Despite its inhospitable appearance and lack of any ... - Udine Cultura

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74 In the Pre-Alps, the situation changes completely, as there are large numbers of endemics living in the numerous karstic systems. The main biogeographical component is of eastern origin and stretches westwards as far as the Pre-Alps near Como, with a few genera living on Mount Fenera (Piedmont) (hydrobioid gastropods of the genus Iglica, harpacticoids of the genus Paramorariopsis). Typical genera of this area are several hydrobioids (Bythiospeum, Hauffenia, Hadziella, Iglica, Paladilhiopsis), harpacticoids (Lessinocamptus, Paramorariopsis, and several species of the genus Elaphoidella), amphipod crustaceans (Niphargus of the stygius group) and isopods (Monolistra, Proasellus). The western and Ligurian Pre-Alps have fewer stygobionts, and their fauna is more similar to that in France (Proasellus of the cavaticus group) and the Apennine province (Alzoniella, Niphargus of the longicaudatus group). Padanian province. The alluvial areas of the Po Plain, which stretch into the Alpine and Apennine valleys, have many endemics. Here, as in the nearby Alpine province, there are many species from the east, such as the isopod Proasellus intermedius, and several endemic amphipods (Niphargus italicus, N. pupetta, N. transitivus, N. longidactylus, Carinurella paradoxa). Other species are associated with the fauna of the extensive plains of centraleastern Europe, and probably migrated towards Italy in more recent times, like several cyclopoids of the groups languidus and languidoides of the genus Diacyclops, the bathynellacean Anthrobathynella stammeri, and the amphipods Bogidiella albertimagni and Niphargus bajuvaricus grandii. There are also more ancient organisms of pre-Quaternary marine origin, relict species survived to Pliocene events, perhaps also to Miocene sea retreat, like the recently discovered ectinosomatid harpacticoids and isopods of the genera Microcerberus and Microcharon. Apennine province. Despite its extent, from the Colle di Cadibona (Savona) to the Madonie in Sicily (excluding Apulia), the fauna of this area is well characterised. There are areas rich in endemics (Ligurian Apennines, Alburni mountains, Gran Sasso Massif) that are widely distributed in the Apennines. The apparent monotony of this fauna may be related to historical events, as karstification here is a recent event, and the fragmented limestone outcrops in the Apennines were covered by little permeable soil in the interval between the Pliocene and Miocene, and were only uncovered in the Quaternary. These palaeogeographical events are very similar from Latium to Calabria, and the areas are inhabited by endemics which are found along the Apennines and do not have particular habitat preferences (cyclopoid copepods of the genus Diacyclops, harpacticoids like Attheyella paranaphtalica and Nitocrella stammeri, and the amphipod Niphargus longicaudatus, which live in recent tufa Diacyclops gr. languidus, females with egg-sacs (ca. 70x) Harpacticoids of the genera Lessinocamptus (left) and Paramorariopsis (right) (ca. 100x) 75
76 aquifers in the Sabini mountains and in karstic water in Cilento and evaporites in Calabria as well). These recent populations settled where palaeoendemics were already living and characterised Apennine areas. Thus, groundwater percolating in Triassic evaporites in Emilia hosts Niphargus poianoi; the karstic systems of the Aurunci, Gran Sasso and Alburni ranges are inhabited by the extraordinary copepod Acanthocyclops Stygiomysis hidruntina (ca. 2x) agamus and species of the genus Pseudectinosoma, which are perhaps Messinian relict. As regards gastropods, the genera Alzoniella, Avenionia and Fissuria live in the northern Apennines, and Arganiella, Orientalina and Pauluccinella in the central Apennines; the genus Islamia is divided into northern and central-southern species. Apulian province. Apulian groundwater is clearly different from that of the Apennines, and is rich in specialised endemics, especially in often brackish, saturated, karstic habitats. This is due to the extent and ancient origin of karstification, as well as to the geological history of Apulia, which palaeogeographers consider as part of a different tectonic micro-plate from those that shaped the Italian peninsula. These waters host exceptional specialised organisms of marine origin, like the sponge Higginsia ciccaresei, the gastropod Salenthydrobia ferrerii, the ostracods Trapezicandona stammeri and Pseudolimnocythere hypogea, the thermosbaenacean Monodella stygicola, the extraordinary metaingolfiellid amphipod Metaingolfiella mirabilis, the hadziid amphipod Hadzia minuta, the salentinellid Salentinella gracillima, mysids of the genera Spelaeomysis and Stygiomysis, and the large decapod Typhlocaris salentina. Tyrrhenian and Sardinian provinces. This province includes Sardinia, part of the Tuscan archipelago and isolated coastal areas in Italy deriving from the fragmentation of the Tyrrhenid, which started in the Oligocene. Palaeo- Tyrrhenian endemics are phylogenetically similar to evolutionary lines in the areas of Provence, the Pyrenees and Corsica. Among the several Sardinian endemics, the gastropod genera Sardhoratia and Sardopaladilhia, many species of cyclopoid and harpacticoid copepods, the bathynellacean Sardobathynella, the entire phyletic line of isopods related to Proasellus patrizii, and isopods of the genus Stenasellus, are also found along the Tuscan coast. Also presumably of palaeo-Tyrrhenian origin are the thermosbenacean Tethysbaena argentarii of Mount Argentario (Tuscany) and the amphipod Metacrangonyx ilvanus of the island of Elba. Other animals associated with local anchialine water are many amphipods of marine origin of the genera Bogidiella and Pseudoniphargus, and the subgenus Thyrrenidiella of genus Ingolfiella. More doubtful are the relationships between some gammarid genera, like Longigammarus, Tyrrhenogammarus, and the puzzling Ilvanella. Iblean province (Sicily). Sicilian stygobionts are biogeographically composite and little known, especially those living in the alluvial plains and karstic aquifers that sometimes develop in chalk. Clearly identified organisms are found in the Iblean area, especially in the water-table of the karstic system near Porto Palo. Although this small area is jeopardised by man-made alterations, exceptional, perhaps palaeo-Mediterranean endemics inhabit it, like the thermosbaenacean Tethysbaena syracusae, the cirolanid isopod Typhlocirolana aff. moraguesi, and the amphipods Tyrrhenogammarus catacumbae and Pseudoniphargus duplus. Examples of distribution of endemic stygobiont species; left: gastropods of the genus Paladilhiopsis (Eastern Pre-Alps, red circles) and Arganiella (Apennines, green circles); right: crustaceans of genera Stenasellus (Tyrrhenian, red circles), Spelaeomysis (Apulia, blue circles) and Tyrrhenogammarus (T. catacumbae, Iblean Mts, Sicily, green circles) 77
Page 1 and 2: Fauna FABIO STOCH Despite its inhos
Page 3 and 4: 44 45 Methods for sampling and anal
Page 5 and 6: 48 Shells of gastropods Iglica voba
Page 7 and 8: 52 collected in phreatic waters in
Page 9 and 10: 56 ● Cyclopoid copepods. So far,
Page 11 and 12: 60 those associated with percolatin
Page 13 and 14: 64 Species of genus Niphargus; top:
Page 15 and 16: 68 ■ Decapods Italian fauna has o
Page 17: 72 Stygofaunal provinces in Italy T
Page 21 and 22: 80 ■ The ecology of aquifers Acco
Page 23 and 24: 84 85 The discovery of a new submer
Page 25 and 26: 88 anastomoses, often adjacent to t
Page 27 and 28: 92 93 The saline springs of Poiano:
Page 29 and 30: 96 Modified sensory setae on the an
Page 31 and 32: 100 Theoretical evolutionary sequen
Page 33 and 34: 104 Sketch showing degrading phases
Page 35 and 36: 108 109 Stygodiversity in the Presc
Page 37: 112 animal groups still living on t

Despite its inhospitable appearance and lack of any ... - Udine Cultura

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