Mar.Lile 1994'Vol.4 (1 ) : 15'19
Massmortality of paramuriceaclavata (Anthozoat cnidaria) on PortofinoProlnontorY cliffs, LigurianSea, Mediterranean Sea ' Mortalite ntassivecle Paranruricea clavata (Atilltozoa, Cnidaria) nter Méditerranée surla falaiseclu prontontoirede Portofirt(),tner Ligttrienne,
Carlo Cerrano*' Ciorgio Bavestrello*,Stefatlia Bertone**, lì,ic.tarclo Cattaneo-Vietti*, EldaCaino*, Daniclc Zanzi***' 16126cenova * lstitutc.rtli Zoologia clell'Urriversitiì tli cerrov.r, via ualbi,5,l- XV,10, | - 16132Cenova ** lstirutodi Microbiologio?"fi'Ú"i""rsitàcliCenov.r, Viale Benedetto *** Acuuariodi C",.,uuu,Area porto Antictr, l,.,rrte Spinola, l- 16123Cenova
zoobenthos marin, nter Méditerranée' Motsclés : gorgonaire-s,Pararrruricea clavata, mortalité trt;tssive, zoobenthos' Mediterranean Sea' Key-words : gorgonians,Paramuricea clavata, massn'rort,tliIy, ntarine
ABSTRACT (ì;tirn, D' Z'trtzi, 1!)94 - Massrttortality of Paranrurice'rclavat'l IJ;tvestrt'lloC.,5. tsertone,R. Caltaneo-Vietti,C. Cerrano, E. Sea'Mar' Life,4 (1) : 15 - l9' (Arilltozoa,Crticlaria) or''po,ì1rriii'o p,ion',rrntory cliífs, Ligtrrian-Se;r. Mtr/ife'ranean pararrrurice.r clavata on the Portofínct Promontory is reported' A, extrente caseof ntass ntorta!ity of the sea fan ttt clcpthrtytge, underwent a clegenerative During Octobertg% a'o,uito,óoo seafans, livinl4 irr llrc20 tt-t.J5 front tlrcg ck.ptlr.At greaterdepths tlris species is re;llacctllly INTRODUCTION l,,lranturiìt..aclavata (lìisso), the biggestMecliterra- (Weinberg,1991), wlrose population Arrthozoansare an inrportantconlponent of the ncan seiìfan lras a very slow corallig,enousbiocoenosis on Mediterraneansub- is very stable,and which Srowtll 'X, 60 nrm/year(Peirano' nrarine cliffs, reaching 95 of tlre total bionrass r.rte,ianging -19ti9; front 12.5 to 1991 Mistri et 'tl'' in sonreareas (Cili, Ros, l9tl5). Atlotrg,the gorg,o- I rrrrcsi, Weinberg, ; of this l()()2). rrinns,wltich are tl-remain represetrtatives 'l a clramaticcase of nrass biocoerrosis(Pérès, Picard, 1964), Ettnicellasingu- he presentnote rellorts of P'tr'trrt(/rr('c'ì /ari-s(Eslrer) is conrtlronly fclr'rrrclor.r lrorizont'rl or' rrrort.rlityinvolvirlg a lroprrlation the'verticalcliffs at PortoiintlFartl sub-lrorizontal bottorlrswllereas E' cavctlinii l5 BAVESTRELI-OC., S. BERTONE, R. CATTANEO'VIEITI, C.CERÍìANO, E. CAINO, D. ZANZI RESULTSAND DISCUSSION Scuba clivingsurvc'ys along tlre trortheasternand sorrthernsiclcs of PortoiinclFaro (Portofino Pronron- The occrtrrenceof a wirlcsltrcaclgr - Figure I - M1rrlthologic.rlaspects oí lhe largr'-sr,ìl('nì()rt.rlily ;rííecting I'tr.tttturi