Platorchestia Bousfield, 1982 genus, and one 3) U1 peduncular spine-like seta absent, P5-P7
species of Hyalidae, the latter belonging to the dactylus with a long seta on anterior
Parhyale Stebbing, 1897 genus. margin_____________ Orchestia mediterranea
This first checklist led us to document the oc- U1 peduncular spine-like seta present_______4
currence of Amphipoda on Favignana Island. The 4) P5-P7 dactylus with a long seta on anterior
supralittoral assemblage appears to contain three margin____________________ O. stephenseni
main biogeographical categories: Atlanto-Mediter- P5-P7 dactylus with a short seta on anterior
ranean species, Parhyale aquilina (Costa, 1857) margin______________________O. montagui
and Orchestia mediterranea Costa, 1853, species
endemic for the Mediterranean Sea, O. montagui
Audouin, 1826 and O. stephenseni Cecchini 1928, REFERENCES
and cosmopolitan species, Platorchestia platensis
(Krøyer, 1845). Agardy M.T., 1994. Advances in marine conservation:
In the Mediterranean Sea, talitrid family divided The role of marine protected areas. Trends Ecological
Evolution, 9: 267–270.
into three ecological categories: driftwood-hoppers: Bacci G., Pagoto E., Passaponti M., Vannocci P., Ugolini
e.g. Macarorchestia spp., sand-hopper: e.g. Talitrus A. & Mengoni A., 2015. Composition of supralittoral
saltator (Montagu, 1808), beach-hopper: e.g. Or- sediments bacterial communities in a Mediterranean
chestia s.l.) (Lowry & Fanini, 2013). island. Annals of Microbiology, 10: 1–13.