ISPRA discovered populations of White date shells in Scala dei Turchi

In the period between June and July 2015, ISPRA in the whole part of the project Regional Observatory of Biodiversity of the Sicilian Region has carried out  a campaign of investigation along the coast of the province of Agrigento to establish new marine SCI (Site of Community Importance). The activities allowed  the identification of important animal and plant communities included in the national regulations, European directives and international conventions.

For the first time  were registered  populations of the bivalve mollusc Pholas dactylus ( white date shells), that along the study area is present with thousands of organism.

This result is the first report of P. dactylus in Sicily, and is associated with the particular type of substrate. The species is strictly protected by D.M 16 October 1998 that prohibits the fishing, it is also included in Annex II of the Bern Convention and Annex II of the Protocol Concerning Specially Protected Areas and Biodiversity in the Mediterranean (Barcelona Convention). The results of this survey provide an important contribution to the knowledge of marine biodiversity Sicilian