Bianca Maria Lombardo

Bianca Maria Lombardo
University of Catania | UNICT · Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences (BIOMLG)

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77
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777
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Publications

Publications (77)
Article
Full-text available
In the Mediterranean Sea, and in general worldwide, cryptobenthic fish are generally less-studied than other ichthyofauna components. Despite this, thanks to their particular biology and ecology, cryptobenthic fishes cover a fundamental role for the ecosystem functioning. For their part, mussel farming plants represent an important substrate in env...
Article
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Citation: Tiralongo, F.; Pappalardo, A.M.; Ignoto, S.; Lombardo, B.M.; Ferrito, V.; Campos Sosa, A.; Spinelli, A. The African Striped Grunt, Parapristipoma octolineatum Abstract: The Mediterranean Sea biodiversity is undergoing a rapid reshaping due to different factors, many of which are directly related to human activities (e.g., pollution, habit...
Article
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On 21st May 2021, a single specimen of Hemiramphus far was caught by an angler along the southeastern coast of Sicily (Ionian Sea). This species has only been recorded once before in Italian waters, in 2013 in Lampedusa (Strait of Sicily). The presence of H. far in the Sicilian Ionian Sea, eight years after its first observation in Lampedusa, could...
Article
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Invasive alien species (IAS) are one of the greatest causes of native species extinction. Indeed, they represent a global threat for biodiversity and can also affect the economy and human health. The colonization success of IAS is presumably not only due to their biological and ecological characteristics, but also to the lack of predators and/or pa...
Article
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Pollution and other types of environmental stress do not spare marine environments, especially those affected by high industrial pressure. Fish, especially coastal species, are used for monitoring the marine environment because they are particularly efficient as bioindicators thanks to their ability to bioaccumulate and biomagnify along the trophic...
Article
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Fish skin mucus is an important component of the innate immune mechanism and provides a first barrier against pathogens. Although several studies investigated and demonstrated the antimicrobial properties of skin mucus of fishes, most of them tested antimicrobial properties against marine microbial strains as potential use in aquaculture. Furthermo...
Article
Organophosphates are a large class of chemicals with anticholinesterase action insecticides. Dimethoate belongs to the class of organophosphates and it is used for agriculture purpose. Its main toxicological role in animals and humans is the inhibition of the activity of acetylcholinesterase. Although it is not considered genotoxic, carcinogenic an...
Article
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In this work, we present first data on biological and ecological aspects of Gobius incognitus from specimens from the Ionian Sea (central Mediterranean Sea). In particular, we provided first data on habitat preference, diet and length-weight relationship of G. incognitus on material with confirmed species identity. The species preferred "mixed bott...
Article
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Data on the biology of Dasyatis pastinaca are absent from the Ionian Sea and only a few studies were conducted in the Mediterranean Sea. Some biological and ecological aspects of D. pastinaca were investigated between November 2019 and February 2020 in the central Mediterranean Sea. In particular, we investigated several morphologic, population and...
Article
In this article, we report for the first time the presence of the parasite Hepatoxylon trichiuri in specimens of Lepidopus caudatus from the Mediterranean Sea. A total of four plerocercoids were studied using microscopy techniques for both morphological and histological analysis. Research Highlights • We report for the first time for the Mediterr...
Article
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Two specimens of the common goby (Pomatoschistus microps) were observed in the estuarine environment of the River Asinaro (Sicily). These records represent the easternmost and southernmost observations of the species in the Mediterranean Sea, and the first confirmed record in the Ionian Sea (central Mediterranean Sea). We also provide notes about i...
Article
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Data on the biology of Torpedo torpedo from the Ionian Sea are absent, and in the Mediterranean Sea, most of the published works focus on the reproductive biology of the species and are not recent. Several biological and ecological aspects of Torpedo torpedo were investigated between March and May 2019 on the coast of Sicily (Ionian Sea) between Av...
Article
The tufted ghost crab, Ocypode cursor, was recorded for the first time on the coast of Sicily mainland in 2009, however no ecological studies were conducted so far. In this study, we provide the first ecological data, based on massive data collection of the ghost crab in Sicily. In particular, we studied the spatio-temporal distribution of the spec...
Article
Invertebrates are precious organisms in order to study environmental pollution. In particular, they appear to be suitable as a bioindicator species for pioneer ecotoxicity studies on new xenobiotics such as nanoparticles. In fact, they are able to absorb nanomaterials scattered in the environment in different ways and it's known the compartmentaliz...
Article
Terrestrial isopods have adapted to predatory pressures by evolving a variety of behaviors, which arise from a combination of specific traits, such as volvation and tonic immobility. Evolutionarily, these behavioral adaptations have been shown to increase the fitness of the individuals of the species who show them because the probability of being p...
Article
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In recent years, the Mediterranean Sea has become an accumulation zone for waste generated by the 22 countries bordering its shores. Although the effects of plastic litter on the marine environment and on organisms have recently been studied in other areas, further information is needed for the Mediterranean Sea and, in particular, about plastics a...
Article
In the last years, the increase of anthropogenic activities has led to a progressive pollution of ecosystems. Oniscidean isopods are a group of terrestrial animals known as excellent bio‐indicators and bio‐accumulators, because of their capacity to accumulate contaminants and to implement appropriate strategies of detoxification. For this study, we...
Article
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New records of Pseudocaranx dentex (Bloch & Schneider, 1801) and Seriola fasciata (Bloch, 1793) are reported from the Mediterranean Sea. During the period 2013-2017, we have collected several records of both species from the south-east coast of Sicily (Ionian Sea). On the basis of our and published data, we can consider S. fasciata as a relatively...
Article
Several biological aspects of juvenile specimens of Raja radula were investigated from February to May 2017 in the central Mediterranean Sea. Diet, sex ratio, disc width-weight relationships, and size-frequency distribution were analyzed. Stomach content analysis of 127 collected specimens showed that juveniles of R. radula actively feed on small b...
Conference Paper
Althought commercial selective logging is considered a sustainable practice, it creates gaps and disturbance into tropical forests that could alter the ecosystem dynamics. Weeds and vines grow to fill the empty space, following the arrival of the light. This invasion alter significantly the forest in the surroundings of the cut. Here we propose a m...
Article
Several species of elasmobranchs are commonly found as bycatch or discard in both artisanal and industrial fisheries. In particular, in the Mediterranean Sea, only few studies are available about bycatch and discards of elasmobranchs in artisanal coastal fisheries. In this study, we focus our attention on elasmobranch catches in a trammel net fishe...
Article
Armadillidium boukorninense n. sp., a new species collected in northeastern Tunisia, is described. This species can be easily recognised by the tegument structure, the morphology of the cephalon and the high differentiation of the male pereopod 7. Its geographical distribution is limited to the northeast of Tunisia, in the maquis and garrigues habi...
Article
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Terrestrial isopods are a well-studied invertebrate taxon in Sicily and in the surrounding islands (Maltese archipelago included). During the last 30 years their systematics, ecology and biogeography have been analysed by many authors. The size and the diverse geological origin of the Sicilian archipelago represents an ideal open laboratory in whic...
Article
In the Mediterranean Sea, Lotobes surinamensis (Bloch, 1790) is considered a rare species. Although recent records from the Mediterranean Sea showed a range expansion of this thermophilic species, these only refer to one or two specimens. During the months of September to November 2017, we recorded a considerable increase in catches of specimens fr...
Chapter
Nanomaterials (NM) have different shapes and can be composed of different materials such as carbon, silicon, and some metals like gold, silver, and titanium. They are used as fillers, catalysts, semiconductors, cosmetics, drug carriers in medicine, energy storage systems, and antifriction coatings. NM are the parent compounds of nanoparticles (NPs)...
Article
Honey is a valuable food produced by bees from sugary substances that they gather in nature. The transformation the nectar into honey, by bees, is long and complex. Except for honey, where heavy metals are absent or are found only in traces, the bees and their products have always been considered excellent biomarkers of such contaminants. We have a...
Article
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This Collective Article presents information on 22 species belonging to 5 Phyla, arranged geographically from west to east. The new records were found in 8 countries as follows: Spain: first record of the two scarcely known nemerteans Baseodiscus de-lineatus and Notospermus geniculatus in Formentera; Malta: second record of the alien fish Lagocepha...
Article
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On the basis of the study of a rich collection of Spelaeoniscidae from Sicily, the surrounding islands, the Maltese Archipelago and North Africa, collected during several faunistic expeditions, two new genera, Uncuniscus and Hybleoniscus, and four new species, Spelaeoniscus akfadouensis, Uncuniscus singularis, Uncuniscus elegans and Hybleoniscus vi...
Article
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Because of their biological and ecological characteristics terrestrial isopods are considered as bioindicators of ecosystem health and several studies have shown that their distribution and abundance are influenced by environmental factors, such as weather, soil texture, composition and vegetation structure. However, few quantitative data are avail...
Article
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The increase of heavy metals in the environment involves a high exposure of aquatic organisms to these pollutants. The present study is planned to investigate the effects of zinc chloride (ZnCl2) on the bone embryonic development of Danio rerio and confirm the use of zebrafish as a model organism to study the teratogenic potential of this pollutant...
Article
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Biological diversity analysis is among the most informative approaches to describe communities and regional species compositions. Soil ecosystems include large numbers of invertebrates, among which soil bugs (Crustacea, Isopoda, Oniscidea) play significant ecological roles. The aim of this study was to provide advices to optimize the sampling effor...
Article
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The organotin compounds, in particular tributyltin (TBT) and dibutyltin (DBT), are classified among the most harmful xenobiotics introduced by man in the aquatic environment. Despite the several studies conducted, the mechanism of their toxic action is not still clarified. Being lipophilic substances, they interact with the phospholipid component o...
Article
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This study tests the potential for using Armadillo officinalis as a bioindicator of exposure to and activation of benzene metabolic pathways using an in vivo model. A. officinalis specimens collected in a natural reserve were divided into a control and three test groups exposed to 2.00, 5.32 or 9.09µg/m(3) benzene for 24h. Three independent tests w...
Data
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The psammophilic genus Tylos Audouin, 1826 is represented within the Mediterranean basin as two species: T. ponticus Grebnicki, 1874, and T. europaeus Arcangeli, 1938, according to Taiti and Ferrara (1996). It is impossible to define precisely the current distribution of the two species, mainly because, in literature, both taxa have been described...
Article
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We studied the plant communities preferences of oniscidean isopods in a protected coastal area in southeastern Sicily that is characterized by ponds, dunes and rocky coast. In total, five sites were sampled between March 2003 and February 2004 using pitfall traps. A total of 7,326 specimens were found, belonging to 23 species. The vegetation analys...
Article
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The psammophilic genus Tylos Audouin, 1826 is represented within the Mediterranean basin as two species: T. ponticus Grebnicki, 1874, and T. europaeus Arcangeli, 1938, according to Taiti and Ferrara (1996). It is impossible to define precisely the current distribution of the two species, mainly because, in literature, both taxa have been described...
Article
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During our researches on systematics and ecology of terrestrial isopods, carried out in western Sicily, some specimens showing a blue-purple coloration were collected; they belonged to four species: Armadillidium decorum Brandt, 1833, Trichoniscus panormidensis Montesanto et al., 2011, Philoscia affinis Verhoeff, 1908, Porcellio siculoccidentalis V...
Article
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In the broader context of research on the Sicilian Porcellio imbutus-complex, the postmarsupial development of Porcellio siculoccidentalis Viglianisi, Lombardo & Caruso, 1992 was studied in detail. This research was conducted in the laboratory under controlled conditions, allowing us to follow the stages of development, from the formation of the ma...
Article
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Ecosystems comprising coastal lakes and ponds are important areas for preserving biodiversity. The natural reserve "Saline di Trapani e Paceco" is an interesting natural area in Sicily, formed by the remaining strips of land among salt pans near the coastline. From January 2008 to January 2010, pitfall trapping was conducted in five sampling sites...
Article
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The diversity of Oniscidean isopods was studied in Vendicari, a protected area in southeastern Sicily characterized by salty ponds separated from the sea by narrow bands of land. Samples were collected in pitfall traps placed in transects from the coastline to the ponds and from the ponds inland. Twenty-three species were identified, only seven of...
Article
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In this paper three species of terrestrial isopods from Sicily are discussed. Spelaeoniscus coiffaiti and Cylisticus convexus are new to the Sicilian fauna. Sicilian specimens of Spelaeoniscus coiffaiti are examined and illustrated, and the biogeographical significance of this species in Sicily is discussed. Trichoniscus panormidensis is described...
Article
The sperm ultrastructure of a few species of Limoniidae (Limonia nigropunctata; L. nubeculosa; Chionea n. sp.; C. alpina; C. lutescens) was studied. The two species of Limonia have a monolayered acrosome with crystallized material, a three-lobed nucleus in cross section, a ring of centriole adjunct material and a flagellum which consists of a 9+9+1...
Article
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The aim of this work was to measure the genetic diversity of the Sicilian populations of Platyarthrus aiasensis as related to their sex ratios. Platyarthrus aiasensis, a small species of terrestrial isopods, was described as a parthenogenetic population from the island of Aix (Charente Maritime, France). Parthenogenesis was also demonstrated in som...
Article
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The differentiation of numerous populations of Porcellio lamellatus Budde-Lund, 1885 (Isopoda, Oniscidea) in Sicily, Sicily-surrounding islands, Tunisia, and Portugal was studied from a morphological point of view as well as by using two molecular approaches: Multi-Locus Enzyme Electrophoresis (MLEE) and Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) anal...
Article
The fine structure of spermatozoa from several species of chironomids, of Culicoides sp. (Ceratopogonidae) and of Odagmia pontina (Simulidae) was studied. A synapomorphic feature, consisting of nine kidney-shaped structures forming the centriole adjunct, was found in the chironomid species. All members of Chironomoidea share a mono-layered acrosome...
Article
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Specimens of Porcellio variabilis coming from Tunisian populations were genetically and morphologically examined. Ten loci were analysed by Multilocus Enzyme Electrophoresis (Mdh 1, Mdh 2, Idh 1, Idh 2, Got 1, Got 2, Pgm, Est 1, Acph, Phi). The low values of genetic distance (average DN = 0.101) and the morphological differences found between the v...
Article
Trichoniscus alexandrae Caruso is a blind troglobiont isopod; males possess secretory and sensory organs on the cephalon and 1st pereionite consisting of cuticular pits hosting a tuft of setae and gland openings. Such organs are absent in females. Three types of cuticular structures have been observed: (a) lamellar setae, which likely play a role i...
Article
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Specimens of Armadillidium aelleni Caruso & Ferrara 1982, from four Maltese caves were morphologically and genetically examined. Twelve enzymatic systems for a total of 15 loci (Pgm, Me, Got‐1, Got‐2, Idh‐1, Idh‐2, Mdh‐1, Mdh‐2, Phi, Ao, Est‐1, Gapd, Pep‐1, Acph, Fum) were analysed by horizontal starch gel electrophoresis. The populations studied w...
Article
The genetic differences in 32 populations of Hydropsyche belonging to nine species distributed in Sicily, and central and southern Italy were assayed by horizontal starch gel electrophoresis. Larval specimens were examined. Twelve enzyme loci were assayed and allele frequencies, variability parameters, and Nei's genetic distance were calculated. Th...
Article
Les auteurs décrivent deux nouvelles espèces de Spelaeoniscidae d'Afrique du Nord, dont l'une appartient à un genre nouveau, Albertosphoera, caractérisé par des sillons antennaires qui s'étendent directement jusqu'au bord postérieur du céphalon et dans lesquels les antennes s'engagent complètement durant le processus d'enroulement, et par la présen...

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