additions to the annotated list of marine alien biota in the mediterranean with special emphasis on foraminifera and parasites

The present work is an update of the annotated list (ZENETOS et al., 2006) based on literature up to April 2008. Emphasis is given to ecofunctional/taxonomic groups poorly addressed in the annotated list, such as the foraminiferan and parasites, while macrophytes are critically reviewed following the CIESM Atlas (VERLAQUE et al., in press). Moreover, in this update the bio-geographic area addressed includes the Sea of Marmara.The update yields a further 175 alien species in the Mediterranean bringing the total to 903. As evidenced by recent findings, more and more previously known 'casual' aliens, are becoming established. Approximately 100 more species have become well established in the region, raising the number of established species to 496 versus 385 until 2005. In the period from January 2006 to April 2008 more than 80 published papers have resulted in the recording of 94 new aliens, which is interpreted as a new introduction every 9 days, a rate beyond the worst scenario

Annotated list of marine alien species in the Mediterranean with records of the worst invasive species

This collaborative effort by many specialists across the Mediterranean presents an updated annotated list of alien marine species in the Mediterranean Sea. Alien species have been grouped into six broad categories namely established, casual, questionable, cryptogenic, excluded and invasive, and presented in lists of major ecofunctional/taxonomic groups. The establishment success within each group is provided while the questionable and excluded records are commented in brief. A total of 963 alien species have been reported from the Mediterranean until December 2005, 218 of which have been classified as excluded (23%) leaving 745 of the recorded species as valid aliens. Of these 385 (52%) are already well established, 262 (35%) are casual records, while 98 species (13%) remain "questionable" records. The species cited in this work belong mostly to zoobenthos and in particular to Mollusca and Crustacea, while Fish and Phytobenthos are the next two groups which prevail among alien biota in the Mediterranean. The available information depends greatly on the taxonomic group examined. Thus, besides the three groups explicitly addressed in the CIESM atlas series (Fish, Decapoda/Crustacea and Mollusca), which are however updated in the present work, Polychaeta, Phytobenthos, Phytoplankton and Zooplankton are also addressed in this study. Among other zoobenthic taxa sufficiently covered in this study are Echinodermata, Sipuncula, Bryozoa and Ascidiacea. On the contrary, taxa such as Foraminifera, Amphipoda and Isopoda, that are not well studied in the Mediterranean, are insufficiently covered. A gap of knowledge is also noticed in Parasites, which, although ubiquitous and pervasive in marine systems, have been relatively unexplored as to their role in marine invasions. Conclusively the lack of funding purely systematic studies in the region has led to underestimation of the number of aliens in the Mediterranean. Emphasis is put on those species that are current or potential threats to the marine ecosystems, namely the Worst Invasive Alien Species providing their record across major groups

The alien ascidian Styela clava now invading the Sea of Marmara (Tunicata: Ascidiacea)

WOS: 000370336900001PubMed ID: 27047235During the implementation of a large project aimed to investigate the benthic community structures of the Sea of Marmara, specimens of the invasive ascidian species Styela clava were collected on natural substrata (rocks) at 10 m depth at one locality (Karamursel) in Izmit Bay. The specimens were mature, containing gametes, indicating that the species had become established in the area. The Sea of Marmara seems to provide suitable conditions for this species to survive and form proliferating populations.TUBITAK ProjectTurkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Arastirma Kurumu (TUBITAK) [111Y268]The author is indebted to the Benthos team of the Faculty of Fisheries, Ege University for their help during the field and laboratory work, and to Dr. Kate Mortimer (National Museum Wales, UK) for correcting the English of the text. This study was financially supported by the TUBITAK Project (Number: 111Y268)

Description of a new fireworm, Eurythoe turcica sp nov (Polychaeta : Amphinomidae), from the Levantine coast of Turkey (eastern Mediterranean), with re-descriptions of Eurythoe parvecarunculata Horst and Amphinome djiboutiensis Gravier based on type material

WOS: 000258588900004The present study describes a new fireworm belonging to the genus Eurythoe, E. turcica sp. nov., collected from Iskenderun Bay and its vicinity (Levantine Sea, Turkey), and re-describes the closely related species E. parvecarunculata Horst, 1912 and Amphinome djiboutiensis Gravier, 1902, based on the type material. The new species is mainly characterized by having a rounded and short caruncle occupying only chaetiger 1, and dendritically branched branchiae from chaetiger 3 to the end of body. Morphological features of E. turcica are closely similar to those of E. parvecarunculata but the former species lacks the serrated capillary chaeta with a long spur on the notopodia of the median parapodia. The present study also shows that A. djiboutiensis and E. parvecarunculata, which were previously considered synonymous, are distinct species.TUBITAKTurkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Arastirma Kurumu (TUBITAK) [104Y065]I am much indebted to colleagues at Department of Hydrobiology, Ege University for help in collecting and sorting the benthic material; to Dr Jon Bleeker (ZMA, the Netherlands) for loaning the holotype of E. parvecarunculata; and to Dr Tarik Meziane (MNHN, France) for loaning the holotype of A. djiboutiensis. This work has been financially supported by TUBITAK (Project Number: 104Y065)

A new species of Trypanosyllis (Polychacta : Syllidae) from the Levantine coast of Turkey (eastern Mediterranean)

WOS: 000246419200011The examination of rock and stone samples collected at 0.2-3 in in Mersin Bay (Levantine coast of Turkey) revealed the presence of 14 specimens belonging to a new species of Syllidae (Polychaeta), Trypanosyllis sanmartini. The species is mainly characterized by having dark reddish-brown dorsal cirri, pale yellowish body colour, weakly bidentate falcigers, long and filiform dorsal cirri, long proventricle and pharynx, and a trepan with ten large teeth (without a pharyngeal mid-dorsal tooth). The posterior-most segments of the holotype and five paratypes had a cluster of stolons. The morphology and reproductive features of the species are explained and discussed

Checklist of the phyla Platyhelminthes, Xenacoelomorpha, Nematoda, Acanthocephala, Myxozoa, Tardigrada, Cephalorhyncha, Nemertea, Echiura, Brachiopoda, Phoronida, Chaetognatha, and Chordata (Tunicata, Cephalochordata, and Hemichordata) from the coasts of Turkey

WOS: 000344879100003In this paper, the current status of the species diversity of 13 phyla, namely Platyhelminthes, Xenacoelomorpha, Nematoda, Acanthocephala, Myxozoa, Tardigrada, Cephalorhyncha, Nemertea, Echiura, Brachiopoda, Phoronida, Chaetognatha, and Chordata (invertebrates, only Tunicata, Cephalochordata, and Hemichordata) along the coasts of Turkey is reviewed. Platyhelminthes was represented by 186 species, Chordata by 64 species, Nemertea by 26 species, Nematoda by 20 species, Xenacoelomorpha by 11 species, Chaetognatha by 10 species, Acanthocephala by 9 species, Brachiopoda and Phoronida by 4 species, Myxozoa and Tradigrada by 2 species, and Cephalorhyncha and Echiura by 1 species. Two platyhelminth (Planocera cf. graffi and Prostheceraeus vittatus), 2 nemertean (Drepanogigas albolineatus and Tubulanus superbus), 1 phoronid (Phoronis australis), and 2 ascidian (Polyclinella azemai and Ciona roulei) species are being newly reported for the first time from the coasts of Turkey. Four tunicate (Symplegma brakenhielmi, Microcosmus exasperatus, Herdmania momus, and Phallusia nigra) and 1 chaetognath (Ferosagitta galerita) species were classified as alien species in the region.TUBITAK ProjectTurkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Arastirma Kurumu (TUBITAK) [111Y268]; Environmental Protection Agency for Special Protected Areas (Fethiye-Gocek Specially Protected Area)Some species data presented here were obtained during TUBITAK Project 111Y268 and a project funded by the Environmental Protection Agency for Special Protected Areas (Fethiye-Gocek Specially Protected Area). I am indebted to Alfonso Ramos for help in species identification and confirmation

Species of the subgenus Minuspio (Polychaeta: Spionidae: Prionospio) from the southern coast of Turkey (Levantine Sea, eastern Mediterranean), with the description of two new species

WOS: 000295916200004Three species belonging to the subgenus Minuspio are described from the southern coast of Turkey. Prionospio (Minuspio) anatolica sp. nov., and Prionospio (Minuspio) maciolekae sp. nov. are new to science and P. (M.) pulchra is a new report for the marine fauna of the Levantine and Black Sea coasts of Turkey. Prionospio (M.) anatolica sp. nov., differs from all other Prionospio (M.) species by the shape of the prostomium, branchiae, and the absence of eyes. This species has 7 pairs of long, apinnate branchiae on chaetigers 2 to 8. Prionospio (M.) maciolekae sp. nov., differs from other Prionospio (M.) species in having short, densely ciliated branchiae and distinct dorsal crests on chaetigers 10-28. The examination of older materials deposited at the Museum of Ege University (ESFM) revealed that Prionospio (M.) pulchra, an alien invasive species, also occurred in the Aegean and Black Seas since 2000. In the Mediterranean, this species seems to be first noticed from the Italian waters (Tyrrhenian Sea, Lago di Sabaudia) and misidentified as Prionospio cirrifera. These species were encountered on a variety of biotopes in the region. In addition, two specimens of P. (M.) multibranchiata collected near the type locality (Bazan Bay, Pacific coast of Canada) were examined and a redescription of this species was made. The morphology, ecology and distribution of these species are given together with a taxonomic key to all valid species of the subgenus Minuspio.TUBITAKTurkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Arastirma Kurumu (TUBITAK) [104Y065]We wish to thank Dr. Hironori Komatsu (Department of Zoology National Museum of Nature and Science, Tokyo) for loan of the type specimens of Prionospio (Minuspio) pulchra; Dr. Kelly Sendall (Royal BC Museum of Natural History, Canada) for loaning the specimens of Prionospio (Minuspio) multibranchiata. We are much indebted to colleagues at the Department of Hydrobiology, Ege University for their help in collecting and sorting the benthic material. This work has been financially supported by TUBITAK (Project no. 104Y065)