The presence of Echinolittorina punctata (Gmelin, 1791) in the Adriatic Sea has been confirmed for the first time. In total, six specimens of this species were found near the city of Split. This species is considered as a tropicalization indicator in the Mediterranean Sea. The status of this species in

the Adriatic Sea should be evaluated through future research.Prisustvo vrste Echinolittorina punctata (Gmelin, 1791) po prvi puta je potvrđeno u Jadranskom moru. Ukupno 6 primjeraka ove vrste pronađeno je na lokaciji u blizini Splita. Pronađena vrsta smatra se indikatorom tropikalizacije u Sredozemnom moru. Stanje populacije ove vrste u Jadranu trebalo bi utvrditi budućim istraživanjima

Dragičević, Branko

Milat, Tino

Nerlović, Vedrana

Vrgoč, Sanja

The presence of Echinolittorina punctata (Gmelin, 1791) in the Adriatic Sea has been confirmed for the first time. In total, six specimens of this species were found near the city of Split. This species is considered as a tropicalization indicator in the Mediterranean Sea. The status of this species in the Adriatic Sea should be evaluated through future research.Prisustvo vrste Echinolittorina punctata (Gmelin, 1791) po prvi puta je potvrđeno u Jadranskom moru. Ukupno 6 primjeraka ove vrste pronađeno je na lokaciji u blizini Splita. Pronađena vrsta smatra se indikatorom tropikalizacije u Sredozemnom moru. Stanje populacije ove vrste u Jadranu trebalo bi utvrditi budućim istraživanjima

MILAT, Tino

DRAGIČEVIĆ, Branko

NERLOVIĆ, Vedrana

VRGOČ, Sanja

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ISSN: 0001-5113AADRAYACTA ADRIAT.,57(1): 179 - 182, 2016 SHORT COMMUNICATIONFirst record of Echinolittorina punctata (Gmelin, 1791) (Gastropoda) in the Adriatic SeaTino MILAT1, Branko DRAGIČEVIĆ2*, Vedrana NERLOVIĆ3 and Sanja VRGOČ11Natural History Museum and Zoo Garden, Kolombatovićevo šetalište 2, 21000 Split, Croatia2Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries, Šetalište I. Meštrovića 63, 21000, Split, Croatia3Ruđer Bošković Institute, Center for Marine Research, G. Paliaga 5, 52210 Rovinj, Croatia*Corresponding author, e-mail: brankod@izor.hrINTRODUCTIONThe gastropod fauna of the eastern Adriatic Sea has been the subject of numerous studies, with scientific reports dating back to the early eighteenth century until the culmination of more elaborate investigations during the second part of the twentieth century (see ŠIMUNOVIĆ, 1995). However, in recent decades, research has shifted toward more applied studies research, while basic biodiversity investigations were predomi-nantly driven by mere enthusiasm. Although changes in communities of economically impor-tant animal groups were investigated to a cer-tain extent, particularly fish species (DULČIĆ & DRAGIČEVIĆ, 2011), groups of low commercial value are usually overlooked. However, the presence of some previously unknown soft-bod-ied gastropods, especially nudibranchs and other opisthobranchs, has been reported in the eastern Adriatic during recent years (DESPALATOVIĆ et al., 2002; TURK, 2005; MAVRIČ & LIPEJ, 2012). Echinolittorina punctata (Gmelin, 1791) is a caenogastropod, which is indigenous to the Mediterranean Sea where it is mainly distributed along the southern and eastern coasts, but is also present in the eastern Atlantic on northwest-ern African shores (REID, 2011). REID (2011) has reviewed its taxonomy, geographical distribu-tion and ecology. According to ALBANO et al. (2010), it seems that this species has extended its distribution toward the north, possibly as a consequence of climate change; therefore, it is of particular interest as a tropicalization indi-cator. Its current and historical distribution in the Mediterranean Sea has been reviewed by ALBANO (2015).   In this paper, we present the first record of this species in the Adriatic Sea.The presence of Echinolittorina punctata (Gmelin, 1791) in the Adriatic Sea has been confirmed for the first time. In total, six specimens of this species were found near the city of Split. This species is considered as a tropicalization indicator in the Mediterranean Sea. The status of this species in the Adriatic Sea should be evaluated through future research.Key words: Echinolittorina punctata, Littorinidae, first record, northward spreading, Adriatic Sea180  ACTA ADRIATICA, 57(1): 179 - 182, 2016MATERIAL AND METHODSSpecimens of E. punctata were found in Kašjuni cove at the southern side of Marjan hill in the vicinity of city of Split (middle Adriatic, eastern coast) (Fig. 1). In total, six specimens were collected from the same area (43°30’28’’N; 16°23’47’’E): three specimens were collected on August 21, 2014; two specimens were collected on October 11, 2014; and one specimen was collected on April 16, 2015. A few specimens were photographed in situ and then collected afterwards (Fig. 2). 5.34; stdev ± 1.37 mm). Fig. 2 shows one of the specimens prior to collection. Furthermore, the specimen collected in April 2015 measured 5.9 mm in height and 4 mm in width. One of the authors (T.M.) found the speci-mens during a brief visual inspection of the supralittoral communities at the local beach. They were found on three occasions on large stones protruding from the water where they were settled on the parts of the stones that were sheltered from the waves, in narrow crevices. The first batch of specimens was found on a large rock at a position of approximately 30 cm above the surface of the sea during low tide. The second batch was found two months later on a similar rock 5 m away from the first one. The last specimen was found in the same area during April of 2015. However, during this last inspec-tion, a 100 m transect of the rocky shore was thoroughly investigated, but only one specimen was found, which indicates a sparse population. The same habitat was occupied by other spe-cies: Patella sp., Chthalamus sp., Pachygrapsus marmoratus and Melarhaphe neritoides. The latter species was numerous at the location while specimens of E. punctata were scattered among the small groups of this species. How-ever, unlike M. neritoides, the specimens of E. punctata were not grouped in clumps. ALBANO et al. (2010) first reported the north-ward expansion of E. punctata in Italian waters and suggested that this phenomenon is unre-ported from other Mediterranean countries prob-ably due to the lack of monitoring. Additionally, the same author recently reported new occur-rences of this species in Greece, France and Italy that corroborates the theory of the northward Fig. 1. Map showing the investigated area. The dot indi-cates the location of the Kašjuni cove where the speci-mens were collectedFig. 2. Photograph of E. punctata specimen taken in situ together with cluster of five specimens of Melarhaphe neritoidesUpon collection, the specimens were deter-mined following GIANUZZI-SAVELLI et al. (1996) and then the height and width of the specimens was measured with a digital caliper with an accuracy of 0.1 mm. Three specimens were stored dry, while the other three were deposited in 70% ethanol. Latter specimens were depos-ited in the Museum of Natural History in Split under inventory number 1730.RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONThe heights of the specimens collected in August 2014 and October 2014 ranged from 6.0 to 10.7 mm (mean 7.86; stdev ± 1.73 mm) and their widths ranged from 4 to 7.6 mm (mean 181Milat et al.: First record of Echinolittorina punctata (Gmelin, 1791) (Gastropoda) in the Adriatic Seaspreading of this species (ALBANO, 2015). The occurrences presented in this paper can also be attributed to northward spreading; however, due to the lack of monitoring of supralittoral com-munities, it is hard to establish the chronology or intensity of the spreading. Furthermore, the area where the specimens were found is situ-ated in the middle of the eastern Adriatic coast, so it is quite possible that more colonies of this species exist further south in the warmer areas of the Adriatic; this should be examined with future research. Our findings indicate not only the existence of a population of E. punctata in the investigated area, but also the possibility that the population is able to survive the cold season, which is indi-cated by the discovery of one live adult speci-men in April, which likely settled during the preceding summer reproductive season (review by REID, 2011). Further research is needed to evaluate the status of this species in the eastern Adriatic Sea.Adriatic Sea is undergoing significant chang-es in distribution of native and non-native biota and causes for this can be attributed to a range of factors with anthropogenic activity and climate change topping the list (see DESPALATOVIĆ et al., 2008; DULČIĆ & DRAGIČEVIĆ, 2011).ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSWe would like to thank Dr. Bilal Öztürk (Turkey) and Dr. Andrej Jaklin (Croatia) for con-firming the identification of E. punctata. We are also thankful to anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments.REFERENCESALBANO, P.G., B. SABELLI, M. ADANI & N. PINAR-DI. 2010. The thermophilous species Echi-nolittorina punctata as a new descriptor of tropicalization in the Mediterranean Sea – first data. Biol. Mar. Mediterr., 17: 90-93.ALBANO, P.G. 2015. New records of Echinolit-torina punctata (Gastropoda: Littorinidae) in the Mediterranean Sea from Italy, France and Greece. Mar. Biodivers. Rec., 8: e3.GIANNUZZI-SAVELLI, R., F. PUSATERI, A. PALMERI & C. EBREO. 1996. Atlante delle conchiglie marine del Mediterraneo (Atlas of the Med-iterranean SeaShells). La Conchiglia, 2: 1-258.DESPALATOVIĆ, M., B. ANTOLIĆ, I. GRUBELIĆ & A. ŽULJEVIĆ. 2002. First record of the Indo-Pacific gastropod Melibe fimbriata in the Adriatic Sea. J. Mar. Biol. Assoc. U.K., 82: 923-924.DESPALATOVIĆ, M., I. GRUBELIĆ, V. NIKOLIĆ, B. DRAGIČEVIĆ, J. DULČIĆ, A. ŽULJEVIĆ, I. CVITKOVIĆ & B. ANTOLIĆ. 2008. Alloch-thonous warm water species in the benthic communities and ichthyofauna of the eastern part of the Adriatic Sea. In: Climate warm-ing and related changes in Mediterranean marine biota, Helgoland, 27-31 May 2008. CIESM, Monaco. p. 51-57.DULČIĆ, J. & B. DRAGIČEVIĆ. 2011. New fish of Adriatic and Mediterranean Seas. Insti-tute of Oceanography and Fisheries, Split Croatia and State Institute for Nature Protec-tion (in Croatian). Zagreb, 160 p. MAVRIČ, B. & L. LIPEJ, 2012. On the rare and less known nudibranch Piseinotecus sphaerifer-us (Schmekel, 1965) (Gastropoda, Nudi-branchia, Piseinotecidae) in the Adriatic Sea. Acta Adriat., 53(2): 473–476.REID, D.G. 2011. The genus Echinolittorina Habe, 1956 (Gastropoda: Littorinidae) in the east-ern Atlantic Ocean. Zootaxa, 2974: 1–65.ŠIMUNOVIĆ, A. 1995. Ecological study of Proso-branchiata (Gastropoda) in the eastern part of the Adriatic Sea and their relation to ben-thic biocoenoses. Acta Adriat., 36, 3–162.TURK, T. 2005. Unusual Sea Slug from Cape Madona (Piran, Slovenia) – the first record of Cumanotus beaumonti (Eliot, 1906) in the Mediterranean Sea. Annales, Ser. Hist. Nat., 15(1): 1-4.Received: 15 August 2015Accepted: 16 December 2015182  ACTA ADRIATICA, 57(1): 179 - 182, 2016Prvi nalaz vrste Echinolittorina punctata (Gmelin, 1791) (Gastropoda) u Jadranskom moruTino MILAT1, Branko DRAGIČEVIĆ2*, Vedrana NERLOVIĆ3 i Sanja VRGOČ11Prirodoslovni muzej i zoološki vrt, Kolombatovićevo šetalište 2, 21000 Split, Hrvatska2Institut za oceanografiju i ribarstvo, Šetalište I. Meštrovića 63, 21000, Split, Hrvatska3Institut Ruđer Bošković, Centar za istraživanje mora, G. Paliaga 5, 52210 Rovinj, Hrvatska*Kontakt adresa, e-mail: brankod@izor.hrSAŽETAKPrisustvo vrste Echinolittorina punctata (Gmelin, 1791) po prvi puta je potvrđeno u Jadranskom moru. Ukupno 6 primjeraka ove vrste pronađeno je na lokaciji u blizini Splita. Pronađena vrsta smatra se indikatorom tropikalizacije u Sredozemnom moru. Stanje populacije ove vrste u Jadranu trebalo bi utvrditi budućim istraživanjima.Ključne riječi: Echinolittorina punctata, Littorinidae, prvi nalaz, širenje prema sjeveru,              Jadransko more

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Prvi nalaz vrste Echinolittorina punctata (Gmelin, 1791) (Gastropoda) u Jadranskom moru

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Prvi nalaz vrste Echinolittorina punctata (Gmelin, 1791) (Gastropoda) u Jadranskom moru

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