BIODIVERSITÀ DELL’ITTIOFAUNA CRIPTICA ASSOCIATA AGLI IMPIANTI DI MITILICOLTURA: UN CASO STUDIO DEL MAR MEDITERRANEO

Abstract

In the Mediterranean Sea, and in general worldwide, cryptobenthic fish are generally less-studied than other ichthyofauna component. Despite this, thanks to their particular biology and ecology, cryptobenthic fishes cover a fundamental role for the ecosystem functioning. For their part, mussel farming plants represent an important substrate in environments usually characterized by inconsistent bottoms and largely contribute to the presence of marine alien species. We conducted a survey in one of the Italian areas most devoted to shellfish farming, the seas of Taranto (Ionian Sea), investigating abundance and species distribution along rows of mussels. Nine species have been recorded and Blennidae was the dominant group in terms of both abundance and diversity, with a species, Salaria pavo (Risso, 1810) as the most common and abundant. The presence of mussels and associated organisms offered essential shelter and food resources for S. pavo, emphasizing the significance of specific environments for their survival and reproduction.