First records of zooplankton occurrences in the Cabras Lagoon (Sardinia, Italy): FUTURE Project dataset

Zooplankton samples were taken at three sampling points (1, 2, 3) in Cabras lagoon. Sampling points were located along a salinity gradient from the lagoon's marine inlet to its freshwater inflow. Sampling point 1 was situated near the lagoon's connection with the sea, while 2 represented intermediate conditions, and finally sampling point 3 was located near the main freshwater input in the lagoon. The maximum depth in the lagoon is 2.5 meters. That is way at each point, a horizontal tow was performed, using a 80 µm mesh net, by towing the net from approximately 3 minutes at a constant speed. Zooplankton samples were immediately preserved in 70% ethanol and subsequently analyzed in the laboratory for taxonomic identification and density estimation.

This dataset includes monthly records of zooplankton occurrences in Cabras Lagoon (Sardinia, Italy). The monitoring was performed at 3 sampling points during 2024. Data of the invasive Mnemiopsis leidyi occurrence is also presented.

Quality control for geographic data: Reliability of coordinates (WGS84) of the three points was checked in QGIS.
Quality control for taxonomic data: Specimens were assigned to taxonomic units according to the available literature and identification keys. Taxonomic identification of all organisms were internally checked by the three experts involved in the identification process.
Dataset was constructed according to GBIF's rules.