BENTACS - BENthos TAxonomy CourseS

TAXONOMY OF MOLLUSCS
Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn Naples
Italy, 09-13 June 2025

The Marine Organism Taxonomy (MOTax) core facility has launched a series of International Summer Schools (BENTACS - BENthos TAxonomy CourseS) focused on the taxonomy of the main groups of zoo-benthos from hard and soft-bottom communities in the Mediterranean Sea. The courses will target in particular researchers and technicians from scientific institutions and from national/regional environmental agencies interested in the study of benthos biodiversity and ecology. A combination of lectures and microscope sessions will provide participants with a general theoretical framework and practical experience.

The 3rd MOTax course will provide advanced training on the taxonomy and identification of molluscs. It will be held at the Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn in Naples on 09 – 13 June 2025. The course will be focused on selected families based on their ecological relevance, including species for which the taxonomic identification is particularly challenging.

Participants will be guided by expert taxonomists into the examination of preserved collections from different Mediterranean regions, as well as into the identification of their own samples. The course will offer an opportunity to discuss new challenges and perspectives into the fields of molluscs taxonomy and ecology.

Theoretical lessons

- ecological role of molluscs
- nomenclature, morphology, and glossary
- diagnostic characters of selected families/species living in the Mediterranean Sea
- molecular tools, species complexes, cryptic diversity, and phylogenies
- integrative taxonomy in the Mediterranean biota

Practical lessons

- microscope observation of selected families/species living in the Mediterranean Sea

Lecturers

Paolo Albano (Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Italy)
Fabio Crocetta (Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Italy)
Serge Gofas (University of Malaga, Spain and Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris)
Maria Vittoria Modica (Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Italy)
Luigi Romani (Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris)
Carmen Salas (University of Malaga, Spain)

The course is open to 20 participants. Preference will be given to applicants with documented experience in taxonomy and identification of molluscs.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Applications: deadline 31 March 
Participants will be notified by 15 April
Registration and payment are due by 30 April

Fee: 550 euro per person (coffee breaks, lunches, and social dinner included)

APPLICATION FORM

ORGANIZERS: Sarah Ciancimino, Fabio Crocetta, Paolo Fasciglione, Diana Sarno
Info: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

GreenList4MMPAs is a project funded by the Interreg Euro-MED programme, which aims to promote effective and equitable management of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in the Mediterranean Region.

The project brings together six partners from five different countries. It aims to adapt the IUCN Green List to the Mediterranean marine context to support the Mediterranean MPAs in achieving their environmental and socio-economic objectives. The Green List is a Global Standard of Good Practice for Protected Areas. Over 27 months and with a total budget of €600,000, the GreenList4MMPAs project will develop specific indicators and methods for assessing MPAs, providing a useful and actionable tool for MPA managers.

Project Partners:
Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn (Italy), International Union For Conservation Of Nature And Natural Resources (IUCN, Spain), WWF Adria Association for the nature protection and conservation of biological diversity (Croatia), University of the Aegean – Research Unit (Greece), IUCN French Committee (France), Côte Bleue Marine Park (France).

Reconciling conservation and exploitation of a key fish species through networks of Marine Protected Areas

Acronym: Reconnect

Duration of the project: 24 months

Project code: 2022Y3TMR7

PI of the project: Antonio Di Franco

Partners: Università degli Studi di Padova, Politecnico di Milano

Networks of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are a key tool for biodiversity conservation and management as they can promote healthy marine ecosystems and provide socio-economic benefits to local communities. One of the major benefits of MPAs is that they support small-scale fisheries by increasing the number of larval, juvenile, and adult individuals in unprotected sites. A network of MPAs can facilitate the exchange of individuals (called ‘connectivity’) between MPAs themselves and unprotected areas, improving the status of a fish population.

Using the brown grouper (Epinephelus marginatus) as a model species, the ‘Reconnect’ project has as its main objectives:

• the identification of areas that host high densities of potential brown grouper spawners and which may therefore represent breeding areas, by collecting data using non-destructive methods such as visual census underwate

• the estimated dispersal of grouper larvae from possible spawning sites

• the assessment of the connection between existing MPAs and those that might be created in the future, with the aim of creating an effective network of MPAs that protects fish species and offers benefits to small-scale fisheries

We will focus on the brown grouper, Epinephelus marginatus, because this species plays a key ecological role in the rocky seabed of the Mediterranean and is an important species for both fishing and sustainable tourism activities (such as diving). The project will be developed along the Sicilian coasts, which are crucial for the Mediterranean ecosystem and host numerous MPAs, and several sites that could become new MPAs in the future.

For more detailed information, write to:This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

SZN PhD Progam Body of Rules

and

Fellowship and tax information

Open Calls

Closed Calls

A new era of coastal ecosystems exploration TREC multinational core partners are the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Tara Ocean Foundation and European Marine Biological Resource Centre (EMBRC-ERIC). In Naples, one of the super-sites of the expedition, the Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn (SZN) acts as a local hosts, and develops activities in collaboration with NBFC.

Save the dates and join us!  Download the program

Games, guided tours, exhibitions, amusing workshops, are waiting for you

 All activities are FREE of CHARGE

SZN organised various Public Engagement activities in cooperation with EMBL and TARA Foundation.

 AML (Advanced Mobile Lab) guided tours - A look inside the TREC's mobile laboratory

Target group: 12 to 99 years old
What: interactive guided tour offering participants the opportunity to explore the Advanced Mobile Lab directly. During the visit, state-of-the-art AML equipment will be showcased, and participants will have the chance to observe some mini-experiments up close.
Where: AML, seaside of the main SZN building.
When: May 11, 3:00 PM – 8:00 PM
MANDATORY RESERVATION HERE

TARA at Molo San Vincenzo

Three activities will take place near the TARA schooner:
Where: Molo San Vincenzo (Marina Militare).
When: May 11, 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM and 3:00 PM - 6:00 PM
ATTENTION!! LIMITED ACCESS WITH MANDATORY FREE RESERVATION TO ACCESS THE PIER AT THE FOLLOWING LINK

• Guided tours on TARA - Discovering TARA
Target group: 8 to 99 years old
What: An interactive guided tour offering participants the opportunity to explore the Goletta TARA up close, understanding what it is, what it does, and what life and work are like on board.

• Observing the invisible inhabitants of the ocean - Hands-on workshop with a portable microscope
Target group: 8 to 99 years old
What: An experience to discover an essential world for life on Earth, the marine microbiome, by observing local seawater samples with the Curiosity microscope, understanding the importance of the marine microbiome, and why it needs to be studied for better protection.

• Plastic in the sea, solutions are on land - Interactive play-information about plastic pollution
Target group: 8 to 99 years old
What: A workshop based on games to trace the source of plastic pollution and associated chemical pollutants and find solutions. Observe plastic in its various forms, breake downpreconceived ideas, and discover your power to make a difference. 

Trec in the City – Science and play around Naples

Three engaging activities that will pique your curiosity and provide entertainment, don't miss the opportunity!
Where and When:
Piazza Municipio, May 4, from 15:00 to 19:00
Città della Scienza, May 5, from 09:00 to 17:00
Mostra D'Oltremare, May 7, from 16:00 to 19:00
Rotonda Diaz, May 8, from 16:00 to 19:00
Mostra D'Oltremare, May 9, from 16:00 to 19:00
Rotonda Diaz, May 10, from 16:00 to 19:00
Piazza Municipio, May 11, from 15:00 to 19:00
Mostra D'Oltremare, May 12, from 15:00 - 19:00

• Curiosity hand-held microscope
Target group: from 6 to 99 years old
What: Have you always wanted to use a microscope? Come and visit us and you'll discover the invisible! This traveling exhibition stand offers practical experiences and "wow-science!" on microscopy. Thanks to a portable microscope, you will see real samples from the TREC expedition, thus observing plankton in a unique and fun way!
• Run, Scientist, Run! - Scientific Goose Game
Target group: from 4 to 99 years old
What: Come and play a giant goose game to discover the secrets of a scientific expedition! You will experience the challenges and successes of sampling for a scientific expedition. 

N.B The game "Run, Scientist, Run" will be held at all locations except for Piazza Municipio.

• The Ocean, this Unknown - Exhibition
Target group: from 8 to 99 years old
What: An exhibition, conceived as a journey, composed of 6 illustrated panels to convey a key message: the Ocean is the central ecosystem of our planet.

Nexus Island

Target group:12 to 99 years old
What: An interactive, game-based workshop focused on the health of the planet. Just like a scientist, you will take part in an expedition to discover, collect, and study the organisms of the coastal areas of an island... will you be able to save it?
Where: Città della Scienza
When: May 5, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Science without Frontiers - round table on TREC with live illustrations

Target group: 18 years old and above
What: On the occasion of Europe Day, the Tara Ocean Foundation and the Institut Français Napoli invite you to a roundtable discussion on TREC, an expedition that transcends geographical, disciplinary, and ecosystem boundaries. The roundtable features Douglas Couet, marine biologist from CNRS, France; Iole di Capua, marine biologist from SZN, Italy; Anne-Marie Alleaume, professional communicator from the Tara Ocean Foundation, France. The discussion will be illustrated in real-time by the Belgian artist François Olislaeger.
Where: Institut Français Napoli (via Francesco Crispi 86).
When: May 9, at 6:00 PM

Science in Travel - Scientific Conversations with and for the Public

Target group: 18 years old and over
What: Join us for a fun, informal, and accessible evening where scientists from across Europe come together to discuss with you! A sharing moment during which the TREC project - and science in general - is discussed with the public. Scientists, including those from SZN, take the "stage" and present various topics related to the marine world and the Trec-TARA expedition.
Where: Lo Spark Café di Napoli (Piazza Bovio, 33).
When: May 10, at 6:00 PM

PlanktoQuest - Virtual Reality Experience on Plankton

MANDATORY RESERVATION HERE
Target group: 8 to 99 years old
What: Plankton as you've never seen it: immerse yourself in an augmented reality experience that will allow you to "touch" the invisible! PlanktoQuest is a virtual reality animation that allows the user to explore and manipulate marine plankton with their hands. The user can stretch, section, feed different plankton organisms and enter inside them with only hands and a headset (no computer, no controller).
Where: Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn
When: May 11, 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM and May 12, 9:00 AM - 12:30 PM

Eva Jimenez-Guri, Periklis Paganos, Claudia La Vecchia, Giovanni Annona, Filomena Caccavale, Maria Dolores Molina, Alfonso Ferrández-Roldán, Rory Daniel Donnellan, Federica Salatiello, Adam Johnstone, Maria Concetta Eliso, Antonietta Spagnuolo, Cristian Cañestro, Ricard Albalat, José María Martín-Durán, Elizabeth A. Williams, Enrico D'Aniello, Maria Ina Arnone, Chemosphere,Volume 356,2024,141887,ISSN 0045-6535,https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2024.141887

Federica Mantica, Luis P. Iñiguez, Yamile Marquez, Jon Permanyer, Antonio Torres-Mendez, Josefa Cruz, Xavier Franch-Marro, Frank Tulenko, Demian Burguera, Stephanie Bertrand, Toby Doyle, Marcela Nouzova, Peter D. Currie, Fernando G. Noriega, Hector Escriva, Maria Ina Arnone, Caroline B. Albertin, Karl R. Wotton, Isabel Almudi, David Martin & Manuel Irimia Evolution of tissue-specific expression of ancestral genes across vertebrates and insects. Nat Ecol Evol (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-024-02398-5

Cocurullo M, Paganos P, Benvenuto G and Arnone MI (2024) Characterization of thyrotropin-releasing hormone producing neurons in sea urchin, from larva to juvenile. Front. Neurosci. 18:1378520. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2024.1378520

Benvenuto G, Leone S, Astoricchio E, Bormke S, Jasek S, D’Aniello E, et al. Evolution of the ribbon-like organization of the Golgi apparatus in animal cells. Cell Reports. 2024;43(3):113791. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2024.113791.

Perillo, M., Sepe, R.M., Paganos, P., Toscano, A., and Annunziata, R. (2024). Sea cucumbers: an emerging system in evo-devo. EvoDevo 15, 3. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13227-023-00220-0

Amato, A., Esposito, R., Federico, S., Pozzolini, M., Giovine, M., Bertolino, M., Guida, M., Manfra, L., Libralato, G., Zupo, V., et al. (2024). Marine sponges as promising candidates for integrated aquaculture combining biomass increase and bioremediation: an updated review. Frontiers in Marine Science 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2023.1234225

Costantini M, Esposito R, Ruocco N, Caramiello D, Cordella A, Ventola GM, Zupo V. (2024) De Novo Assembly of the Genome of the Sea Urchin Paracentrotus lividus (Lamarck 1816). International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 25(3):1685. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25031685

Esposito, R., Federico, S., Sonnessa, M., Reddel, S., Bertolino, M., Ruocco, N., Zagami, G., Giovine, M., Pozzolini, M., Guida, M., Zupo V. and Costantini M. (2024). Characterizing the bacterial communities associated with Mediterranean sponges: a metataxonomic analysis. Frontiers in Microbiology 14.