Four stations were investigated: two in the First Inlet named Galeso and Scaletta and two stations in the Second Inlet of Mar Piccolo Cimino and Battendieri. Samples were collected seasonally for one year (2012) with three replicate in each station. A total of 3987 specimens with a total biomass of 914.85 g, were determined. Benthic macroinvertebrate composition was characterised by Annelida, Crustacea Mollusca, Echinodermata, Tunicata, Bryozoa and Platelminta. Mollusca (60%) and Crustaceans 34.3% followed by Cnidaria (2.14%) dominated the communities while all other species, represent a negligible part.

The aim of this study was to determine the structure of the benthic macroinvertebrate communities in Mar Piccolo of Taranto (Ionian Sea, Central Mediterranean). The sampling was done on annual basis for three years (from 2002 to 2004), and the samples were taken using a Van Veen. A total of 258 species were identified. Benthic macroinvertebrate composition was dominated by the presence of Mollusca and Crustaceans that made up 63% of the species. Anellida represented 11.6% of species, followed by Echinodermata and Tunicata with 7.4 and 7.8% respectively and Porifera with 5.1% of the total species identified. Briozoa and Cnidaria accounted for about 3 and 2%. During the three years of study the benthic community remained almost constant

Dyspanopeus sayi (Smith, 1869) is a marine crustacean decapod species. It was collected for the first time on mussel culture of Mytilus galloprovincialis from Mar the Piccolo of Taranto. A total of 14 specimens were recorded in September 2011 (11 individuals) and May 2012 (3 ovigerous females). The data suggest a slow spread of this invasive species northwards to the Central Mediterranean Sea, however it is necessary to maintain high vigilance in order to prevent its spread to the mussel-culture of the Mar Piccolo. The first reporting of Caprella scaura (Crustacea, Amphipoda) in the Mar Piccolo of Taranto was noticed on 2008. C. scaura was collected during one year, from January 2008 to December 2008, on seaweed beds and on the algal cover of rocky substrates, at depths of 0.5 m, using a square metal box (50 x 50 cm). The results suggest that the population had successfully established at this location, albeit with great density fluctuations. It is highly probable that C. scaura has been introduced, either from eastern Mediterranean or Indo-Pacific populations, by a combination of vectors including independent natural dispersal and attachment. During a visual survey in August 2018, several specimens of Malleus regula (Mollusca, Bivalvia) were noticed on the poles of mussel farms and rocky substrata at about 2 m depth in the first inlet of the Mar Piccolo. The absence of earlier records of this newcomer may be attributed to a very recent introduction or to the fact that it may have been overlooked until now.

The aim of this study was to determine the structure of the benthic macroinvertebrate communities in Mar Piccolo of Taranto (Ionian Sea, Central Mediterranean). The sampling was done on annual basis for three years (from 2002 to 2004), and the samples were taken using a Van Veen. A total of 258 species were identified. Benthic macroinvertebrate composition was dominated by the presence of Mollusca and Crustaceans that made up 63% of the species. Anellida represented 11.6% of species, followed by Echinodermata and Tunicata with 7.4 and 7.8% respectively and Porifera with 5.1% of the total species identified. Briozoa and Cnidaria accounted for about 3 and 2%. During the three years of study the benthic community remained almost constant