Basket Star

The Basket Star is characterized by five tentacles, each branched several times, with which it clings to the branches of the soft corals and which are opened at night to feed on. The body has a diameter that can reach 8 centimeters, with the complete opening of the tentacles the maximum width of the entire animal can reach 80 centimeters. It feeds passively with the open tentacles, in particular of planktonic microparticles.

Ctenofora - Cestus veneris - Venus girdle

Belt of Venus or girdle of Venus (Cestum veneris Lesueur, 1813) is a species belonging to the phylum Ctenophora, the only species of the genus Cestum. Ctenophora Cestus veneris Venus girdle www.intotheblue.it ...

Effects of trawling

In this dive made some time ago on a depth ranging from 40 to 50 meters deep we filmed the usual ghost nets lost close to a cliff at a distance of about 5 miles from the coast. We spent almost the entire dive on the rocks that despite the conditions seemed quite vital, ...

Red Lionfish

The Red Lionfish (Pterois volitans) is a fish venomous who live coral reef in the family Scorpaenidae, order Scorpaeniformes. Pterois volitansis natively found in the Indo-Pacific region, but has become an invasive problem in the Carribbean Sea, as well as along the East Coast of the United States.

Spotted sea hare

The Spotted sea hare, Aplysia dactylomela, is a species of large sea slug, a marine opisthobranch gastropod in the family Aplysiidae, the sea hares. As traditionally defined, this species of sea hare was cosmopolitan, being found in almost all tropical and warm temperate seas, including the Mediterranean Sea where first seen in 2002 and likely self-established due to increasing temperatures.

Too many fishing nets lost

The marine environment is affected by all kinds of pollution that has always been caused by human activities but from the industrial era to the present day it has developed exponentially to the point that we may consider not to return. A human activity in direct contact with the sea is certainly represented by professional fishing. Fishing is generally practiced by trawl nets or fishing net. The fishing net net is certainly the most compatible because it is practiced selectively and more respectful to the environment.

Elephant Ear Sponge

The Elephant Ear Sponge, (Spongia agaricina, Spongia lamella), resembles a relatively flat bowl. In the lower part it narrows, to form the point of attachment to the rock. The measure ranges from 14 to 80 cm in diameter with a thickness ranging from 1 to 4 cm approximately. It is an endemic species of the Mediterranean Sea that generally lives at depths between 15 and 50 meters, but we can find it up to 150 meters deep.