The Sardinian large elasmobranch database

The Sardinian large elasmobranch database
by
Tiziano STORAI (1), Benedetto CRISTO (2), Marco ZUFFA (3), Luca ZINZULA (4),
Antonello FLORIS (5) & Arcangela Tiziana CAMPANILE (6)
ABSTRACT. - Elasmobranchs have been recorded off Sardinia (Central Mediterranean Sea) since ancient times, however
their biodiversity has been little studied until now. The Sardinian Large Elasmobranch Database (SLED) is a non-government project, carried out by the Istituto di Scienze Naturali e Biologia Marina of Olbia, the DNAquA laboratory of Cagliari
and the cooperation of other independent researchers. The main objective of this project is the compilation of historical and
recent records of Elasmobranch species in Sardinian waters. Since 2004, the research has identified 26 species of sharks,
representing 15 families. The resulting database will be a useful tool for various studies on Sardinian coastal biodiversity
and monitoring.
RÉSUMÉ. - La base de données sarde sur les grands élasmobranches.
Les élasmobranches ont été signalés dans les eaux de Sardaigne (Méditerranée centrale) depuis longtemps, mais leur
biodiversité a été peu étudiée jusqu’à présent. La “Base de données sarde sur les grands élasmobranches” (SLED) est une
initiative privée conduite par l’Istituto di Scienze Naturali e Biologia Marina d’Olbia, par le laboratoire DNAquA de
Cagliari et avec la collaboration de quelques chercheurs indépendants. Il a pour but principal de rassembler les données
historiques et contemporaines concernant les espèces d’élasmobranches présentes dans les eaux de Sardaigne. Depuis
2004, on a recensé 26 espèces de requins appartenant à 15 familles. Cette base de données constituera un outil utile pour
diverses études sur la biodiversité des côtes sardes et sa gestion.
Key words. - Elasmobranchs - MED - Sardinia - Database - Biodiversity.
Elasmobranch biodiversity in the Mediterranean Sea has
been the objective of several recent studies (Bertand et al.,
2000; Soldo, 2003; Serena, 2005), however some areas,
such as the waters of Sardinia (Central Mediterranean,
Italy), need more investigation, even though records have
been collected since the 18th Century (Cetti, 1777). The
Sardinian Large Elasmobranch Database (SLED) is a nongovernment project carried out by the Istituto di Scienze
Naturali e Biologia Marina of Olbia (I. Sn. Bm.), the
DNAquA laboratory of Cagliari and other independent
researchers. Its main purpose is to collect historical and
recent data on Elasmobranch species occurring in Sardinian
waters. The present paper aims to present the methodology
adopted by SLED, and its preliminary checklist of Sardinian sharks, complementary to that for the skates (Follesa et
al., 2003)
METHODS USED BY SLED
To collect historical and recent data, SLED has adopted
the following methods:
a) Surveys of various Sardinian fishery landing sites
(Olbia, Golfo Aranci, Santa Teresa di Gallura, Alghero,
Bosa, Arbatax, Cagliari), according to a random methodology.
b) Study of the specimens preserved in the collections of
the universities of Cagliari and Sassari.
c) Analysis of the scientific literature related to species of
small size, caught as by-catch in commercial fisheries (Relini et al., 2000; De Maddalena and Piscitelli, 2001; Catalano
et al., 2003), and to species recorded for the first time in the
area (Fergusson and Compagno, 2000; Vacchi and Serena,
2000).
(1) DNAquA - Laboratorio di Ricerche e Studi sulla vita marina, Via San Carlo Borromeo 1, 09100 Cagliari (CA), ITALY.
[[email protected]]
(2) Istituto di Scienze Naturali e Biologia Marina, Via Vulcano 44, 07026 Olbia (OT), ITALY. [[email protected]]
(3) Museo “L. Donini”, Via Prunaro 1, 40064 Ozzano nell’Emilia (BO), ITALY. [[email protected]]
(4) DNAquA - Laboratorio di Ricerche e Studi sulla vita marina, Via San Carlo Borromeo 1, 09100 Cagliari (CA), ITALY.
[[email protected]]
(5) Istituto di Scienze Naturali e Biologia Marina, Via Vulcano 44, 07026 Olbia (OT), ITALY. [[email protected]]
(6) DNAquA - Laboratorio di Ricerche e Studi sulla vita marina, Via San Carlo Borromeo 1, 09100 Cagliari (CA), ITALY.
[[email protected]]
Cybium 2006, 30(4) suppl.: 141-144.
STORAI ET AL.
The Sardinian elasmobranch database
People involved in SLED activities
are volunteers; they all offer their time
and competence to collect the data, and
to compile them into the database. Since
2004, the present authors organized a
network composed of SLED members,
institutional correspondents and occasional collectors (tourists, divers, recreational fishermen, etc.).
The records are classified into three
categories:
a) Direct record: when the data are
collected by a SLED member (Fig. 1).
Figure 1. - Record 2006HG047.3, a SLED operator measuring a stranded specimen of H.
b) Indirect record: when the data are
griseus near Perdesali (Cagliari). [Signalement 2006HG047.3, un opérateur du SLED
collected by an institutional corresponmesure un spécimen de H. griseus échoué près de Perdesali (Cagliari).]
dent or an occasional collector.
c) Closed record: when neither the
data, nor the event, could be verified by any witness; such as
the historical data extracted from literature.
The collection of data follows the protocol adopted by
the “MedLEM” project, in order to allow comparisons and
links. Records are identified by a code of alphanumeric
characters (e.g. 2006HG047.3) composed of the year of the
record, the initials of the genus and species names of the
specimen, a progressive number of the record, and a separate
number (from 1 to 4) referring to one of the four areas
defined for the Sardinian waters (Fig. 2). Records are also
accessible by keywords.
The data will be available for both scientific purposes
(studies, publications) and popular uses (press releases, documentaries; etc) and accessible online through the web site
“http//:www.dnaqua.it” with restricted access granted by the
Webmaster. Periodical updating are scheduled.
PRELIMINARY RESULTS
Figure 2 - The four areas defined for the Sardinia waters; western
and eastern areas are separated by Long. 9°00 E; northern and
southern areas are separated by lat. 40°09’N. [Les quatre zones
définies pour les eaux sardes ; les zones ouest et est sont séparées
par le méridien de longitude 9°00’E ; les zones nord et sud sont
séparées par le parallèle de latitude 40°09’N.]
d) Collecting records of large sized species from commercial fisheries, Coast Guard, local authorities, sanitary
organizations, environmental conservation groups, associations, diving centres, and recreational fishermen. When possible, photographic material has been collected.
e) Analysis of the popular literature, newspapers, magazines, etc.
142
In 2006, the database contains 107 records spanning the
last 135 years, and consisting of 14 “historical” and 93
“recent” records; 51 records are documented by 192 photographs stored in the base.
SLED has been focusing initially on large sharks because
they usually are targeted by fisheries; also because they are
more commonly sighted, and that their captures (strangling
and beaching) are often recorded in various documents.
However, all shark species, whatever the size, are recordable
in the database.
Table I provides the preliminary list of the 26 shark
species recorded in SLED. Two other species, Lamna nasus
(Bonnaterre, 1788) and Mustelus asterias (Cloquet, 1821),
have been reported by local fishermen by their common
names, however their occurrence in Sardinian waters has yet
to be confirmed.
Cybium 2006, 30(4) suppl.
STORAI ET AL.
The Sardinian elasmobranch database
Table I. - Preliminary list of shark species recorded from Sardinian waters (from SLED database). [Liste provisoire des espèces de requins
signalées dans les eaux sardes (d’après la base de données SLED).]
Hexanchidae
Heptranchias perlo (Bonnaterre, 1788)
Hexanchus griseus (Bonnaterre, 1788).
Squalidae
Squalus acanthias Smith & Radcliffe, 1912
Squalus blainvillei (Risso, 1826)
Centrophoridae
Centrophorus granulosus (Bloch & Schneider, 1801)
Etmopteridae
Etmopterus spinax (Linnaeus, 1758); .
Oxynotidae
Oxynotus centrina (Linnaeus, 1758).
Dalatiidae
Dalatias licha (Bonnaterre, 1788);
Squatinidae
Squatina squatina (Linnaeus, 1758).
Odontaspididae
Carcharias taurus Rafinesque, 1810
Odontaspis ferox (Risso, 1810).
DISCUSSION
Approximately 54% of the shark species quoted for the
Mediterranean Sea have been found in the waters surrounding Sardinia (Serena, 2005). This diversity is similar to that
observed in neighbouring areas, such as Corsica (Miniconi,
1987) and Tuscany (Storai, 2005).
The most common sharks found in the Sardinian fisheries are Etmopterus spinax and Scyliorhinus canicula; others occasionally caught are: Squatina squatina and
Scyliorhinus stellaris, in the waters off Olbia and in Golfo
Aranci, Mustelus mustelus off Cagliari. These sharks were
not recorded by Relini et al. (2000).
The occurrence of Carcharias taurus, Alopias supercil iosus and Carcharhinus obscurus are based on single
records reported in the scientific literature (Carruccio, 1910;
Vacchi and Serena, 2000; Fergusson and Compagno, 2000,
respectively).
The record of Odonbtaspis ferox is also based on a single
specimen, a female of 225 cm TL, preserved in the collection of the University of Cagliari. The first record of
Carcharhinus brachyurus in Sardinian waters in 2005 (in
prep.) has already been registered in the base.
SLED has 24 records for Cetorhinus maximus, 16 for
Carcharodon carcharias (Cristo et al., 2006), 16 for Hex anchus griseus, 12 for Aopias vulpinus, 12 for Carcharhinus
plumbeus, 6 for Prionace glauca, 4 for Shyrna zygaena, 4
for Isurus oxyrinchus and 8 for other species. The data related to these records could be useful to future studies on the
distribution and the ecology of these sharks.
It is estimated that the SLED will be updated within a
Cybium 2006, 30(4) suppl.
Alopiidae
Alopias superciliosus (Lowe, 1840)
Alopias vulpinus (Bonnaterre, 1788).
Cetorhinidae
Cetorhinus maximus (Gunnerus, 1765).
Lamnidae
Carcharodon carcharias (Linnaeus, 1758)
Isurus oxyrinchus Rafinesque,1810.
Scyliorhinidae
Galeus melastomus Rafinesque, 1810
Scyliorhinus canicula (Linnaeus, 1758)
Scyliorhinus stellaris (Linnaeus, 1758).
Triakidae
Galeorhinus galeus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Mustelus mustelus (Linnaeus, 1758).
Carcharhinidae
Carcharhinus obscurus (LeSueur, 1818)
Carcharhinus plumbeus (Nardo, 1827)
Prionace glauca (Linnaeus, 1758).
Sphyrnidae
Sphyrna zygaena (Linnaeus, 1758).
period of three years, increasing its usefulness for various
studies on Sardinian coastal biodiversity and its monitoring.
Acknowledgements. - Thanks to all people who kindly offered
their help during the development of the SLED project, including
Dr. Brett Human (Adelaide, Australia), Dr. Tobey Curtis (Bodega
Bay, USA), Pr. Anna Maria Deiana (Università di Cagliari), Dr.
Angelo Mojetta (Milano Aquarium, Italy) and Dr. Guy Oliver (Université de Montpellier, France). Also the authors thank the editor
for his contribution!
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