A contribution to the inventory of marine amphipod species from Italian waters based on unpublished sources and FAIR principles

Species distribution data are essential for understanding biodiversity patterns, supporting conservation planning and assessing the impacts of environmental change. Amphipods represent one of the most abundant and diverse groups of marine macroinvertebrates, encompassing over 10,900 species worldwide and exhibiting a wide range of trophic and ecological roles. Owing to their sensitivity to environmental changes, amphipods are widely used as bioindicators and are of considerable interest in both basic and applied research. However, incomplete or outdated information on species distributions has often led to misidentifications and inconsistencies in literature, highlighting the need for updated and reliable checklists. This study presents an inventory of unpublished records comprising more than 300 species collected from the Italian maritime zones of the Adriatic, Tyrrhenian and Ionian areas. The Tyrrhenian Sea exhibited the highest taxonomic richness, whereas the Adriatic Sea accounted for the greatest number of records, likely reflecting differences in sampling effort. Eleven non-indigenous species (NIS), representing 3.6% of the total, were recorded, primarily in ports, lagoons and aquaculture facilities, while 6.6% of the species were classified as cryptogenic or of uncertain origin. Sandy and mixed substrates supported the highest species richness, consistent with their greater sampling effort. Overall, this study provides an updated overview of amphipod biodiversity and distribution in Italian seas and underscores the need for systematic and continuous monitoring. According to the FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) principles, the dataset was published on the GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility) platform.

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Publication Details

Journal
Biodiversity Data Journal
Published
2026-04-30
DOI
https://doi.org/10.3897/bdj.14.e189256
Primary Topic
Marine Biology and Ecology Research
Type
article
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article

A contribution to the inventory of marine amphipod species from Italian waters based on unpublished sources and FAIR principles

Ermelinda Prato, Paolo Balistreri, Antonina Badalucco, Andrea Vannucci et al.
Biodiversity Data Journal
Marine Biology and Ecology Research
article

A contribution to the inventory of marine amphipod species from Italian waters based on unpublished sources and FAIR principles

Ermelinda Prato, Paolo Balistreri, Antonina Badalucco, Andrea Vannucci, Serena Mucciolo, Veronica Marusso, Isabella Coccia, Marco Lezzi, Monica Targusi, Andrea Desiderato, Loretta Lattanzi, Tommaso Scirocco, Mariella Baratti, Monica Lionello, Andrea Bonifazi, Benedetto Sirchia, Maria Beatrice Scipione, Sabrina Lo Brutto, Rocco Auriemma, Martina Pulieri, Benedetta Trabucco, Caterina Martino, Antonella D'Amore, Eleonora Macaluso, Patrizia Puthod, Roberta Cimmaruta, Davide Iaciofano, Maria Mercurio, Daniele Grech, Ilaria Rosati, Gioele Capillo, Antonietta Specchiulli, Emanuele Mancini, Claudio D'Iglio
article en

Abstract

Species distribution data are essential for understanding biodiversity patterns, supporting conservation planning and assessing the impacts of environmental change. Amphipods represent one of the most abundant and diverse groups of marine macroinvertebrates, encompassing over 10,900 species worldwide and exhibiting a wide range of trophic and ecological roles. Owing to their sensitivity to environmental changes, amphipods are widely used as bioindicators and are of considerable interest in both basic and applied research. However, incomplete or outdated information on species distributions has often led to misidentifications and inconsistencies in literature, highlighting the need for updated and reliable checklists. This study presents an inventory of unpublished records comprising more than 300 species collected from the Italian maritime zones of the Adriatic, Tyrrhenian and Ionian areas. The Tyrrhenian Sea exhibited the highest taxonomic richness, whereas the Adriatic Sea accounted for the greatest number of records, likely reflecting differences in sampling effort. Eleven non-indigenous species (NIS), representing 3.6% of the total, were recorded, primarily in ports, lagoons and aquaculture facilities, while 6.6% of the species were classified as cryptogenic or of uncertain origin. Sandy and mixed substrates supported the highest species richness, consistent with their greater sampling effort. Overall, this study provides an updated overview of amphipod biodiversity and distribution in Italian seas and underscores the need for systematic and continuous monitoring. According to the FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) principles, the dataset was published on the GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility) platform.

Biodiversity Data JournalVol. 14
University of Messina (IT), Agenzia Regionale per la Protezione Ambientale del Piemonte (IT), Università degli Studi della Tuscia (IT), University of Salento (IT), Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn (IT), University of Łódź (PL), Ospedale di Rivoli (IT), Ambiente Italia (Italy) (IT), Institute of Ecosystem Study (IT), Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale (IT), Agenzia Regionale Prevenzione e Ambiente della Regione Emilia-Romagna (IT), Water Research Institute (IT), Joint Research Centre (IT), Consorzio per il Centro Interuniversitario di Biologia Marina ed Ecologia Applicata G. Bacci (IT), National Research Council (RO), Agenzia Regionale per la Protezione dell'ambiente ligure (IT), Fondazione Centro Marino Internazionale (IT), National Research Council (IT), National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics (IT), University of Bari Aldo Moro (IT), University of Palermo (IT), University of Bologna (IT)
Life below water
Openalex Percentile: Top 12%
Marine Biology and Ecology Research
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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