Dasysiphonia adriatica sp. nov. (Delesseriaceae, Rhodophyta), a new red algal species from the North Adriatic Sea (Mediterranean Sea)

Dasysiphonia is a genus of the family Delesseriaceae (Rhodophyta) including 9 taxonomically accepted species, among which only the non-indigenous Dasysiphonia japonica has been documented from the Adriatic Sea (Mediterranean). This invasive species is native to Hokkaido Island (Japan) and was introduced to Europe and the Mediterranean Sea through imports of the commercial Pacific oyster Magallana gigas. In this study, we describe a new species belonging to the genus Dasysiphonia, collected in the Mediterranean Sea. This new taxon was sampled in Slovenian coastal waters; its thalli were analysed using both molecular and morphological approaches and it was compared with the other known species. Moreover, samples of the invasive D. japonica were collected from different Venice Lagoon (Italy) sites and used for comparison with the new taxon. The phylogenetic reconstruction, based on the plastid rbcL gene, clearly distinguished the new Slovenian entity from all the known Dasysiphonia species, including the ones recently transferred from the sister genus Dasya. These results indicate that the Slovenian samples represent a new species, hereby named Dasysiphonia adriatica sp. nov

New alien mediterranean biodiversity records (March 2020)

none26siThe current article presents 18 new records from seven Mediterranean countries. These records include one rhodophyte, four nudibranchs, two crustaceans, one stingray and 10 bony fishes. They are grouped by country as follows: Lebanon-first record of the Striped bass Morone saxatilis, the stingray Himantura leoparda, the Areolate grouper Epinephelus areolatus and the Spot-fin porcupinefish Diodon hystrix from various parts of the country; Turkey-first record of the invasive red alga Grateloupia turuturu from the sea of Marmara (region of Bandirma), the sea slug Goniobranchus obsoletus and the crab Arcania brevifrons from the Gulf of Antalya and the cladoceran Pleopis schmackeri from several locations along the Aegean Sea; Cyprus-first record of the alien sea slug Berthellina citrina from the region of Cape Greco and an observation of a butterflyfish Heniochus sp. from the northeastern side of the island; Greece-first record of the alien sea slug Anteaeolidiella lurana from the region of Heraklion in Crete and the record of the Atlantic spadefish Chaetodipterus faber and the Black surgeonfish Acanthurus cfr gahhm from Salamina Island; Slovenia-first record of the alien sea slug Thecacera pennigera from Izola; Italy-first record of the hybrid Striped bass (Morone saxatilis x Morone chrysops) from the northern Tyrrhenian Sea and a first record of the goldfish Carassius auratus from the region of Apulia; Libya-first record of the Red Sea goatfish Parupeneus forsskali and the African surgeonfish Acanthurus monroviae, respectively from the eastern (Al-Tamimi area) and the western shore (Al-Khums area).openBariche M.; Al-Mabruk S.A.A.; Ates M.A.; Buyuk A.; Crocetta F.; Dritsas M.; Edde D.; Fortic A.; Gavriil E.; Gerovasileiou V.; Gokoglu M.; Huseyinoglu M.F.; Karachle P.K.; Kleitou P.; Kurt T.T.; Langeneck J.; Lardicci C.; Lipej L.; Pavloudi C.; Pinna M.; Rizgalla J.; Ozen M.R.; Sedano F.; Taskin E.; Yildiz G.; Zangaro F.Bariche, M.; Al-Mabruk, S. A. A.; Ates, M. A.; Buyuk, A.; Crocetta, F.; Dritsas, M.; Edde, D.; Fortic, A.; Gavriil, E.; Gerovasileiou, V.; Gokoglu, M.; Huseyinoglu, M. F.; Karachle, P. K.; Kleitou, P.; Kurt, T. T.; Langeneck, J.; Lardicci, C.; Lipej, L.; Pavloudi, C.; Pinna, M.; Rizgalla, J.; Ozen, M. R.; Sedano, F.; Taskin, E.; Yildiz, G.; Zangaro, F

New Alien Mediterranean Biodiversity Records (August 2022)

In this Collective Article on alien and cryptogenic diversity in the Mediterranean Sea we report a total of 19 species belonging to nine Phyla and coming from nine countries. Several of these records concern fish species, and of particular interest are the first records of: Terapon puta for Italian waters; Pteragopus trispilus from Malta; Plotosus lineatus from Cyprus; and the northernmost Mediterranean record of Lagocephalus sceleratus. The northernmost Mediterranean record was also reported for the sea urchin Diadema setosum. The portunid crab Thalamita poissonii was recorded for the first time in Libya. The copepod Pseudodiaptomus marinus was recorded for the first time in the Marmara Sea. The polychaete Branchiomma luctuosum was recorded for the first time from the Mediterranean coast of France. The alien anemone Diadumene lineata was recorded for the first time from Slovenia. The macroalgae Sargassum furcatum was recorded for the first time from Italy. The new Mediterranean records here reported help tracing abundance and distribution of alien and cryptic species in the Mediterranean Sea

Establishing thresholds: workshop on the MSFD Newly Introduced NIS (D2C1)

The Workshop on ‘Establishing thresholds: workshop on the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) Newly Introduced Non-Indigenous Species (NIS) (D2C1)’ took place online on 24th November 2022, aiming at discussing and making progress towards establishing threshold values for the criterion D2C1. The workshop was organised by the Joint Research Centre (JRC), in collaboration with representatives of the Regional Sea Conventions (RSCs), under the MSFD Descriptor 2 Core Group, in the context of the MSFD Common Implementation Strategy Good Environmental Status Working Group. The workshop identified four main areas with scope for improvements : i) identifying baselines for NIS introductions, ii) making further progress in monitoring and analysis methods, iii) agreeing thresholds for new NIS introductions and, iv) ensuring coherence and consistency between national and regional reports. The JRC will seek for opportunities to discuss and advance on identified areas for improvements with the MSFD national appointed NIS experts’ . The MSFD Descriptor 2 (D2) Core Group will contribute to the discussions.JRC.D.2 - Ocean and Wate

Unpublished Mediterranean and Black Sea records of marine alien, cryptogenic, and neonative species

To enrich spatio-temporal information on the distribution of alien, cryptogenic, and neonative species in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, a collective effort by 173 marine scientists was made to provide unpublished records and make them open access to the scientific community. Through this effort, we collected and harmonized a dataset of 12,649 records. It includes 247 taxa, of which 217 are Animalia, 25 Plantae and 5 Chromista, from 23 countries surrounding the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. Chordata was the most abundant taxonomic group, followed by Arthropoda, Mollusca, and Annelida. In terms of species records, Siganus luridus, Siganus rivulatus, Saurida lessepsianus, Pterois miles, Upeneus moluccensis, Charybdis (Archias) longicollis, and Caulerpa cylindracea were the most numerous. The temporal distribution of the records ranges from 1973 to 2022, with 44% of the records in 2020–2021. Lethrinus borbonicus is reported for the first time in the Mediterranean Sea, while Pomatoschistus quagga, Caulerpa cylindracea, Grateloupia turuturu, and Misophria pallida are first records for the Black Sea; Kapraunia schneideri is recorded for the second time in the Mediterranean and for the first time in Israel; Prionospio depauperata and Pseudonereis anomala are reported for the first time from the Sea of Marmara. Many first country records are also included, namely: Amathia verticillata (Montenegro), Ampithoe valida (Italy), Antithamnion amphigeneum (Greece), Clavelina oblonga (Tunisia and Slovenia), Dendostrea cf. folium (Syria), Epinephelus fasciatus (Tunisia), Ganonema farinosum (Montenegro), Macrorhynchia philippina (Tunisia), Marenzelleria neglecta (Romania), Paratapes textilis (Tunisia), and Botrylloides diegensis (Tunisia)

Marine Strategy Framework Directive – Descriptor 2, Non-Indigenous Species

Marine Non-Indigenous Species (NIS) are animals and plants introduced accidently or deliberately into the European seas, originating from other seas of the globe. About 800 marine non-indigenous species (NIS) currently occur in the European Union national marine waters, several of which have negative impacts on marine ecosystem services and biodiversity. Under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) Descriptor 2 (D2), EU Member States (MSs) need to consider NIS in their marine management strategies. The Descriptor D2 includes one primary criterion (D2C1: new NIS introductions), and two secondary criteria (D2C2 and D2C3). The D2 implementation is characterized by a number of issues and uncertainties which can be applicable to the Descriptor level (e.g. geographical unit of assessment, assessment period, phytoplanktonic, parasitic, oligohaline NIS, etc.), to the primary criterion D2C1 level (e.g. threshold values, cryptogenic, questionable species, etc), and to the secondary criteria D2C2 and D2C3. The current report tackles these issues and provides practical recommendations aiming at a smoother and more efficient implementation of D2 and its criteria at EU level. They constitute a solid operational output which can result in more comparable D2 assessments among MSs and MSFD regions/subregions. When it comes to the policy-side, the current report calls for a number of different categories of NIS to be reported in D2 assessments, pointing the need for the species to be labelled/categorised appropriately in the MSFD reporting by the MSs. These suggestions are proposed to be communicated to the MSFD Working Group of Good Environmental Status (GES) and subsequently to the Marine Strategy Coordination Group (MSCG) of MSFD. Moreover, they can serve as an input for revising the Art. 8 Guidelines.JRC.D.2 - Water and Marine Resource

Unpublished Mediterranean records of marine alien and cryptogenic species

Good datasets of geo-referenced records of alien species are a prerequisite for assessing the spatio-temporal dynamics of biological invasions, their invasive potential, and the magnitude of their impacts. However, with the exception of first records on a country level or wider regions, observations of species presence tend to remain unpublished, buried in scattered repositories or in the personal databases of experts. Through an initiative to collect, harmonize and make such unpublished data for marine alien and cryptogenic species in the Mediterranean Sea available, a large dataset comprising 5376 records was created. It includes records of 239 alien or cryptogenic taxa (192 Animalia, 24 Plantae, 23 Chromista) from 19 countries surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. In terms of records, the most reported Phyla in descending order were Chordata, Mollusca, Chlorophyta, Arthropoda, and Rhodophyta. The most recorded species was Caulerpa cylindracea, followed by Siganus luridus, Magallana sp. (cf. gigas or angulata) and Pterois miles. The dataset includes records from 1972 to 2020, with the highest number of records observed in 2018. Among the records of the dataset, Dictyota acutiloba is a first record for the Mediterranean Sea. Nine first country records are also included: the alga Caulerpa taxifolia var. distichophylla, the cube boxfish Ostracion cubicus, and the cleaner shrimp Urocaridella pulchella from Israel; the sponge Paraleucilla magna from Libya and Slovenia; the lumpfish Cyclopterus lumpus from Cyprus; the bryozoan Celleporaria vermiformis and the polychaetes Prionospio depauperata and Notomastus aberans from Malta

Unpublished Mediterranean and Black Sea records of marine alien, cryptogenic, and neonative species

To enrich spatio-temporal information on the distribution of alien, cryptogenic, and neonative species in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, a collective effort by 173 marine scientists was made to provide unpublished records and make them open access to the scientific community. Through this effort, we collected and harmonized a dataset of 12,649 records. It includes 247 taxa, of which 217 are Animalia, 25 Plantae and 5 Chromista, from 23 countries surrounding the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. Chordata was the most abundant taxonomic group, followed by Arthropoda, Mollusca, and Annelida. In terms of species records, Siganus luridus, Siganus rivulatus, Saurida lessepsianus, Pterois miles, Upeneus moluccensis, Charybdis (Archias) longicollis, and Caulerpa cylindracea were the most numerous. The temporal distribution of the records ranges from 1973 to 2022, with 44% of the records in 2020–2021. Lethrinus borbonicus is reported for the first time in the Mediterranean Sea, while Pomatoschistus quagga, Caulerpa cylindracea, Grateloupia turuturu, and Misophria pallida are first records for the Black Sea; Kapraunia schneideri is recorded for the second time in the Mediterranean and for the first time in Israel; Prionospio depauperata and Pseudonereis anomala are reported for the first time from the Sea of Marmara. Many first country records are also included, namely: Amathia verticillata (Montenegro), Ampithoe valida (Italy), Antithamnion amphigeneum (Greece), Clavelina oblonga (Tunisia and Slovenia), Dendostrea cf. folium (Syria), Epinephelus fasciatus (Tunisia), Ganonema farinosum (Montenegro), Macrorhynchia philippina (Tunisia), Marenzelleria neglecta (Romania), Paratapes textilis (Tunisia), and Botrylloides diegensis (Tunisia).peer-reviewe

Establishing thresholds

The Workshop on ‘Establishing thresholds: workshop on the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) Newly Introduced Non-Indigenous Species (NIS) (D2C1)’ took place online on the 24th November 2022, aiming at discussing and making progress towards establishing threshold values for the criterion D2C1. The workshop was organised by the Joint Research Centre (JRC), in collaboration with representatives of the Regional Sea Conventions (RSCs), under the MSFD Descriptor 2 Core Group, in the context of the MSFD Common Implementation Strategy Good Environmental Status Working Group. The participants to the workshop included academic and public authorities’ experts on MSFD NIS, RSCs representatives, the European Environment Agency (EEA), and Commission services. The workshop enabled sharing information on the state-of-the-art approaches on monitoring and assessment of D2C1 within Regional Seas and on the application of the time series analysis as a follow-up to Tsiamis et al. (2021) recommendations for setting threshold values. The discussion focused on ensuring comparability of approaches, how to account for uncertainties, and on areas for improvement. It was acknowledged that activities of RSCs are instrumental in coordinating the science and management of marine NIS. The various levels of monitoring across the North-East Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea, the Baltic Sea and the EU Countries explain different methodological approaches for setting thresholds, while the limited monitoring restrict the application of these methodologies in the Black Sea. The workshop identified four main areas for improvements: i) establishment of acknowledged baselines for NIS introductions, ii) make further progress in monitoring and analysis methods, iii) agree on thresholds for new NIS introductions and, iv) ensure coherence and consistency between national and regional reports. The JRC will seek for opportunities to discuss and advance on identified areas for improvement with the MSFD national appointed NIS experts The MSFD Descriptor 2 (D2) Core Group will contribute to the discussions