Deep-sea habitats and communities in the Aeolian Islands (North Sicily).

During May-June 2018, Oceana carried out a research expedition in the volcanic archipelago of the Aeolian Islands, to the north of Sicily, to document benthic communities and species down to a depth of 1000 metres. A total of 51 ROV dives were carried out, across six survey areas with differing geological and bathymetric characteristics, including a seamount, continental shelf, sharp slopes, and flat deep-sea beds. Community types observed ranged from seagrass meadows in the shallowest areas surveyed, to coralligenous and maërl beds on the continental shelf, and facies of hexactinellid sponges (Farrea bowerbanki) on the deepest rocky slopes studied. Detritic bottoms hosted aggregations of oysters (Neophycnodonte spp.) and tube anemones, while muddy bottoms were characterised by various communities of sponges (Thenea muricata, Aaptos aaptos, and Cladorhiza abyssicola), carnivorous sea squirts (Dicopia antirrhinum), and extensive colonies of bamboo corals (Isidella elongata), among many other species. On rocky bottoms, both soft and stony corals were common, including Bebryce mollis, Swiftia dubia, Villogorgia bebrycoides, Callogorgia verticillata, Viminella flagellum, Caryophyllia spp., Dendrophyllia cornigera, and Thalamophyllia gasti. Gardens of the black corals Antipathes dichotoma, Antipathella subpinnata, Leiopathes glaberrima and Parantipathes larix were also documented, together with sponge aggregations (Pachastrella monilifera, Haliclona spp. and Podospongia loveni). A total of close to 600 taxa have been observed, including rare, threatened and protected ones, some of which had never been recorded before from the study area.