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ABSTRACT

Authors report historical and recent records of the little-known medusa Drymonema dalmatinum in the Adriatic Sea. This large scyphomedusa, which may develop a bell diameter of more than 1 m, was first described in 1880 by Haeckel based on four specimens collected near the Dalmatian island Hvar. The paucity of this species records since its description confirms its rarity, however, in the last 15 years sightings of D. dalmatinum have been more frequent.

Key words: scyphomedusa, Drymonema dalmatinum, historical occurrence, recent observations, Mediterranean Sea

LA POCO NOTA MEDUSA DRYMONEMA DALMATINUM HAECKEL 1880 (SCYPHOZOA, DISCOMEDUSAE) NEL MARE ADRIATICO

SINTESI

Cli autori riportano segnalazioni storiche e recenti della poco conosciuta medusa Drymonema dalmatinum nel mare Adriático. Questa grande scifomedusa, che pub sviluppare un cappello di diámetro di oltre 1 m, è stata descritta per la prima volta nel 1880 da Haeckel, in base a quattro esemplari catturati vicino all'isola di Lésina (Hvar) in Dalmazia. La scarsità delle segnalazioni di questa specie dalla sua prima descrizione conferma la sua rarità. Tuttavia, negli ultimi 15 anni gli avvistamenti di D. dalmatinum sono stati più frequenti.

Parole chiave: scifomedusa, Drymonema dalmatinum, avvistamenti storici, segnalazioni recenti, mare Mediterráneo

INTRODUCTION

Large scyphomedusae are more common in cold seas and in the Mediterranean only a few species are known to reach more than 5 kg wet weight and exceed a bell diameter of 40 cm. Among these Rhizostoma pulmo is a rather common native species along Mediterranean coasts (Kogovsek et al., 2010; Fuentes et al., 2011). Phacellophora camtschatica is, in contrast, very rare in the Mediterranean and to our knowledge has not been observed since the late 1930s (Mayer, 1910; Fedele, 1937). Phyllorhiza punctata, another large-sized rhizostomid, was observed for the first time in the Mediterranean in 1965 off the Israeli coast (Galil et al., 1990) but has since been sighted only occasionally, mainly in the central Mediterranean (Abed-Navandi & Kikinger, 2007; Boero et al., 2009). Another large scyphomedusa Rhopilema nomadica is a Lessepsian invader that has been noted in the Mediterranean from the early 1970's (Galil et al., 1990). Since then this scyphomedusae swarms recurrently along the Levantine coast with serious economic and environmental consequences (Galil, 2012).

Among native scyphomedusae found in the Mediterranean which may grow to an even...

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