Preliminary Study on the Bivalvia Assemblages of the Northern Adriatic Soft Bottoms

Present study is a part of comprehensive investigation on the soft bottom benthic communities in the northern Adriatic circalittoral zone. It aimed to compare and characterize the assemblages structure and seasonal dynamics of Bivalvia associated with three different benthic communities, i.e. biocoenoses of coastal detritic (DC), muddy detritic (DE) and shelf-edge detritic bottom (DL). The structure of bivalves fauna was determined by distinctive dominance of families Nuculidae, Tellinidae and Veneridae ; species Tellina donacina and Nucula nitidosa, outstanding position of 5-6 species (>5%)per site, and diversity ranged 23-27 species or 3, 18-3, 68 bits./ind