title: Digging for historical data on the occurrence of benthic macrofaunal species in the southeastern Mediterranean.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The benthic macrofaunal biodiversity of the southeastern Mediterranean is considerably understudied compared to other Mediterranean regions. Monitoring biodiversity in this area is crucial as this region is particularly susceptible to biological invasions and temperature alteration. Historical biodiversity data could provide a useful baseline for monitoring potential changes and provide informarion to support a better understanding of the possible effects of anthropogenic activities on marine benthic communities.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this study, performed under the LifeWatchGreece Research Infrastructure, we present historical benthic occurrence data obtained from the sampling expedition carried out in 1933 by Adolf Steuer in the coastal area around Alexandria, Egypt, eastern Mediterranean. The occurrences were geo-referenced to more than 170 stations, mostly located in the area of Alexandria, and the nearby coasts and lakes. All records were digitized and species names were cross-checked and taxonomically updated using the World Register of Marine Species. The outcome clearly shows that such initiatives can reveal an unexpected amount of highly valuable biodiversity information for "data-poor" regions.
authors.affiliation: University of Crete, Heraklion, Greece.
authors.forename: Irini
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Tsikopoulou
authors.affiliation: University of Ahtens, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Aglaia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Legaki
authors.affiliation: University of Crete, Heraklion, Greece.
authors.forename: Panagiotis D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Dimitriou
authors.affiliation: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.
authors.forename: Evangelia
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Avramidou
authors.affiliation: Institute of Marine Biology, Biotechnology and Aquaculture, Hellenic Centre for Marine Research (HCMR), Heraklion, Greece.
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bailly
authors.affiliation: Institute of Marine Biology, Biotechnology and Aquaculture, Hellenic Centre for Marine Research (HCMR), Heraklion, Greece.
authors.forename: Stamatina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nikolopoulou
keywords: Egypt expedition; data digitization; data rescue; eastern Mediterranean; historical dataset; macrofauna; marine biodiversity