After identifying and collecting them in the Venetian Lagoon, Shoreline researchers recently transported six new adult individuals of Pinna nobilis to the CNR-IBF laboratory in Camogli, managed by the Università di Genova. This is the second major operation of its kind since the beginning of the project and was carried out close to the reproduction season of this species. After promptly transferring them to the tanks and feeding them, the Genoese biologists swabbed the mollusks’ mantles and sent them to colleagues at the Università di Sassari for the usual molecular investigations necessary to exclude the possible presence of pathogenic microorganisms. After a period of adaptation in the tanks, in the coming weeks, the researchers will proceed to stimulate the bivalves to induce gamete emission, to carry out fertilization and hopefully observe the formation of larvae.

Credits: video Luca Intini/UNIGE, photo Shoreline, Carolina Di Napoli/UNIGE