Taranto Italy: An Underwater Paradise
By Francesco Pacienza
A Little Lembeh in South of Italy
Over the ages, life has formed and evolved on Earth. Many forms of life have appeared and then disappeared, giving way to others who have grown and colonized this planet, making it unique.
Humankind is the craziest species of all because we destroy what allows us to live and thrive: the natural world. But what humans seek to destroy, nature knows how to repair and preserve, allowing us to admire life forms with a thousand colors and infinite shapes.
Taranto Puglia, Italy
Taranto is a town in Puglia, Italy overlooking the Ionian Sea. Over the centuries, the sea has always had a symbiotic and contrasting relationship with Taranto. In these waters are still preserved traces of this maritime city’s oldest and most glorious history.
The sea surrounding Taranto has also always been home to some of the sweetest mussels in the world. These mussels represent a massive part of local culture and are the livelihood of many families in Taranto.
Over the last few decades, industrial settlements have spilled and flowed high amounts of pollutants into these waters. However, the sea’s continuous freshwater supply from over thirty submerged sources has neutralized much of the runoff. In some cases, the pollutants have even turned into nutrients for the sea’s inhabitants.
Diving the Ionian Sea
This tremendous regenerative capacity of the Ionian Sea is why the biodiversity here is often even more impressive than in popular tropical areas. While visibility usually does not exceed three to four meters and often comes with waves of suspension that reduce it to a few tens of centimeters, there are true treasures to discover here.
The dive at Mar Piccolo takes place between the cultivation of mussels piles or under the structures of old concrete piers whose pilings are entirely covered by all sorts of living organisms.
The predominantly sandy bottom is sprinkled with a dense layer of shells, sponges, and beautiful multicolored mixicole. When the divers pass these mixicole they close quickly, as if they were sucked from the bottom only to reappear immediately, creating a striking effect of movement of the seabed that makes it alive and animated.
Seahorses, both of the guttulatus and camuso families, are prevalent. However, finding them isn’t simple. They’re experts at camouflage, whether they’re hanging by their tails on spirograph stems or drifting between mussels on the seabed or among the colorful crinoids.
Squirts and Sponges
There are also organic surprises and rarities in these waters. For example, the sponge Paraleucilla magna, which was first found in 2001 along the coast of Brazil, can also be found here. In this region, the sponge was first discovered in the Mediterranean Sea, then in the Ionian, along the Adriatic coasts of Puglia and sections of the Tyrrhenian coast.
The Paraleucilla magna sponge is famous for being the first invasive limestone sponge worldwide. Since its invasion began in the Meditteranean, it has spread widely and now colonizes large areas of the seabed.
Another alien sea squirt, Eictenascidia sp., also has arrived from the Caribbean and most likely originated near Brazil. This ascidian is more elusive, but there have been sightings dating back to 2014 in the Mar Piccolo.
Nudibranchs and Flatworms
Among the other rarities, one of the most beautiful nudibranchs I have ever seen in the Mediterranean is the Polycera elegans which is incredibly rare in the region. Then there’s the Thecacera pennigera, one of the most elegant nudibranch species in the world.
But the nudi Felmida luteorosea is the real winner in this micro-world, boasting a fixed colony made up of hundreds of specimens that move on every type of substrate. They can even be found on the stems hair spirographs and on Eictenascidia sp sea squirts.
In other parts of the world, the sea slug Berthella aurantiaca can only be found at night. But here in the Mar Piccolo you might encounter them while they graze in the shade.
Another elegant nudibranch here is the Limbata or Dendrodoris limbata. Their bodies can change colors between gray, brown, and black with lemon yellow around the edges. In the same family is the Dendrodoris grandiflora, with its mantel of camouflage green.
Everything in the Mar Piccolo takes on dimensions and characteristics hard to find in other seas. For example, the Melibe viridis, a sympathetic nudibranch rapidly spreading in the Mediterranean, still has unique features. Specimens that reach 25 centimeters in length and their moths can have a diameter of over ten centimeters.
Also, orange flatworms, Yungia aurantiaca, which move by creeping or swimming via muscular undulations, are found here. While they usually prefer to crawl on hard substrate, they can swim, unlike many other related species. These flatworms can grow as large as 12 centimeters, and the elegance of their movements makes them look like dancers floating in blue water.
Fish
Among the fish, there is plenty of bream and dentex. But more notable is the Bavosa peacock blenny, Salaria pavo, a shy but equally curious blenny that blends in between the rows of mussels. The Peacock blennies will peep out but hide quickly if a diver gets too close.
There is also the black goby, Gobius niger, which here can reach dimensions hardly observable in other marine environments.
The Paradise Mar Piccolo
It’s impossible to describe all the marine species you can see in the Mar Piccolo. Diving here is like leafing through the pages of an immense marine biology book with constantly updated pages.
The Mar Piccolo of Taranto, with over 24 species allochthonous to date, is the second most important hot spot of non-indigenous species diversity after the Venice Lagoon. It’s a true paradise to discover, know and preserve.
About the Author
Francesco Pacienza is an Italian Award Winning Underwater Photographer specializing in UwArt. You can find his work on Instagram @francescopacienza and on his website metaphotography.it