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Annick Verween, Francis Kerckhof, Magda
Vincx and Steven Degraer
First European record of the invasive brackish water clam
Rangia cuneata (G.B. Sowerby I, 1831) (Mollusca:
Bivalvia) (pp 198-203)
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A
population of Rangia cuneata (G.B. Sowerby I, 1831), an
estuarine bivalve, has been recorded in the harbour of Antwerp,
Belgium. This species is new to the European brackish water
fauna. After initially finding only a few small individuals in
August 2005, R. cuneata was encountered frequently in the
pipes of the cooling water system of an industrial plant from
February 2006 onwards. Before this present record, R. cuneata
was only known from the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic coast of
North America.
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Sammy De Grave and Ahmad Ghane
The establishment of the Oriental River Prawn,
Macrobrachium nipponense (de Haan, 1849) in Anzali
Lagoon (Iran) (pp
204-208)
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A population of the Oriental River Prawn Macrobrachium
nipponense is recorded from Anzali Lagoon, along the shores
of the southern Caspian Sea in Iran, with the first recorded
specimens encountered in 1998. Based on available evidence it is
postulated that the species is already widespread in countries
to the east and south of the Caspian Sea, but as yet unrecorded
in several countries.
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Gail Ashton, Karin Boos, Richard
Shucksmith and Elizabeth Cook
Rapid assessment of the distribution of marine non-native
species in marinas in Scotland (pp
209-213)
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In
August 2006, the ten largest marinas in Scotland were surveyed
for the presence of seven non-native species, known to occur at
other locations within the UK: the crustaceans Caprella
mutica and Eriocheir sinensis, ascidians Perophora
japonica and Styela clava, the green alga Codium
fragile subsp. tomentosoides, and brown algae Sargassum
muticum and Undaria pinnatifida. A variety of
structures, including pontoon floats, chains and harbour walls
were inspected to a depth of 0.5 m for the presence of these
non-native species. Seven of the marinas had one or more of the
target species. C. mutica was found at seven marinas;
C. fragile subsp. tomentosoides at two marinas; S.
muticum and S. clava were each found at a single
marina; E. sinensis, P. japonica and U.
pinnatifida were not found. The survey suggests that
recreational boating is an important vector for the dispersal of
marine non-native species, and that marinas may act as a refuge
for such species. Further and regular port surveys throughout
the UK are recommended to provide an effective early warning
system for invasive non-native species.
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Gail Ashton, Karin Boos, Richard
Shucksmith and Elizabeth Cook
Risk assessment of hull fouling as a vector for marine
non-natives in Scotland (pp 214-218)
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To
determine the importance of recreational boating as a vector for
distributing marine organisms, including non-native species, the
extent of hull fouling species on recreational yachts in
Scotland was assessed. In August 2006, up to 100 yachts in each
of the ten largest marinas in Scotland were ranked using a
fouling index. 23 yacht owners were asked a questionnaire to
determine the importance of general characteristics of the yacht
and its travel history in relation to the level of hull fouling.
59 % of the yachts surveyed were found to have macrofouling
attached to their hulls, suggesting that recreational boating
has a high potential for distributing marine species throughout
Scotland. Increased age of the antifouling paint, as well as
long stationary periods and reduced sailing activity increase
the risk of macrofouling species attaching to hulls.
Recreational boating must be considered as a high risk vector
for non-native species in Scotland.
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Ireneo Ferrari and Giampaolo Rossetti
New records of the centropagid Boeckella triarticulata
(Copepoda: Calanoida) in Northern Italy: evidence of a
successful invasion? (pp 219 – 222)
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In
the mid 1980’s, the Australasian calanoid copepod Boeckella
triarticulata was found in fish ponds of Northern Italy,
representing the first record of this species for Europe. Its
occurrence has not been reported for other Italian localities
since 2005, when several specimens were found in the summer
zooplankton of the Po River. It seems likely that B.
triarticulata could be more widespread in the Po River
valley than available distributional data suggest, considering
both the scarcity of studies on the plankton of the main river
channel and its adjacent water bodies as well as the high
ecological plasticity of this centropagid species. The
occurrence of this non-indigenous species in Italian waters may
depend on the establishment of stable populations or on multiple
reintroductions. Its threat as an invasive species is discussed
on the basis of our preliminary results and from literature
review.
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Melih E. Çinar
Serpulid species (Polychaeta: Serpulidae) from the
Levantine coast of Turkey (eastern Mediterranean), with
special emphasis on alien species (pp 223-240)
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The
faunistic analysis of benthic samples taken from 0 to 200 m
depths on the eastern Levantine coast of Turkey in September
2005 yielded the presence of 16 serpulid species, 9 of which are
considered to be aliens: Hydroides brachyacanthus, H.
diramphus, H. elegans, H. heterocerus, H.
homoceros, H. minax, H. operculatus,
Pomatoleios kraussii and Spirobranchus tetraceros.
Ten species are new records for the Levantine coast of Turkey.
Hydroides operculatus and P. kraussii formed dense
populations on shallow-water artificial and natural hard
substrates in the area. The population density and biomass (wet
weight) of H. operculatus reached up to 384,000
individuals.m-2 and 245.76 g.m-2 in Mersin Bay and those of
P. kraussii up to 52,000 individuals.m-2 and 154.76 g.m-2 in
Iskenderun Harbour. The species with the highest frequency
values at shallow water stations (0-5 m) were P. kraussii
(50%), Pomatoceros lamarckii (50%), H. minax
(42%), H. brachyacanthus (38%) and H. elegans
(29%). Alien species were not found at depths deeper than 25 m.
Alien species accounted for more than 85% of the serpulid
specimens collected. Brief descriptions of the species, and
their distributional, reproductive and ecological
characteristics are given. In addition, population
characteristics of the dominant species, H. operculatus
and P. kraussii, are analyzed.
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Bilal Özturk and Jacobeus J. van
Aartsen
Indo-Pacific migrants into the Mediterranean. 5
Chrysallida micronana nom. nov. for Chrysallida nana
(Hornung and Mermod, 1924) (Gastropoda:Pyramidellidae) (pp
241-244)
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The
occurrence of the alien species Chrysallida micronana
[nom. nov. for Chrysallida nana (Hornung and Mermod,
1924) not Adams, A., 1861] (Gastropoda: Pyramidellidae) in the
Mediterranean was investigated. In studies performed between
1997 and 2000, a total of 6 specimens were encountered from the
Turkish coast of the Levantine and Aegean Seas. Descriptions of
morphological features of the shell, along with the ecological
and distributional aspects of the species are provided.
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Stephan Gollasch and Stefan Nehring
National checklist for aquatic alien species in Germany
(pp 245-269)
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More
than 140 aquatic alien species (AAS) have been reported from
coastlines of the North Sea and the Baltic Sea and from inland
waters within the national borders of Germany. The majority of
these species has established self-sustaining populations. The
most important vectors of introduction are shipping, species
imports for aquaculture purposes and species imports as part of
the ornamental trade. Several AAS have reached German waters via
shipping canals. Many species show a locally limited
distribution, but almost half of all AAS have spread
successfully across larger areas. Several introduced species are
abundant and approximately 20 % of all AAS in Germany can be
considered as invasive. Prime source regions are the
north-western Atlantic, the Indo-Pacific, and the Ponto-Caspian
region. For all source regions considered, the invasion rate has
been increasing since the end of the last century.
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Marco A. Faasse and Keith M. Bayha
The ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi A. Agassiz 1865
in coastal waters of the Netherlands: an unrecognized
invasion? (pp 270- 277)
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The
introduction of the American ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi
to the Black Sea was one of the most dramatic of all marine
bioinvasions and, in combination with eutrophication and
overfishing, resulted in a total reorganization of the pelagic
food web and significant economic losses. Given the impacts this
animal has exhibited in its invaded habitats, the spread of this
ctenophore to additional regions has been a topic of much
consternation. Here, we show the presence of this invader in
estuaries along the Netherlands coast, based both on
morphological observation and molecular evidence (nuclear
internal transcribed spacer region 1 [ITS-1] sequence).
Furthermore, we suggest the possibility that this ctenophore may
have been present in Dutch waters for several years, having been
misidentified as the morphologically similar Bolinopsis
infundibulum. Given the level of shipping activity in nearby
ports (e.g. Antwerp and Rotterdam), we find it likely that M.
leidyi found its way to the Dutch coast in the ballast water
of cargo ships, as is thought for Mnemiopsis in the Black and
Caspian Seas. Given the magnitudes of the impacts this
ctenophore has shown in its native and introduced ranges, the
animal’s potential effects on the North Sea pelagic ecosystem
and fisheries warrant close observation in the coming years. The
development of large ctenophore aggregations during recent years
was probably driven by the higher than average sea surface
temperatures in the North Sea, and we hypothesize that
populations from the southern North Sea may have been the source
of the invaders reported in the Baltic Sea and the Skagerrak. If
these northern populations (Baltic, etc.) are not able to
over-winter, it is possible that established populations in
southern North Sea estuaries may serve as a yearly supply of
invaders to the colder waters to the north.
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Erik Sterud and Anders Jørgensen
Pumpkinseed Lepomis gibbosus (Centrarchidae) and
associated parasites introduced to Norway (pp 278-280)
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The
North American freshwater sunfish, Lepomis gibbosus (Centrarchidae),
was found in a pond outside Oslo, Norway in October 2005. The
large number of fish (>100) in the pond suggests successful
reproduction. Two monogenean parasites, non-native to Norway,
were found on the gill filaments of the fish. The origin of the
fish and associated parasites is not known.
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Elisabetta Lori and Simone Cianfanelli
New records of Dreissena polymorpha (Pallas, 1771)
(Mollusca: Bivalvia: Dreissenidae) from Central Italy (pp 281-283)
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New
populations of Dreissena polymorpha have been found in
Tuscany in both 2003 and 2005. These findings indicate that the
spread of D. polymorpha is still in progress and that
this invasive mollusc continues to colonise Italian river
basins.
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Bella S. Galil
A rare record of Hyastenus hilgendorfi (Crustacea:
Decapoda: Majidae) from the Levant (pp 284-285)
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The
majid crab Hyastenus hilgendorfi is one of the rarest
Erythrean alien decapod species in the Mediterranean, with just
two records off the Israeli coast in 1960 and 1977. On 21
September, 2004 it was collected again from the central
Mediterranean coast of Israel.
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Tahir Özcan, Bella S. Galil, Kerem
Bakır and Tuncer Katağan
The first record of the banana prawn Fenneropenaeus
merguiensis (De Man, 1888) (Crustacea: Decapoda:
Penaeidae) from the Mediterranean Sea (pp
286-288)
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A
bilaterally ablated female banana prawn, Fenneropenaeus
merguiensis, collected in the Bay of Iskenderun,
southeastern Turkey on 6 October 2006, is likely an escape or an
inadvertent release from an aquaculture facility. Because of the
high permeability of aquaculture facilities, all introductions
should be administered as to avoid unintentional releases or
escapes into the wild.
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Murat Bilecenoglu, Murat Kaya and
Sencer Akalin
Range expansion of silverstripe blaasop, Lagocephalus
sceleratus (Gmelin, 1789), to the northern Aegean Sea (pp
289-291)
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Following the recent occurrence of Lagocephalus sceleratus
(Gmelin, 1789) in the Mediterranean Sea, our findings reveal
that the species is now very common along the Levant coasts of
Turkey. A specimen was recently captured in Izmir Bay (Aegean
Sea), representing its north-westernmost occurrence in the
Mediterranean. The species has a potential risk to humans, since
it contains tetrodotoxin (TTX) that maybe a source for food
poisoning.
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Serhat Albayrak and Senem Çağlar
On the presence of Siphonaria belcheri Hanley,
1858 [Gastropoda: Siphonariidae] and Septifer bilocularis
(Linnaeus, 1758) [Bivalvia: Mytilidae] in the Iskenderun Bay
(SE Turkey) (pp
292-294)
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Siphonaria belcheri and Septifer bilocularis were
reported from Iskenderun Bay in 2001. But they were considered
as misidentifications of Siphonaria crenata and
Septifer forskali respectively, in the CIESM Atlas of Exotic
Species. The present study, carried out in 2005-2006, indicates
the presence of these two alien molluscs in Iskenderun Bay,
Turkey.
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Hans G. Hansson
Ctenophores of the Baltic and adjacent Seas – the invader
Mnemiopsis is here! (pp
295-298)
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The invasive ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi has been
detected during late summer and autumn 2006 in northern Europe.
So far it has been found in the southern North Sea area, along
the Swedish west coast, in the southwestern Baltic and along the
south and southwestern Norwegian coasts. From the large
populations observed, it is obvious that it must have been
introduced before 2006, but remained unrecorded until this
autumn.
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Jamileh Javidpour, Ulrich Sommer and
Tamara Shiganova
First record of Mnemiopsis leidyi A. Agassiz 1865
in the Baltic Sea (pp
299-302)
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The invasive ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi was first
recorded in the Kiel Bight (western Baltic Sea) on 17 October
2006 during a regular weekly sampling program. The M. leidyi
abundance gradually increased from 29.5±12.7 ind.m-3 in
mid-October to 92.3±22.4 ind.m-3 in late November 2006. The
occurrence of M. leidyi in the Baltic Sea is of great
concern as this invader has caused negative impacts in the
southern seas of Europe.
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