title: Pelagia benovici sp. nov. (Cnidaria, Scyphozoa): a new jellyfish in the Mediterranean Sea.
abstract: A bloom of an unknown semaestome jellyfish species was recorded in the North Adriatic Sea from September 2013 to early 2014. Morphological analysis of several specimens showed distinct differences from other known semaestome species in the Mediterranean Sea and unquestionably identified them as belonging to a new pelagiid species within genus Pelagia. The new species is morphologically distinct from P. noctiluca, currently the only recognized valid species in the genus, and from other doubtful Pelagia species recorded from other areas of the world. Molecular analyses of mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) and nuclear 28S ribosomal DNA genes corroborate its specific distinction from P. noctiluca and other pelagiid taxa, supporting the monophyly of Pelagiidae. Thus, we describe Pelagia benovici sp. nov. Piraino, Aglieri, Scorrano & Boero.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche ed Ambientali, Università del Salento, 73100 Lecce, Italy CoNISMa, Consorzio Nazionale Interuniversitario per le Scienze del Mare, Roma; Email: stefano.piraino@unisalento.it.
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Piraino
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche ed Ambientali, Università del Salento, 73100 Lecce, Italy CoNISMa, Consorzio Nazionale Interuniversitario per le Scienze del Mare, Roma; Email: giorgio.aglieri@unisalento.it.
authors.forename: Giorgio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Aglieri
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche ed Ambientali, Università del Salento, 73100 Lecce, Italy; Email: unknown.
authors.forename: Luis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Martell
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Biologia e Stazione Idrobiologica Umberto D'Ancona, Chioggia, Università di Padova.; Email: unknown.
authors.forename: Carlotta
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mazzoldi
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Biologia e Stazione Idrobiologica Umberto D'Ancona, Chioggia, Università di Padova.; Email: unknown.
authors.forename: Valentina
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Melli
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche ed Ambientali, Università del Salento, 73100 Lecce, Italy CoNISMa, Consorzio Nazionale Interuniversitario per le Scienze del Mare, Roma; Email: unknown.
authors.forename: Giacomo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Milisenda
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche ed Ambientali, Università del Salento, 73100 Lecce, Italy CoNISMa, Consorzio Nazionale Interuniversitario per le Scienze del Mare, Roma; Email: unknown.
authors.forename: Simonetta
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Scorrano
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche ed Ambientali, Università del Salento, 73100 Lecce, Italy CoNISMa, Consorzio Nazionale Interuniversitario per le Scienze del Mare, Roma CNR - Istituto di Scienze Marine, Genova; Email: unknown.
authors.forename: Ferdinando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Boero
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D008522:Mediterranean Sea; D010802:Phylogeny; D037401:Scyphozoa / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000145:classification*