NEMATOLOGICAL POPULATION OF THE MUD VOLCANOES SALINELLE DEI CAPPUCCINI (PATERNÒ, CATANIA, ITALIA)

The municipality of Paternò (CT), located south-west of the slopes of Etna, hosts in its territory numerous sites in which natural manifestations occur characterized by emissions of high salinity fluids to the surface, linked to processes of secondary volcanism, called locally “Salinelle”. These are clayey areas, rich in chlorine, alkali and numerous metals, which, near the areas with greater emissive activity, do not allow the development of vegetation. The peculiarity of these areas and the lack of vegetation determine an environment in which the fauna, especially invertebrates, is extremely limited, if not absent, and is mainly made up of flying insects. Precisely to verify the possibility of survival and repopulation of the fauna in these environments, a study was carried out on the nematological communities in the Salinelle di Paternò area, and in particular in the area identified as “Salinelle dei Cappuccini di Paternò”. The sampling sites were identified both in active emission areas and in inactive areas with or without vegetation. The extracted nematodes were determined at the genus level and were used for ecological analysis. The results obtained demonstrate the progressive increase in biodiversity of the nematological community from the areas of active emission to those recolonized by vegetation. Key Words: mud volcanoes; nematodes community, nematological indices, biodiversity.