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Despite the potential impacts of the fireworm Hermodice carunculata (Annelida: Amphinomidae) on rocky Mediterranean benthic ecosystems, its geographical occurrence is poorly understood. In this paper, data on historical fireworm distribution along the Mediterranean Sea coasts were gathered from collections, registers and databases of the main Italian and European museums of natural history. The oldest fireworm specimens were collected in the 19th century and are preserved in the museums of Berlin, Paris and Vienna. These samples come from Sicily, Greece and the Near East, all areas where fireworm populations are still abundant and widespread. The specimens stored in the Museo della Stazione Zoologica "Anton Dohrn" (Naples) were collected at the turn of the 20th century in the Gulf of Naples and provide fundamental clues for assessing the northern limit of the species range in the Tyrrhenian Sea. Museum records together with bibliographic searches, questionnaires, monitoring and molecular analysis could allow the biogeography of H. carunculata in the Mediterranean Sea to be investigated and potential range shifts predicted in response to ongoing seawater warming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 1987, this paper has presented the yearly report of the meteorological observations at the Geophysical Observatory of Modena and Reggio Emilia University, which is located inside the eastern tower of the Dukes' Palace of Modena. The Observatory was founded the 26th January 1826 and ever since its instruments have regularly recorded data. For the year 2015, we present a summary of the annual average values, total and extreme weather of the main parameters, plots with annual and monthly trends of several parameters compared with average climatological values. In addition, "the extremes of 2015", i.e. the average and extreme values of all data collected by the Observatory and at the meteorological stations "Campus DIEF", located in the Department of Engineering in Modena, and at the Campus San Lazzaro in Reggio Emilia are presented. In 2015, there were also anomalies, in line with climate change taking place at a global scale. In particular, July 2015 with an average temperature of 29.4 °C, equals the hottest temperature record of August 2003 and was the hottest July ever recorded. The year 2015, with an average temperature of 16.1 °C, is the second warmest year on record. The amount of precipitation is close to climatic mean, but with some anomalies in monthly distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]