LA STORIA DELLA RICERCA ITALIANA SUL CORALLO ROSSO

Abstract

The role of Italian researchers in the study of red coral is briefly described. It is possible to divide the history of studies on this iconic species into three periods. In the first period, which extends up to the entire 18th century, research focuses on the study of the nature of coral, beginning to question the traditional idea that coral branches are algae that petrify in contact with air. This period will end with the studies of Cestoni and Peyssonnell who definitively demonstrated the animal nature of the species. Between the 18th and 19th centuries, the studies of Cavolini and Spallanzani provided information on the ecology of the species. The second period, which includes the 19th century and the first part of the 20th, will be linked to the exploitation of the resource with the production of maps of the fishing areas. Finally, the third period, from the 1980s to the present day, will be linked to a series of basic research (population dynamics, reproduction, genetics) aimed at proposing management and conservation measures for the species.