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Suchana Chavanich, Larry G. Harris,
Jong-Geel Je and Rae-Seon Kang
Distribution pattern of the green alga Codium fragile
(Suringar) Hariot, 1889 in its native range, Korea (pp
99-108)
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The
examination of native habitats of newly introduced species is
one of the factors that can provide information for predicting
and preventing invasion success. In this study, we investigated
the distribution patterns of a green macroalga, Codium
fragile, in its native range in Korea. There were two
distinct patterns for Codium spp. within their native
habitat. In undisturbed communities, Codium species were
members of the understory assemblage below the dominant canopy
species. In disturbed habitats where native algae have been
harvested for food, the activity created major gaps in the
community structure where opportunistic algae expanded their
abundance within the community. Codium fragile not only
becomes a dominant canopy species in disturbed habitats, but it
also colonizes new habitats such as fouling communities. Thus,
the distribution patterns of Codium fragile in its native
range suggests that it has the capability of taking advantage of
disturbed habitats, which may help to explain why it has been
such a successful invader in other regions of the world. One
interesting finding was the lack of specialized sacoglossan
herbivores associated with the Korean populations studied while
such herbivores do feed on introduced populations in other
regions, and may limit their distribution at some locations.
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Salman D. Salman, Timothy J. Page, Murtada
D. Naser, Ama'al G. Yasser
The invasion of Macrobrachium nipponense (de Haan, 1849)
(Caridea: Palaemonidae) into the Southern Iraqi Marshes (pp
109-115)
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Forty-two specimens of Macrobrachium nipponense (de Haan,
1849) were collected from Abu-Zirig Marsh in the south of Iraq,
in July 2005. DNA sequences confirmed the morphological
identification by 99 % similarity to published 16S sequences.
The introduction vector for this non-native species into the
wild is considered to be unintentional escapes from Iranian
aquaculture.
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Michał Grabowski
Rapid colonization of the Polish Baltic coast by an
Atlantic palaemonid shrimp Palaemon elegans Rathke, 1837 (pp
116-123)
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The
Baltic palaemonid fauna comprises four species: Palaemonetes
varians, Palaemon adspersus and two newcomers, P.
elegans and P. longirostris. The first three species
have been reported from Polish waters. This paper presents the
history of faunal change associated with P. elegans
recent colonization along the Polish Baltic coast, its
estuaries, coastal lakes and lagoons. The oldest record of P.
elegans comes from the Vistula deltaic system collected in
2000. Presumably moving eastwards from the Atlantic, the species
colonized and formed a vivid, reproducing population all along
the studied part of the Baltic shores. In many places it has
replaced the native P. adspersus and it has became an
abundant element of the palaemonid community in the Gulf of
Gdańsk and in the Vistula delta, still accompanied by the two
other species.
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Bilal Öztürk and Alp Can
Indo-Pacific gastropod species in the Levantine and
Aegean Seas (pp 124-129)
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The
present study reports the occurrence of three Indo-Pacific
gastropod species at new localities in the Mediterranean Sea.
Chromodoris quadricolor was recorded on the 29 May 2004 in
the eastern Mediterranean, which is the third report of the
species from the Mediterranean Sea. Finella pupoides and
Syrnola fasciata are collected from the several sites in
the Aegean Sea between 1997 and 2002. The morphological,
ecological and distributional characteristics of these species
are described.
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Baki Yokes and Bella S. Galil
Touchdown - first record of Percnon gibbesi (H.
Milne Edwards, 1853) (Crustacea: Decapoda: Grapsidae) from
the Levantine coast (pp 130-132)
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Percnon gibbesi (H. Milne Edwards, 1853) is reported for the
first time from the southern coast of Turkey in 2005-2006. This
grapsid crab is the most invasive decapod species to enter the
Mediterranean, it was first recorded in 1999 in the Balearic
Islands, Sicily and adjacent islands. Possible vectors for its
rapid spread across the Mediterranean include larval transport
by surface currents and shipping.
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Maria Thessalou-Legaki, Argyro Zenetos,
Venetia Kambouroglou, Maria Corsini-Foka, Petros
Kouraklis, Costas Dounas and Artemis Nicolaidou
The establishment of the invasive crab Percnon gibbesi
(H. Milne Edwards, 1853) (Crustacea: Decapoda: Grapsidae) in
Greek waters (pp 133-136)
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The
tropical Atlantic grapsid crab Percnon gibbesi (H. Milne
Edwards, 1853) may be regarded as the most invasive decapod
currently expanding its distribution in the Mediterranean Sea.
The present paper records its presence in Greek waters since
2004. The species seems well established along the coasts of
Messiniakos Gulf, Crete and Rhodes Islands as several
individuals of various sizes were observed on shallow, rocky
bottoms. The proximity of these localities to ports may hint at
shipping as potential vector, but larval transport from already
established populations across the Ionian Sea cannot be
excluded. The wide adaptability, the potential for colonising
new habitats and the population dynamics of P. gibbesi
merit further investigation.
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Gregory M. Ruiz, Lynn Fegley, Paul
Fofonoff, Yongxu Cheng and Rafael Lemaitre
First records of Eriocheir sinensis H. Milne
Edwards, 1853 (Crustacea: Brachyura: Varunidae) for
Chesapeake Bay and the mid-Atlantic coast of North America
(pp 137-142)
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We
report here the first Chinese mitten crabs, Eriocheir
sinensis H. Milne Edwards, 1853, found in the Chesapeake
Bay, USA. Two male specimens were caught, retained, and
identified from the mouth of the Patapsco River, near Baltimore,
Maryland. The first crab to be reported was captured on 9 June
2006. Surprisingly, the second reported crab was captured at
least one year earlier, probably in May 2005. Another two
specimens of E. sinensis were reported up to 90km south
of this location in April-June 2006, but the identity of these
latter crabs could not be confirmed, because the specimens were
not kept. Environmental conditions in Chesapeake Bay appear
suitable for colonization by E. sinensis, and it is
presently not known whether mitten crabs are reproducing or
established in the region.
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Dan Minchin and Elizabeth Sides
Appearance of a cryptogenic tunicate, a Didemnum sp.
fouling marina pontoons and leisure craft in Ireland (pp 143-147)
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A
colonial Didemnum sp. was found extensively overgrowing
fouling organisms on the immersed surfaces of pontoons, ropes
and chains and on the hulls of fouled pleasure craft in the
Malahide Estuary to the north of Dublin in October 2005. The
tunicate colonies formed pendulous growths extending ~1m on a
yacht removed from the water in June 2005, but its significance
at that time was not realised. A similar but less extensive
cover by a Didemnum sp. was noted at a marina in
Carlingford Lough, ~70km to the north of Malahide, in June 2006.
Both sites are exposed to marine conditions on the east coast of
Ireland in the Irish Sea. These forms have not been noted in
Ireland before and may have recently arrived.
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Stefan Nehring
The Ponto-Caspian amphipod Obesogammarus obesus (Sars,
1894) arrived the Rhine River via the Main-Danube Canal (pp 148-153)
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The
Ponto-Caspian amphipod Obesogammarus obesus (Sars, 1894)
was first recorded in the Rhine River near Koblenz, Germany in
October 2004. Additional records of small numbers of O.
obesus from the same location in 2005 and 2006 indicate that
this alien species may have become established in the central
section of the Rhine River. Ship transport via the Main-Danube
Canal, connecting the Danube basin (Black Sea catchment area)
and the Rhine basin (North Sea catchment area), is the plausible
mode of introduction of O. obesus to the site at Koblenz.
The possible ecological effects of O. obesus in the Rhine
River remain uncertain and require further study. Based on the
invasion history of other Ponto-Caspian amphipods, it can be
speculated that O. obesus will extend its distribution
within the German and European river and canal systems in the
near future.
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Momir Paunovic, Bela Csanyi, Vladica
Simic, Bojana Stojanovic and Predrag Cakic
Distribution of Anodonta (Sinanodonta) woodiana (Rea,
1834) in inland waters of Serbia (pp 154-160)
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Aquatic biotopes are, due to their unique features, among the
most disposed ecosystems to bioinvasions. Serbian waters are not
an exception, with a increasing colonization by allochthonous
organisms observed there during the last few decades.
Non-indigenous aquatic species were found among plants,
vertebrates and invertebrates. One of the most invasive aquatic
macroinvertebrate species found in the region is the Chinese
pond mussel Anodonta (Sinanodonta) woodiana (Rea, 1834).
The species is dispersed along lowland rivers, associated
wetlands and manmade canals. Heavily modified and artificial
aquatic habitats, with high silting rates, were found to be
especially suitable for population by A. woodiana. A mass
occurrence of Chinese mussel was observed among these habitats,
particularly where bottom substrata were characterised by the
domination of silt-clay.
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Sergey E. Mastitsky and Vera M.
Samoilenko
The gravel snail, Lithoglyphus naticoides (Gastropoda:
Hydrobiidae), a new Ponto-Caspian species in Lake Lukomskoe
(Belarus) (pp 161-170)
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On
23 July 2003, a new, previously unreported, molluscan species
Lithoglyphus naticoides (gravel snail) was found in the
benthos of Lake Lukomskoe, Belarus. As Dreissena polymorpha
(zebra mussel) is also present, Lithoglyphus naticoides
is the second Ponto-Caspian species recorded in this waterbody.
Previous long-term observations on benthos and L. naticoides
abundance data obtained in 2003-2005 imply that this species
appeared in the lake in approximately 2000 and that currently
its population is growing. We review available information on
distribution of the snail in both Belarus and in adjacent
countries and also discuss possible invasion pathway into Lake
Lukomskoe.
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Frances Lucy
Early life stages of Dreissena polymorpha (zebra
mussel): the importance of long-term datasets in invasion
ecology (pp 171-182)
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The
early life stages of Dreissena polymorpha were studied in
Lough Key, Co. Roscommon, Ireland during the reproductive
season, 1998-2003. This involved weekly sampling of larval/veliger
density, size distributions and settlement density. Low larval
and adult densities of Dreissena in 1998 indicated that
this was the first year of significant reproduction in Lough
Key. Variation existed in seasonal larval densities, larval size
distributions and juvenile settlement patterns among sampling
weeks, years and monitoring sites from 1998 to 2003. In the
early years of invasion (1998-2000) annual variations were
observed in larval density and juvenile settlement. Increasing
levels of larval density and settlement from 1998 to 2000 were
typical for the early exponential growth phase of Dreissena
invasions. The high level of successful recruitment in those
years was evident from the exponential increase of the adult
zebra mussel population. In subsequent years, these differences
were likely related to environmental variations in summer water
temperatures and food availability for veligers. In 2001,
settlement estimates were extremely low relative to the larval
densities present. Prolonged warm water temperatures in summer
2003, resulted in a long reproductive season and also high
settlement rates. The variation between annual datasets observed
in this study, implies that long term studies of the early life
stages of Dreissena polymorpha is required to monitor the
dynamics of this species within lake ecosystems.
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Predrag Simonović, Saša Marić and Vera
Nikolić
Occurrence of paddlefish Polyodon spathula (Walbaum,
1792) in the Serbian part of the lower River Danube (pp 183-185)
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Paddlefish Polyodon spathula was recently found in the
lower River Danube of Serbia. Its introduction in the Danube is
most likely to result from fish escaping from Romanian or
Bulgarian rearing facilities where it was introduced in the
1990’s. It now occurs as far up as the Iron Gate II (863 – 862
km from the Black Sea) and appears to have acclimatised to the
lower River Danube.
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Jesús Cabal, Jose Antonio Pis Millán
and Juan Carlos Arronte
A new record of Callinectes sapidus Rathbun, 1896
(Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura) from the Cantabrian Sea,
Bay of Biscay, Spain (pp 186-187)
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A
single immature female specimen of the blue crab, Callinectes
sapidus Rathbun, 1896 was collected on 22 September 2004 in
a refrigeration pipe of the power station at Port of El Musel,
Gijón, Northern Spain. This is the first record of this alien
species from northern Spain.
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Baki Yokes and Bella S. Galil
The first record of the needle-spined urchin Diadema
setosum (Leske, 1778) (Echinodermata: Echinoidea:
Diadematidae) from the Mediterranean Sea (pp 188-190)
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The
needle-spined urchin, Diadema setosum, reported on 12
August 2006 from the southern coast of Turkey, is the first
Erythrean alien echinoid to enter the Mediterranean Sea.
Possible vectors include larval transport through the Suez
Canal, shipping, and aquarium trade. The urchin’s venomous
spines may cause painful injuries to swimmers.
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Shane T. Ahyong and Bella S. Galil
First Mediterranean record of the Indo-West Pacific
mantis shrimp, Clorida albolitura Ahyong & Naiyanetr,
2000 (Stomatopoda, Squillidae) (pp 191-193)
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To
date, only one species of Erythrean stomatopod, Erugosquilla
massavensis (Kossmann), has been reported from the
Mediterranean Sea. We report the first appearance of a second
Erythrean stomatopod species from the Mediterranean coast of
Israel, Clorida albolitura Ahyong & Naiyanetr, on 24 May
2006.
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Ioanna Siokou-Frangou, Konstantinos
Sarantakos and Epaminondas D.Christou
First record of the scyphomedusa Rhopilema nomadica
Galil, 1990 (Cnidaria: Scyphozoa: Rhizostomeae) in Greece (pp
194-195)
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The
scyphomedusa Rhopilema nomadica, recorded in July 2006
from Lakonikos Gulf, on the Ionian coast of Greece, is a
Lessepsian alien established in the Levantine Sea. The
jellyfish’s painful stings may pose a danger to swimmers.
Because of its invasiveness and its impact it is considered
among the worst invasive marine species in European Seas.
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Cem Çevik, Itri Levent Erkol and Benin
Toklu
A new record of an alien jellyfish from the Levantine
coast of Turkey - Cassiopea andromeda (Forsskål,
1775) (Cnidaria: Scyphozoa:Rhizostomea) (pp 196-197)
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To
date, three alien scyphozoan species were reported from the
Eastern Mediterranean, but only one, Rhopilema nomadica,
was reported from the Turkish coast. Recently, a second alien
scyphozoan, Cassiopea andromeda, was collected on 20 July
2005 in Iskenderun Bay, SE Turkey.
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