Gianni Giglio

Università della Calabria | Università della Calabria · Department of Biology, Ecology and Earth Science - DiBEST

Stable isotopes (δ13C and δ15N) were analysed in vertebrae of Scyliorhinus canicula (n=40; 13 males, 27 females) from the central Tyrrhenian Sea to explore a potential trophic shift in relation to sex and maturity condition. Isotopic values were obtained from the centre and the periphery of the vertebra of each individual to test for the effect of...

The white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) is a charismatic species and, consequently, one of the most studied and protected sharks. This species can be found in a wide range of temperatures and depths, showing site fidelity and migrating across the oceans. This offers a challenge to understanding the processes influencing their lifecycle and, more i...

Parasitological, hematological, and ecotoxicological analyses were carried out on a population of lesser spotted dogfish Scyliorhinus canicula from the central Mediterranean Sea. Parasitological analyses highlighted a poor helminthic community, highly dominated by a single taxon represented by the cestode Nybelinia sp. No differences in the parasit...

The white shark Carcharodon carcharias has been present in the Mediterranean Sea since 3.2 million years ago. Nevertheless, the current population shows a low genetic variability suggesting an endangered small population, on which there is scarce information regarding ecotoxicology or trophic ecology. Given that white shark's sightings are rare in...

In this contribution the checklist of chondrichthyans of Calabria (Central Mediterranean, southern Italy) is reported. Data presented is derived from twenty years of opportunistic and active surveys from 2000 to 2020. A total of 55 species of chondrich-thyans is present in Calabrian seas: 33 sharks, 20 rays, and 2 chimaeras. These species represent...

The white shark Carcharodon carcharias has been present in the Mediterranean Sea since 3.2 million years ago. Nevertheless, the current population shows a low genetic variability suggesting an endangered small population, on which there is scarce information regarding ecotoxicology or trophic ecology. Given that white shark’s sightings are rare...

While most people have no trouble in recognizing a specimen of S. canicula, the individual animals are much more difficult to distinguish. The specimens show variation in size and cryptic colors of the spots on the skin (black, white and brownish). Unless adopting invasive techniques such as the fin and subcutaneous tags, most of the animals remain...

Despite Calabria represents an interesting study area due to its geographic position, nothing is known of the presence of sharks and rays in this region. Data presented in this work come from nineteen years of opportunistic fishing surveys (from 2000 to 2019). Our data shows that 53 species of elasmobranchs are present in Calabrian seas: 30 of thes...

In the years 2017, 2018 and 2019 the feeding behavior of the whale shark has been studied off Nosy Be Island (Madagascar). In particular, the investigations involved the description of the behavioral modules of the whale shark and their relationship with the phytoplankton communities. In total, 65 phytoplankton samples were collected in the followi...

From 2005 to 2018 the individual surface behaviour of bait-attracted white sharks during ecotourism activites has been studied off Dyer Island Nature Reserve (South Africa). Observations were made from a commercial cage-diving boat both by observers and by a drone. A total of 235 white sharks has been identified. The individual behavioural units ob...

Both trace elements and isotopes analysis were performed on two samples of vertebrae of White Sharks Carcharodon carcharias from Favignana Island (Sicily, central Mediterranean). For the trace elements analysis, the ICP-MS associated by Laser Ablation allowed us to find 36 trace elements. More samples were taken, on the same vertebrae, along a tran...

Hematology is now a useful diagnostic tool in human and domestic mammalian medicine and is becoming such also in the clinical evaluation of fish. Most of the current knowledge of fish hematology derives from research carried out on agnate organisms like missine and lampreys, on a few species of elasmobranchs and on some species of teleosts, althoug...

We report the occurrence of the European Brook Lamprey, Lampetra planeri (Bloch, 1784), in the Lao river in the Calabria region (southern Italy). This record extends the species’ known distribution limit southwards. Information regarding some morphometric and ecological data are provided and discussed.

Since 2016 a ph.D project for reconstructing life history traits of a population of lesser spotted dogfish (Scyliorhinus canicula) from Central Mediterranean sea has been started. One of the goal of this research is to delineate heavy metals and other trace elements concentration in vertebrae and their effects on the immune system of the species an...

Individual surface behaviour of white sharks in the presence of bait has been studied from 2005 to 2017 at Dyer Island Natural Reserve (Sotuh-Africa). Observations were made from a commercial cage-diving boat. We observed 220 white sharks that exhibited 9 different types of of individual behaviour: parading, bait following, visual inspection, breac...

The paper confirms the presence of Alopias superciliosus in the Tyrrhenian Sea, giving useful information for a species assessed as "vulnerable" worldwide and "data deficient" for the Mediterranean Sea by IUCN. In the stomach of this shark, 25 specimens of Pseudophyllidea, 4 of Trypanorhyncha and 3 of Anisakis spp. were found. In the gut, the prese...

Environmental factors affect behavior during surface predatory activity of Great White.We observed that individual behaviors were exhibited with environmental conditions opposed to those in which social behaviors were observed.

This three year project aims to contribute to the knowledge of the biology and ecology of the common-spotted-catsharks, Scyliorhinus canicula. This is one of the most representative species of sharks in the Mediterranean basin. Specific goals will be to provide information regarding the status of populations of this shark in the Central Tyrrhenian...

Bioaccumulation of 13 trace elements in the livers of 38 Pelophylax sinkl. hispanicus (Ranidae) and its helminth communities were studied and compared among three sites, each with a different degree of pollution along River Neto (south Italy) during September, 2014. Trace element concentrations in water and liver were measured using inductively cou...

Studying the behaviour of the White Shark is a recent and big challenge. Optimising the photoidentification of White Shark dorsal fins is a basic goal, in order to compare behavioural information in both immature and mature specimens and between females and males. During a 6 years research, from 2009 to 2014, in South Africa, we observed 296 sharks...

In this paper a contribution to the knowledge of marine and brackish water alien species recorded along the Calabrian coasts (Southern Italy, Central Mediterranean) during the period 2000-2013 is given. The study area is located in the center of the Mediterranean. Records of alien species come from 13 years of both field and opportunistic fishing s...

In summer 2010 and summer 2011, weekly cetacean surveys were undertaken in “passing mode”, using ferries as platform of opportunity, along the “fixed line transect” between Catania and Civitavecchia (Southern Italy). Of the 20 species of cetaceans confirmed for the Mediterranean sea, 8 were sighted within the survey period: 7 species represented by...

The Collective Article ‘New Mediterranean Biodiversity Records’ of the Mediterranean Marine Science journal offers the means to publish biodiversity records in the Mediterranean Sea. The current article is divided in two parts, for records of native and alien species respectively. The new records of native fish species include: the slender sunfish...

Based on recent biodiversity studies carried out in different parts of the Mediterranean, the following 19 species are included as new records on the floral or faunal lists of the relevant ecosystems: the green algae Penicillus capitatus (Maltese waters); the nemertean Amphiporus allucens (Iberian Peninsula, Spain); the salp Salpa maxima (Syria); t...