Novi prilozi poznavanju alohtone faune mekušaca uzduž ciparske obale: novi stražnjoškržnjaši u ciparskoj fauni

The finding of some alien opisthobranchia previously unknown from Cyprus confirms that Indo-Pacific alien species are spreading at an increasing rate in the Levantine Sea. This work reports on the occurrence of four new alien species recorded in the form of images that have been taken over a period spanning more than 8 years. These are Chelidonura fulvipunctata, Chromodoris annulata, Flabellina rubrolineata and Hypselodoris infucata. In addition, finding of Melibe viridis, which was considered hitherto as casual, confirm its establishment success around Cyprus. Chromodoris annulata, a recent invader in the Mediterranean and little known from the Levantine basin, is currently well established on the Cypriot coast.Nalazi nekoliko stranih vrsta stražnjoškržnjaša, prethodno nepoznatih na Cipru, potvrđuju da je širenje Indo-Pacifičkih vrsta sve izražajnije u istočnom dijelu Sredozemnog mora. U ovom radu se iznose podaci o pojavi četiri nove alohtone vrste zabilježene fotografijom tijekom vremenskog razdoblja od preko 8 godina. Zabilježene su slijedeće vrste: Chelidonura fulvipunctata, Chromodoris annulata, Flabellina rubrolineata i Hypselodoris infucata. Dodatno nalaz vrste Melibe viridis, koja se do tada smatrala povremenom vrstom, potvrđuje njezinu značajniju prisutnost oko Cipra. Invazivna vrsta Chromodoris annulata, dosada malo poznata iz istočnog dijela Sredozemnog mora, trenutno je značajnije zastupljena uzduž ciparske obale

Napredovanje bioloških invazija u Sredozemlju u razdoblju od dvije godine nakon proširenja Sueskog kanala

The possibility that the recent expansion of the Suez Canal could trigger an entirely new twenty first century wave of invasions was investigated. Results showed that only 19 new alien species were detected after August 2015 (date of the last Suez Canal enlargement). Five of the newcomers have already established viable populations. Between August 2015 and August 2017 approximately 9,5 new species (mostly fish) entered the Mediterranean annually, 7 of them via the Suez Canal unaided. The next most important pathway is Transport - Stowaway: Shipping, while intentional releases from aquaria appear to play an important role. Our results confirm previous findings on the decreasing rate of introductions, which is not affected by the recent expansion of the Suez Canal. Conclusively, the rate of bio invasions via the Suez Canal has not “doubled” as anticipated but rather decreased in relation to previous years.Istraživana je mogućnost prema kojoj je nedavno proširenje Sueskog kanala izazvalo potpuno novi val bioloških invazije u 21. stoljeću. Rezultati su pokazali da je nakon kolovoza 2015. utvrđeno samo 19 novih nezavičajnih vrsta (datum zadnjeg proširenja Sueskog kanala). Od novih pridošlica, njih 5 je već uspostavilo održive populacije. Od kolovoza 2015. do kolovoza 2017. otprilike 9,5 novih vrsta (uglavnom riba) ušlo je u Sredozemno more na godišnjoj razini, od kojih je 7 vrsta ušlo nepotpomognuto kroz Sueski kanal. Slijedeći najvažniji put bio je putem morskog prometa – kao „slijepi putnici“, a čini se da i namjerna ispuštanja iz akvarija imaju važnu ulogu. Naši rezultati potvrđuju prethodna otkrića o smanjenju stope invazije, što nije pod utjecajem nedavnog širenja Sueskog kanala. Konačno, stopa biološke invazije preko Sueskog kanala nije se “udvostručila” kao što se očekivalo, već se smanjivala u odnosu na prethodne godine

A preliminary study of an eastern Mediterranean coastal ecosystem: Summer Resorts and Benthic ecosystems

The present study investigates whether coastal benthic communities are affected by tourist activities along the coast, which persist for a limited time period. The analysis of benthic macrofauna is based on the ecological parameters (quantitative analyses) as well as on the ecological identity of the species (qualitative analyses). Microbial contamination and some population statistics are correlated with ecological parameters. The disturbance of benthic communities in the vicinity of summer resorts is summarized by a reduction in species number and dominance of opportunistic species characteristic of disturbed and polluted environments. It is found that community diversity and evenness of distribution decrease with the deterioration of water quality, expressed as grade of microbial contamination, which implies that benthic community is also a significant element in assessing the quality of coastal waters. The above parameters were statistically negatively correlated with the number of tourists

Benthic indicators to use in Ecological Quality classification of Mediterranean soft bottom marine ecosystems, including a new Biotic Index

A general scheme for approaching the objective of Ecological Quality Status (EcoQ) classification of zoobenthic marine ecosystems is presented. A system based on soft bottom benthic indicator species and related habitat types is suggested to be used for testing the typological definition of a given water body in the Mediterranean. Benthic indices including the Shannon-Wiener diversity index and the species richness are re-evaluated for use in classification. Ranges of values and of ecological quality categories are given for the diversity and species richness in different habitat types. A new biotic index (BENTIX) is proposed based on the relative percentages of three ecological groups of species grouped according to their sensitivity or tolerance to disturbance factors and weighted proportionately to obtain a formula rendering a five step numerical scale of ecological quality classification. Its advantage against former biotic indices lies in the fact that it reduces the number of the ecological groups involved which makes it simpler and easier in its use. The Bentix index proposed is tested and validated with data from Greek and western Mediterranean ecosystems and examples are presented. Indicator species associated with specific habitat types and pollution indicator species, scored according to their degree of tolerance to pollution, are listed in a table. The Bentix index is compared and evaluated against the indices of diversity and species richness for use in classification. The advantages of the BENTIX index as a classification tool for ECoQ include independence from habitat type, sample size and taxonomic effort, high discriminative power and simplicity in its use which make it a robust, simple and effective tool for application in the Mediterranean Sea

Alien Marine Species in the Mediterranean - the 100 ‘Worst Invasives’ and their Impact

A number of marine alien species have been described as invasive or locally invasive in the Mediterranean because of their proliferation, and/or their geographical spread and/or impact on native populations. Based on that information and on the documented impact they have on the biodiversity and socioeconomics of the basin, a preliminary list of the 100 ‘worst’ Invasive Alien Species (IAS) in the Mediterranean has been produced and presented in this work along with details on their impact. Emphasis is given to their impact on socioeconomics (fi sheries/aquaculture, health & sanitation, infrastructure & building), documented for 43 species. Such selection of the ‘worst’ IAS was diffi cult and controversial and is expected to attract much attention and scientifi c criticism since not only can the documentation of the impact of IAS be controversial, but also their inventory can be biased towards the effort and resources devoted to the study of the impact of certain species/taxonomic groups. Thus, while marine plants (phytobenthos and phytoplankton) are fairly well studied, less attention has been paid to the impact of vertebrates and even less to invertebrates. Nevertheless, the list highlights the need for continued research on the issue (monitoring aliens and their impact for an integrated ecosystem based management approach over the entire area). The preliminary list can provide the basis for selecting indicator species within the Mediterranean and thus be the common ground to build cooperation about IAS within countries in the region

Increasing Polychaete diversity as a consequence of increasing research effort in Greek waters: new records and exotic species

The increasing diversity of the Greek Polychaete fauna over the last seven decades, as illustrated graphically, shows an increasing trend which is proportionately related to the research effort exerted. Ongoing research activities mainly in the depths of the N. Aegean Sea, as a result of which 13 new records have been added to the Greek Polychaete fauna, confirming the above statement. The new species records are presented along with their geographical distribution and habitat. According to the latest checklist of the Greek Polychaeta, 753 species of Polychaetes have been recorded in Greek waters. Finally, it should be noted that 6 Lessepsian migrants and 16 species have been recorded in the Mediterranean for the first time. Their distribution within Greece and worldwide is given and their presence in Greek waters is discussed

On the establishment of two more alien mollusca (Chama aspersa Reeve, 1846 and Chama asperella Lamarck, 1819) in the eastern Mediterranean

The Indo-Pacific bivalvia Chama aspersa Reeve, 1846 and Chama asperella Lamarck, 1819 are recorded for the first time in Greek waters. These findings represent a considerable expansion in the eastern Mediterranean. Ship fouling is assumed as the most probable transportation means. However, natural dispersal via the Suez Canal is feasible as well

On some Indo-Pacific boring endolithic Bivalvia species introduced into the Mediterranean Sea with their host – spread of Sphenia rueppelli A. Adams, 1850

The study of the endolithic molluscs found on/in living alien Spondylusshells collected in the Gulf of Iskenderun (Turkey) brought to light three more alien bivalvia species namely Petricola hemprichi, Gastrochaena cymbium and Sphenia rueppelli. The presence of Sphenia rueppellideserves attention as it constitutes the first record of this species as living in the Mediterranean Sea. The definitive establishment and spreading of these bivalves in the basin seems to be also attested by careful analysis of specimens sampled in other southern Turkish localities and previously retained in local private collections. The present records raise some questions on the vector of arrival of the species in the Mediterranean Sea that could be strictly connected with their hosts

A global occurrence database of the Atlantic blue crab Callinectes sapidus

The Atlantic blue crab Callinectes sapidus is a portunid native to the western Atlantic, from New England to Uruguay. The species was introduced in Europe in 1901 where it has become invasive; additionally, a significant northward expansion has been emphasized in its native range. Here we present a harmonized global compilation of C. sapidus occurrences from native and non-native distribution ranges derived from online databases (GBIF, BISON, OBIS, and iNaturalist) as well as from unpublished and published sources. The dataset consists of 40,388 geo-referenced occurrences, 39,824 from native and 564 from non-native ranges, recorded in 53 countries. The implementation of quality controls imposed a severe reduction, in particular from online databases, of the records selected for inclusion in the dataset. In addition, a technical validation procedure was used to flag entries showing identical coordinates but different year of record, in-land occurrences and those located close to the coast. Similarly, a flagging system identified entries outside the known distribution of the species, or associated with unsuccessful introductions