Piero Cossu

Recombination is the main contributor to RNA virus evolution, and SARS-CoV-2 during the pandemic produced several recombinants. The most recent SARS-CoV-2 recombinant is the lineage labeled XBB, also known as Gryphon, which arose from BJ.1 and BM.1.1.1. Here we performed a genome-based survey aimed to compare the new recombinant with its parental l...

Biological invasions are a major threat to the conservation of biodiversity, as invasive species affect native biota through competition, predation, pathogen introduction, habitat alteration, and hybridisation. The present study focuses on a southern pike population, Esox cisalpinus (Teleostei: Esocidae), that has been introduced outside the specie...

The Turkey oak (Quercus cerris L.) is widely distributed in Italy, where it is the ecologically dominant oak on sandy and acidic soil. In this work, we analysed 23 natural populations by means of eight SSR (microsatellite) markers, to obtain the first synthetic map of genetic variability for this species and to study its dispersion during the Holoc...

Recombination is the main contributor to RNA virus evolution, and SARS-CoV-2 during the pandemic produced several recombinants. The most recent SARS-CoV-2 recombinant is the lineage labeled XBB, also known as Gryphon, which arose from BJ.1 and BM.1.1.1. Here we performed a genome-based survey aimed to compare the new recombinant with its parental l...

The genus Salariopsis (Blenniidae) comprises freshwater blenny fish that inhabits Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea, and north-east Atlantic areas. Three species were formally described to date: Salariopsis fluviatilis. S. economidisi, and S. atlantica. In this study, 103 individuals were collected from different Italian regions (Sardinia, Liguria, Pied...

Monkeypox is caused by a sylvatic, double-stranded DNA zoonotic virus. Since 1 January 2022, monkeypox cases have been reported to WHO from 106 Member States across six WHO regions, and as of 2 October 2022, a total of 68,900 confirmed cases, including 25 deaths, occurred. Here, by using a whole genome approach, we perform a genetic and phylodynami...

Simple Summary: Knowledge of genetic diversity is crucial to improve conservation plans for endangered species and ensure their long-term persistence. However, it may be difficult to accurately estimate genetic diversity when it is unfeasible to obtain sufficiently large sample sizes, which is often the case for marine endangered species. Here, we...

Taenia saginata is a globally distributed tapeworm responsible for human taeniasis due to the ingestion of raw or undercooked beef. T. saginata is present in several Asian countries, including China, Thailand, Lao PDR, Cambodia, and Vietnam, but little is known about its genetic variation. Studying the tapeworm's phylogeographic patterns is crucial...

Recent research hypothesised that the Siculo-Tunisian Strait might fit, at least for some species, the picture of a genetic transitional zone instead of a sharp genetic break between the Western and Eastern Mediterranean basins. The present study aimed at using the common Octopus, Octopus vulgaris as an empirical test-case to evaluate this hypothes...

Coronaviruses are known to be harmful and heterogeneous viruses, able to infect a large number of hosts. Among them, SADS-CoV (Swine Acute Diarrhea Syndrome Coronavirus), also known as PEAV (Porcine Enteric Alphacoronavirus), or SeA-CoV (Swine Enteric Alphacoronavirus), is the most recent Alphacoronavirus discovered, and caused several outbreaks re...

Citation: Sanna, D.; Azzena, I.; Scarpa, F.; Cossu, P.; Pira, A.; Gagliardi, F.; Casu, M. First Record of the Alien Species Procambarus virginalis Lyko, 2017 in Fresh Waters of Sardinia and Insight into Its Genetic Variability. Life 2021, 11, 606. Abstract: In the fresh waters of Sardinia (Italy), the non-indigenous crayfish species Procambarus cla...

During an epidemiological survey that aimed to discover the causes for the mass mortality of Pinna nobilis, a strain of Rhodococcus was found in a moribund individual. Here, we report its 7,037,134-bp draft genome sequence, which, after the annotation and genome survey, was identified as belonging to Rhodococcus qingshengii PN_19. T he fan mussel,...

Pinna nobilis is the largest bivalve of the Mediterranean Sea, where it represents a flagship species. As a possible consequence of several human disturbing activities, at the beginning of the ‘80s, populations of fan mussel started a severe demographic decline. To reverse this trend, P. nobilis was included in a regime of full protection which led...

Exploitation of fisheries and aquaculture practices are exposing marine fish populations to increasing genetic risks. Therefore, the integration of genetic information into fisheries and aquaculture management is becoming crucial to ensure species’ long-term persistence. The raising commercial value of grey mullet ( Mugil cephalus ) and its roe rep...

I.A.); picossu@uniss.it (P.C.); gsesposito@uniss.it (G.E.); eantuofermo@uniss.it (E.A.); marcasu@uniss.it (M.C.) Abstract: The fan mussel, Pinna nobilis, represents the largest bivalve endemic to the Mediterranean Sea. Since 2016, dramatic mass mortality of this species has been observed in several areas. The first surveys suggested that Haplospori...

The cryptic diversity in the polychaete Syllis gracilis Grube, 1840, in the Mediterranean Sea was examined with an integrative morpho‐molecular approach. Individuals of S. gracilis were collected at eleven Mediterranean localities to provide an insight into the role of brackish environments in inducing cryptic speciation. The examination of morphol...

Aquaculture finfish production based on floating cage technology has raised increasing concerns on the genetic integrity of natural populations. Accidental mass escapes can induce the loss of genetic diversity in wild populations by increasing genetic drift and inbreeding. Farm escapees likely represent an important issue in the gilthead sea bream,...

Five new species of Monocelididae (Platyhelminthes, Proseriata) are described from Eastern Atlantic. Three new Archilina species came from the Canary Islands. Two of them have the cirrus provided with a stylet, cylindrical in Archilina regina sp. nov. and spike-like in Archilina imperatrix sp. nov. Both species lack a vaginal pore: ventrally to the...

Two new species of Otoplana (Proseriata: Otoplanidae) from the Canary Islands are here described: Otoplana norenburgi sp. nov. and Otoplana didomenicoi sp. nov. These new species are distinguished from their congeners by unique features of the sclerotized structures of the copulatory organ, in particular of the aculeus, swollen proximally in O. nor...

Since the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 the Mediterranean Sea has been affected by a gradually increasing influx of species of Erythraean origin, which significantly modified species composition and ecological interactions of entire communities. Most studies have focused on macrofaunal species. Nevertheless, given the sandy nature of its shores...

Representatives of the Meidiamidae and Otomesostomidae (Platyhelminthes: Proseriata) are seldom encountered, and the monophyly and phylogenetic relationships of these families have never been assessed on molecular basis. Here, we present the first exhaustive molecular study of Proseriata at the family level, including species belonging to the gener...

The survival of endangered and rare species with slow growth and low dispersal capabilities critically depends on the persistence of populations within marine protected areas (MPAs). The effectiveness of MPAs at maintaining the species evolutionary potential will depend on the occurrence of self-sustaining and viable populations, harboring sufficie...

The order Proseriata (Platyhelminthes) represents one of the most abundant soft-bodied meiofaunal groups. These minute interstitial organisms are characterized by a very simple morphology, which often hides the occurrence of cryptic species. Accordingly, molecular analyses are often needed to provide reliable taxonomic assessment and/or species ide...

Given the pending biodiversity crisis, species delimitation is a critically important task in conservation biology, but its efficacy based on single lines of evidence has been questioned as it may not accurately reflect species limits and relationships. Hence, the use of multiple lines of evidence has been portrayed as a means to overcome identific...

Sheep are thought to have been one of the first livestock to be domesticated in the Near East, thus playing an important role in human history. The current whole mitochondrial genome phylogeny for the genus Ovis is based on: the five main domestic haplogroups occurring among sheep (O. aries), along with molecular data from two wild European mouflon...

Estimates of evolutionary divergence between whole genome (28H) sequences. Genetic distances are shown below the diagonal and standard deviations above the diagonal. Analyses were conducted using the K2P model. Sample codes are listed in Table 1. (PDF)

Frequencies distributions of the four Bayesian genetic groups found in the present study for D-loop region. N: sample size; %: relative frequency of distribution. Sample codes are listed in Table 1. (PDF)

Bayesian clustering analysis for D-loop region. Estimated genetic structure in the dataset analyzed as inferred using the Bayesian model-based clustering analysis. Each individual is represented by a thin vertical line colored according to its belonging to one of the four clusters retrieved. Black lines separate individuals from different sampling...

List of the primers used to carry out PCR and sequencing reactions to obtain the first Cyprus mouflon mtDNA sequence. bp: base pairs; Ta: annealing temperature. In the Forward and Reverse columns, numbers in parenthesis refer to the position of the 3’ end L-strand. (PDF)

Estimates of evolutionary divergence between D-loop sequences. The genetic distances are shown below the diagonal and standard deviations above the diagonal. Analyses were conducted using the K2P model. Sample codes are listed in Table 1. (PDF)

The Mediterranean Lessepsian migrations excite the interest of biologists who are devoted to inferring the effects of selection on the genetic structure of immigrants. The bluespotted cornetfish Fistularia commersonii is an Indo-Pacific species that was first recorded in the Levantine cost of Mediterranean, and within a few years, it rapidly expand...

Patterns of genetic variation in marine species reflect the interplay of species-specific traits, oceanographic features, historical processes and selection. In the Atlantic–Mediterranean regions, Patella ulyssiponensis (Mollusca: Gastropoda) was previously used as a model to investigate these patterns. Our study gained insight into the genetic pat...

Geminate species are a powerful tool for calibrating the molecular clock in marine organisms, and their adoption is mandatory for soft-bodied taxa, which lack fossil records. The first attempt to calibrate the molecular clock in taxa belonging to meiofaunal microturbellaria (Platyhelminthes: Proseriata) based on geminate species is presented here....

Four new species of Otoplanidae (Platyhelminthes: Rhabditophora: Proseriata) with ranges restricted to the central Mediterranean are described. These species are characterized by the presence of a tubular copulatory stylet and by a bursa lacking an open connection to the atrium. Both characters are novel for the family Otoplanidae. The four species...

Species of the genus Ophryotrocha are a well-studied group of organisms but, despite the relatively large body of biological studies, little is known about the intra-specific patterns of genetic diversity. In the present study, we analysed the patterns of genetic variation in samples of Ophryotrocha labronica (Polychaeta, Dorvilleidae) collected al...

Pinna nobilis is the largest endemic Mediterranean marine bivalve. During past centuries various human activities led to the regression of its populations. As a consequence of stringent protection policies (P. nobilis is included in Annex IV of the Habitat Directive and Annex II of the Barcelona Convention), demographic expansion to many sites is c...

Pinna nobilis is the largest endemic Mediterranean marine bivalve. During past centuries, various human activities have promoted the regression of its populations. As a consequence of stringent standards of protection, demographic expansions are currently reported in many sites. The aim of this study was to provide the first large broad-scale insig...

COI-16S dataset: network analysis. Median-joining network showing the haplotypes relationships among Pinna nobilis populations. Small red plots on the nodes, labelled as “mv”, show median vectors, representing hypothetic connecting sequences, calculated with a maximum parsimony method. Haplotypes diverge each other for a single mutation except wher...

COI, COI-16S, 16S datasets: genetic divergence estimates. Sample sizes and genetic diversity estimates obtained for the mitochondrial regions analysed in Pinna nobilis. N: sample sizes; S: number of polymorphic sites; H: number of haplotypes; h: haplotype diversity; π: nucleotide diversity; d: mean of pairwise nucleotide differences. Populations ar...

COI dataset: Bayesian COI haplogroup frequencies. N: absolute frequency; %: relative frequency within Mediterranean populations of Pinna nobilis. Populations are labelled as in Table 1. (DOC)

COI dataset: network analysis. Median-joining network showing the haplotypes relationships among Pinna nobilis populations. Small red plots on the nodes, labelled as “mv”, show median vectors, representing hypothetic connecting sequences, calculated with a maximum parsimony method. Haplotypes diverge each other for a single mutation except where Ar...

COI dataset: pairwise ΦST values among sampling localities. Pairwise ΦST values between Pinna nobilis populations with at least five individuals. Significance was assessed by permutation test. Significant values after correction for multiple testing are reported in bold. Populations are labelled as in Table 1. (DOC)

COI-16S dataset: haplotype frequencies. Frequency distribution of mitochondrial haplotypes in 244 individuals from 29 populations of Pinna nobilis. N: absolute frequency; %: relative frequency within Mediterranean populations. Populations are labelled as in Table 1. (DOC)

16S dataset: haplotype frequencies. Frequency distribution of haplotypes in 251 individuals from 29 populations of Pinna nobilis. N: absolute frequency; %: relative frequency within Mediterranean populations. Populations are labelled as in Table 1. (DOC)

COI-16S dataset: Bayesian COI-16S mitochondrial region haplogroup frequencies. N: absolute frequency; %: relative frequency within Mediterranean populations of Pinna nobilis. Populations are labelled as in Table 1. (DOC)

COI-16S dataset: pairwise ΦST values among samples localities. Pairwise ΦST values between Pinna nobilis populations with at least five individuals. Significance was assessed by permutation test. Significant values after correction for multiple testing are reported in bold. Populations are labelled as in Table 1. (DOC)

COI dataset: haplotype frequencies. Frequency distribution of COI haplotypes in 311 individuals from 34 populations of Pinna nobilis. N: absolute frequency; %: relative frequency within Mediterranean populations. Populations are labelled as in Table 1. (DOC)

The reproductive strategy of the simultaneous hermaphrodite Pseudomonocelis paupercula (Platyhelminthes: Proseriata) was investigated using multiple approaches including breeding experiments, anatomical reconstruc-tion, and parentage analysis of offspring. The 18 allozyme loci tested were monomorphic. Conversely, the ISSR markers showed differences...

The polychaete Hediste diversicolor is characterised by a high degree of genetic structure among populations. The genetic differentiation has been related to the presence of cryptic species, corresponding to Atlantic and Mediterranean lineages whose divergence may have been driven by vicariance and/or selection. In the present study we used DNA int...

Patella ferruginea Gmelin, 1791 is an endangered marine gastropod endemic to the Western Mediterranean. Its range is restricted to the Sardinian-Corsican region (SCR), North Africa, a few scattered sites in Southern Spain, and Sicily. Inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers and three different mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) regions, Cytochrome c Oxi...

This study aims at comparing patterns of genetic diversity in farmed and wild populations of the gilthead sea bream, Sparus aurata Linnaeus, 1758 (Sparidae) along the Sardinian shores. We aimed at assessing if farmed populations are genetically divergent and have lower genetic variability than wild populations. As a by-product we investigated genet...

The present study reports new records of the invasive pygmy mussel Xenostrobus securis in six brackish-water localities in the western Mediterranean. Until now X. securis, whose native range includes southern Australia and New Zealand, was also known from the northern Adriatic Sea and southern France. Along the coast of northern Tuscany (Italy) X....

Pseudomonocelis paupercula nov. sp. is described from brackish-water habitats of the Mediterranean. It is distinguished from other members of the genus by the copulatory organ provided with a stylet, combined with lack of vagina and pres-ence of a muscular organ close to the female pore. Its phylogenetic relationships have been investigated sequenc...

The spatial scale of life-history and demographic variation was investigated in the opportunistic polychaete Ophryotrocha labronica La Greca and Bacci. Individuals were collected along the Italian coasts from three thermally different biogeographical regions of the Mediterranean Sea. For each region, populations from four harbours were considered,...

Monocelis lineata is a complex of cryptic species (three in the Mediterranean and one in the Atlantic) widespread in midlittoral habitats. Throughout the range, populations with or without an ocular pigmented shield are found. We investigated the genetic structure of the North-East Atlantic populations with the aim of shedding light on their phylog...

We report a sampling strategy based on Mendelian Breeding Units (MBUs), representing an interbreeding group of individuals sharing a common gene pool. The identification of MBUs is crucial for case-control experimental design in association studies. The aim of this work was to evaluate the possible existence of bias in terms of genetic variability...

Only a few species belonging to the Proseriata (Platyhelminthes) show a parenchymatic pigmentation, which may aid identification. Among these, Pseudomonocelis agilis has a yellowish body and is provided with a reddishbrown girdle in front of the statocyst. The species is known for limited areas of northern Europe and the Mediterranean. The present...

Patella ferruginea (Gastropoda: Patellidae) is an endangered marine gastropod, distributed on the western Mediterranean coasts, whose range has progressively contracted, due to intense human exploitation. Our attention focused on its genetic structure, in order to gather information about levels of genetic variability of P. ferruginea from the Asin...

Corallium rubrum is a colonial cnidarian, distributed in Mediterranean and Atlantic rocky bottoms. The species has been largely exploited for use in jewellery since 17th century, raising increasing concerns for the sustainability of the present rate of harvesting. The aim of this study was to standardise a simple and not expensive molecular techniq...

Variation in the number and distribution of paragnaths in populations of the ragworm, Hediste diversicolor, from 14 localities across a large part of its European range was analysed. Significant inter-population variation was revealed by ANOVA applied to (i) the number of paragnaths in each zone of the pharynx, (ii) the number of paragnaths in each...

The giant Mediterranean limpet Patella ferruginea Gmelin, 1791 is an endangered marine gastropod, whose range has progressively shrinked to few, restricted areas, due to intense human exploitation. We have studied the genetic structure of the species, in order to (1) gather information about the levels of genetic variability within and between natu...

Corallium rubrum L 1758 è una specie endemica dei fondali rocciosi del Mediterraneo e delle aree limitrofe dell'Atlantico, dove vive tra i 20 e i 200 m di profondità. Questa specie viene intensivamente pescata nella parte occidentale del Mediterraneo, dove sono presenti gli stock di consistenza maggiore. Lo scopo di questo studio è stato quello di...

Gemma gemma is a small ovoviviparous bivalve distributed in shallow sand flats along the North American Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts. Genetic variation in G. gemma was analysed by means of Inter-Simple Sequence Repeats (ISSRs) at the following levels: (i) between localities (Maine and Virginia), (ii) among 10-m-diameter patches within localit...

La struttura genetica del polichete Hediste diversicolor del Mediterraneo occidentale è stata studiata utilizzando gli ISSR (Inter Simple Sequence Repeats) come marcatori genetici. Sono stati raccolti 30 individui in ciascuna delle seguenti località: Stagno di Calich (Sardegna N-O), Baia di Figari (Corsica S-O), Migliacciaru (Corsica E), Fiume Mort...

Con il presente lavoro è stata analizzata la variabilità nel numero di paragnati (dentelli chitinosi) presenti sul faringe del polichete di ambienti salmastri Hediste diversicolor . Il faringe è classicamente suddiviso in 7 zone distribuite in una cintura mascellare (I-IV) e una orale (V-VII+VIII). L'assenza di paragnati nella zona V è uno dei cara...

Negli ultimi anni gli studi molecolari condotti su invertebrati marini hanno contribuito fortemente alla valutazione della biodiversità locale mediante la risoluzione di complessi casi di tassonomia. Ophelia bicornis s.l. è un polichete che vive in habitat intertidali sabbiosi delle coste mediterranee ed europee atlantiche, la cui sistematica è anc...

Gemma gemma (Totten, 1834) è un bivalve ovoviviparo privo di stadi larvali pelagici, i giovani si sviluppano dall'uovo fecondato all'interno della madre e vengono rilasciati quando raggiungono una determinata dimensione. Essi rimangono vicino alla madre per un breve periodo di tempo, poi sono in grado di disperdersi soltanto passivamente con il sed...