PREMINARI R.O.V DATA ON HIGH CONSERVATION INTEREST DEEP CORAL COMMUNITIES IN SARDINIA SEA.

Deep-sea habitats have a high conservation interest since they often host greater diversity than surrounding areas as well as unique assemblages. Considering the importance of aquiring information on their spatial distribution and patterns for planning appropriate conservation measures, a deep-sea research cruise by means of Remotely Operated Vehicle imaging has been realized for the first time along the South Sardinian Continental Margin, from circa-littoral to upper bathyal zone at depths between 100 and 200 meters. Data were collected combining large and fine scale Multibeam dataset and ROV imaging. The results, in terms of distribution range and abundance of target consipicous deep coral species (i.e. gorgonians, antipatharians and alcyonaceans) are presented, considering these cnidarians as valid surrogate descriptors of megabenthic marine biodiversity due to their richness, abundance and identification easiness. Coral communities were composed mainly by arborescent colonies of gorgonians ( Callogorgia verticillata Acanthogorgia hirsuta,Villogorgia Bebrycoides, Corallium rubrum, , Viminella flagellum, Eunicella cavolinii), antipatharians (Anthipatella subpinnata, Antipathes dichotoma, Parantipathes larix, Leiopathes glaberrima). The greatest occurrence and abundances were observed from the spieces Callogorgia verticillata and Eunicella cavolinii Among gorgonians, numerous banks of both living and dead red coral were documented. Given the rarity of fine-scale in situ direct observations, the present study, cointaining the first preliminary data describing the deep-sea coral diversity in a poorly investigated area in the heart of the Mediterranean Sea, represents an important contribution in filling the existing gaps in knowledge.