Acta Adriatica, Vol. 53 No. 1, 2012.
Original scientific paper
Spatiotemporal patterns of distribution of large predatory sharks in Calabria (central Mediterranean, southern Italy)
Emilio SPERONE
; Department of Ecology, University of Calabria, Italy
Giovanni PARISE
; Department of Ecology, University of Calabria, Italy
Agostino LEONE
; Department of Ecology, University of Calabria, Italy
Concetta MILAZZO
; Department of Ecology, University of Calabria, Italy
Vincenzo CIRCOSTA
; Department of Ecology, University of Calabria, Italy
Gloriano SANTORO
; Department of Ecology, University of Calabria, Italy
Giuseppe PAOLILLO
; WWF Calabria, Vibo Valentia, Italy
Primo MICARELLI
; Aquarium Mondo Marino – Posidonia no profit Association, Massa Marittima (GR), Italy
Sandro TRIPEPI
; Department of Ecology, University of Calabria, Italy
Abstract
During the 2000-2009, a survey study on the spatiotemporal patterns of distribution of large predatory sharks was carried out in the Calabria region. A total of 12 species were recorded and among them the blue shark Prionace glauca and the bluntnose sixgill shark Hexanchus griseus were the most common ones. Also of interest was the frequency of species such as Carcharodon carcharias, Sphyrna zygaena and Cetorhinus maximus. 57% of all reported records derived from the Tyrrhenian side of the region and 43% on the Ionian side. A significant relationship between season of the year versus number of records was found, but this could be related to the small number of observers that were active during the winter months. The presence of Sphyrna lewini is reported for the study area; this species was previously recorded only in the western part of the Mediterranean Sea. This paper also provides evidence of the second and first documented accounts of white shark predation upon Tursiops truncatus and Stenella coeruleoalba, respectively, in the Mediterranean Sea. The recovering of Ionian Sphyrna zygaena populations and the declining of Lamna nasus populations were also noted.
Keywords
Ecology; biogeography; elasmobranchs; Sphyrna lewini; Carcharodon carcharias; dolphins
Hrčak ID:
89737
URI
Publication date:
30.6.2012.
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