Landmark based morphometrics was used to investigate sexual dimorphism and interspecific differentiation in the mustelids Martes foina and M. martes, which are typical sexual size dimorphic species. Analyses were run on 192 specimens of M. foina and 36 specimens of M. martes from central and northern Italy, by recording 19 and 40 landmarks on the dorsal skull and on the palate, respectively. Results indicate that both size and shape are important components of skull dimorphism in males and females of the two species. The skull of the stone marten males is larger, has a narrower postorbital constriction and larger molars than in females. These differences and the partial least square analysis run on shape variable and stomach contents of one sample suggest that stone marten males are better adapted to catch and kill live prey, while females seem to prey upon easier-to-catch food. Shape features involved in sexual dimorphism are similar to those involved in interspecific variation, but the two species differ also in the relative size of their canines, carnassial and molar teeth, which are likely related to different ways of acquiring and processing preys.

In migratory species female- and male-mediated gene flow are important for defining relevant Management Units, and for evaluating connectivity between these and their respective foraging grounds. The stock composition at five Mediterranean foraging areas was investigated by analysing variation in the mitochondrial D-loop and six microsatellite loci in a sample of 268 loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) stranded or accidentally caught by fisheries. This involved a comprehensive Mixed Stock Analysis which considers also recent data from major rookeries in Libya and Turkey, and the generation of a standardized nomenclature of allele sizes at the microsatellite loci. The results indicate: that the north Adriatic, the Tunisian continental shelf, the waters around Malta and the Italian Ionian Sea represent important areas for the conservation of rookeries in Greece, Libya and Turkey, respectively; that waters off the Italian peninsula and the islands of Lampedusa and Malta are mainly inhabited by individuals of Mediterranean origin, with a major contribution from the nearest and largest colonies, while Atlantic turtles are restricted to the western areas; that specific migratory routes exist from rookeries to foraging grounds; a poor bi-parental genetic structuring, which suggests a high male-mediated gene flow in the Mediterranean; mixing of small turtles in waters distant from natal rookeries, and recovery of structuring for large-sized individuals; and that uncommon mtDNA haplotypes are more powerful markers than microsatellite alleles in assessing an individual's origin, owing to their higher geographic specificity. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

The variability of cranial features of Atlantic and Mediterranean samples of Stenella coeruleoalba was examined using a three‐dimensional geometric morphometric approach. Data were collected on 79 skulls from the upper and middle Mediterranean Sea, the Atlantic French coasts, and Scotland. Three‐dimensional x, y, and z coordinates of 27 landmarks were recorded on each left half skull using a Microscribe 3‐D digitizer. All configurations were rotated, centered, and scaled, and residuals from the mean configuration were analyzed through multivariate analyses of variance. Mahalanobis distances among populations were used to evaluate phenetic relationships. Consensus configurations were compared to visualize shape differences among samples. Analyses revealed significant differences among populations, a clear distinction of the Scottish coasts dolphins from the other samples, and a closer relationship of the dolphins from the French coasts to the Mediterranean populations than to the Scottish one. Shape differences are mainly concentrated in the rostral and in the occipital regions of the skull. Phylogenetic and adaptive factors were invoked as possible causes of the variation patterns.

Since 1985, the Centro Studi Cetacei (Cetacean Study Centre) in Italy has been committed to the recovery of cetaceans stranded along the Italian coastlines to estimate the abundance of species present and to identify causes of death, disease, and other information useful to the study of cetaceans. The current study analyzed some external morphometric parameters of striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba), the most abundant small cetacean in the Mediterranean Sea, to identify features indicating sexual dimorphism. Identification and measurement of external dimorphic characteristics allowed for determination of the sex of those specimens for which gender was not immediately evident due to decomposition of their external genital organs. Specifically, a total of 37 specimens (19 males, 15 females, and 3 unsexed) of S. coeruleoalba that stranded along the north-central Tyrrhenian Sea coasts (Italy) from 1983 to 1991 were measured; 28 parameters of external morphology were examined; and values were analyzed using the parametric Student t-test and were subsequently validated by stepwise discriminant analysis. According to the data, the total length reached by individuals, which is greater in female specimens, was not a statistically significant parameter leading to gender confirmation-that is, the length reached by individuals was independent of sex. However, the distance between the genital slit and anus (greater in males as in other small odontocetes) and the distance between the umbilicus and anus (greater in females) were found to be statistically significant dimorphic characters. The distance between the genital slit and the median notch of the flukes, which is longer in males, was identified as significant by discriminant analysis only. Thus, it may be considered as a feature indicating sexual dimorphism, but further investigation is required.

-This paper summarizes more than four decades of cetacean research data collected by the Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Milano and, between 1986 and2003, by the Centro Studi Cetacei of the Società Italiana di Scienze Naturali. It is the result of the collaboration among scientists of several Italian museums. A detailed analysis concerning the amount and taxonomic representative-A detailed analysis concerning the amount and taxonomic representativeness of the extant cetacean collections in Italian naturalistic museums and analogous institutions up until and including 2007 has been carried out. Adequately preserved and anatomically most significant All the surveyed institutions are listed, with a short introduction about their material and an inventory of it. Specimens are then arranged in systematic order and some further data are provided in a table for each species. Such tables report the items of each museum with regard to quantity, preservation techniques and, whenever possible, collecting data. Finally, a comparative analysis of the results is presented under multiple profiles: historical, preservation techniques, suitability of the specimens for research, place of origin, and the importance of the Italian cetacean collections for research and education.Keywords: cetacean, museum collections, Italy.Riassunto -Le collezioni di cetacei attuali dei musei e delle altre istituzioni scientifiche in Italia. Una sintesi comparata.Questo lavoro è stato realizzato nel quadro di oltre 40 anni di impegno del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Milano nella ricerca sui Cetacei, in sinergia col Centro Studi Cetacei della Società Italiana di Scienze Naturali (1986)(1987)(1988)(1989)(1990)(1991)(1992)(1993)(1994)(1995)(1996)(1997)(1998)(1999)(2000)(2001)(2002)(2003), ed è frutto della collaborazione degli Studiosi dei Musei italiani operanti nel settore. Esso elabora una dettagliata analisi della consistenza quantitativa e della rappresentatività tassonomica delle raccolte dei Cetacei attuali nei nostri Musei naturalistici ed Istituzioni analoghe fino all'anno 2007 compreso. Sono considerati i reperti di una adeguata consistenza e rappresentatività anatomica, con esclusione dei campioni molto parziali. Complessivamente sono citati 1033 reperti, rappresentativi di 41 specie, conservati in 53 sedi, tra le quali si segnalano per l'importanza delle loro raccolte i Musei di Calci (Pisa), Genova, Firenze, Milano, Roma Zoologia, Siena, e per l'Italia meridionale Comiso e Napoli. Sono elencate tutte le Istituzioni considerate, con una loro breve presentazione ed un succinto elenco dei loro reperti. Vengono poi dettagliatamente presentati i reperti in ordine sistematico, di norma con tabelle per ogni specie, che, per ciascun museo, documentano tutti i rispettivi materiali, per quantità, tipologia di conservazione e, ove possibile, epoca di acquisizione e provenienza geografica. Nella discussione viene elaborata un'analisi comparativa delle risultanze emerse, secondo molteplici profili: storico, della tipologia di conserv...