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

Synchiropus sechellensis (Actinopterygii: Perciformes: Callionymidae), nova strana vrsta u Egejskom moru i grčkim vodama

Synchiropus sechellensis (Regan, 1908) was discovered in Kastellorizo Isl. (Levantine Sea, Greece) in September 2014, few months after its first record in Antalya Gulf, Turkey. Later, in February 2016, the species was recorded for the first time in the Aegean Sea, in Rhodes Island. The short time interval between the findings indicates a possible establishment in the area and a dynamic spread of the species northwards in the Eastern Mediterranean.Synchiropus sechellensis (Regan, 1908) je vrsta otkrivena kod otoka Kastellorizo u Levantskom moru (Grčka) u rujnu 2014., nekoliko mjeseci nakon što je po prvi put zabilježena u Antalijskom zaljevu u Turskoj. Ova vrsta je po prvi put zabilježena u Egejskom moru kod otoka Rodosa kasnije u veljači 2016. Kratak vremenski period između ova dva nalaza ukazuje na mogućnost nastanjivanja na ovom području i dinamično širenje vrste sjevernije u istočnom Sredozemlju

Assessing the socio-economic impacts of priority marine invasive fishes in the Mediterranean with the newly proposed SEICAT methodology

The assessment of impacts of alien species is one of the most critical steps for the prioritisation of policy and management actions and this requires assessment schemes that can compare impacts across different taxa, ecosystems and socio- economic contexts. The Environmental and Socio-Economic Impact Classification of Alien Species (EICAT and SEICAT) are two methodologies that facilitate such comparisons. They classify alien taxa along a 5-level, semi-quantitative scale based on the magnitude of their impacts on the environment and human well-being, respectively. In this study, we applied both protocols to seven invasive marine fishes that that are already considered “high-risk” and have been singled out for monitoring in relation to fisheries in the Mediterranean (Plotosus lineatus, Pterois miles/volitans, Fistularia commersonii, Lagocephalus sceleratus, Siganus rivulatus/Siganus luridus and Saurida lessepsianus). Here, we focus in particular on their socio-economic impacts. By systematically reviewing the published literature and scoring the demonstrated impacts we show that the taxa with the highest environmental impacts (Major) are P. miles/volitans and the two siganids. In contrast, L. sceleratus had the highest socio-economic impact (Moderate) and highest number of impact records. The high and uniform densities of P. lineatus caused widespread, albeit less severe, impacts in the invaded areas. Human activities that are primarily affected by the selected taxa are commercial and recreational fishing and other recreational uses of the sea through impacts on, mainly, material assets and human health. We found significant data gaps regarding the species’ environmental impacts, especially relating to predation, and make specific recommendations for future research. The links between environmental and socio-economic impacts, especially their cultural dimensions, are poorly documented and require novel approaches. Surveys specifically adapted to capture the distinction between socio-economic impact classes would strengthen our confidence in the assessments and better inform prioritisation and decision-making

How many marine aliens in Europe?

In the framework of the European Alien Species Information Network (EASIN; http://easin.jrc.ec.europa.eu/), an inventory of marine alienspecies in Europe was created by critically reviewing existing information in 34 global, European, regional and national databases. In total, 1369 marine alien species have been reported in the European seas (including 110 cryptogenic and 139 questionable species); this is a substantial increase from the 737 species previously reported in 2009 based on the DAISIE (Delivering Alien Invasive Species Inventories for Europe; http://www.europe-aliens.org) dataset. Most of the reported species were invertebrates (63.3%), followed by chromists (13.7%), vertebrates (11.6%), and plants (10.1%). Mollusca is the most numerous phylum, followed by Arthropoda, Chordata, and Annelida. Thecountries with the highest reported numbers of marine alien species were Israel, Turkey, Italy, France, Egypt and Greece. A reporting bias is evident as efforts for monitoring and reporting alien species vary among countries

Synchiropus sechellensis (Actinopterygii: Perciformes: Callionymidae), nova strana vrsta u Egejskom moru i grčkim vodama

Synchiropus sechellensis (Regan, 1908) was discovered in Kastellorizo Isl. (Levantine Sea, Greece) in September 2014, few months after its first record in Antalya Gulf, Turkey. Later, in February 2016, the species was recorded for the first time in the Aegean Sea, in Rhodes Island. The short time interval between the findings indicates a possible establishment in the area and a dynamic spread of the species northwards in the Eastern Mediterranean.Synchiropus sechellensis (Regan, 1908) je vrsta otkrivena kod otoka Kastellorizo u Levantskom moru (Grčka) u rujnu 2014., nekoliko mjeseci nakon što je po prvi put zabilježena u Antalijskom zaljevu u Turskoj. Ova vrsta je po prvi put zabilježena u Egejskom moru kod otoka Rodosa kasnije u veljači 2016. Kratak vremenski period između ova dva nalaza ukazuje na mogućnost nastanjivanja na ovom području i dinamično širenje vrste sjevernije u istočnom Sredozemlju

Risk assessment of Golani’s round herring (Etrumeus golanii) in the Greek seas (northeastern Mediterranean Sea)

Greek waters are the recipient of several alien species, mainly through natural dispersal following invasion and establishment of non-indigenous species (NIS) in neighboring areas, making their monitoring and mitigating their effects of paramount importance. The European Union legislation framework toward alien species invasions considers risk assessments as the top of the spear for a first assessment of NIS and their potential to become invasive or not. The Union List has already included top priority species, with very few marine species. Golani’s round herring (Etrumeus golanii) is a species of round herrings in the family Dussumieriidae, a Lessepsian migrant and belonging to a group of NIS in the Mediterranean basin that are less studied. Its distribution range is mainly limited in the southeastern Mediterranean Sea, while in the Greek seas, it has not yet been observed in the north Aegean and Ionian seas, probably due to temperature and oceanographical reasons. Its presence in the basin is recorded by commercial fisheries landings in several countries (especially purse-seiners), indicating a potentially positive effect on commercial fisheries. A risk assessment of E. golanii in Greek waters was carried out in this work, based on the Risk Assessment Scheme developed by the GB Non-Native Species Secretariat (GB Non-Native Risk Assessment—GBNNRA). An overall semi-quantitative summary of risk, in terms of likelihood of events and magnitude of impacts, was facilitated for several attributors, including confidence levels for each one. The assessment highlighted a very likely possibility of introduction in the Greek seas from neighboring countries, as well as successful establishments of populations with high confidence levels. A moderate magnitude of impact regarding its further spread was deemed, while a minor one was indicated in terms of native species pressure and a minimal one in terms of economic costs and public health. Overall, E. golanii was not characterized as an invasive alien species (IAS) and local communities could benefit from its presence (commercial fisheries); however, further studies focusing on its reproduction and spawning grounds should be implemented