Published in September 2017
Research articles
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Yuta Morii and Takafumi Nakano
Citizen science reveals the present range and a potential native predator of the invasive slug Limax maximus Linnæus, 1758 in Hokkaido, Japan (pp 181–186) |
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The giant garden slug Limax maximus Linnæus, 1758 (Limacidae, Pulmonata) is considered one of the most widely spread terrestrial
molluscs in the world and is a formidable pest of agricultural and horticultural crops. This slug was recently introduced to Japan,
where its population is now rapidly increasing and spreading. A naturalised population of L. maximus was first discovered
in Hokkaido, Japan, in 2012 in the isolated natural forest of Maruyama Forest Park in Sapporo City, and the species has become common
in this area. In the present study, we investigated observations of L. maximus reported by ordinary citizens acting
as “citizen scientists” to assess the recent expansion of this invasive slug. We posted an announcement in the local newspaper
requesting reports of the occurrence of L. maximus via e-mail and analysed 38 observations provided by local citizens.
As a result of these reports, 16 naturalised populations of L. maximus were detected in Hokkaido, several of which were quite
far from the original population in Sapporo City. Moreover, a terrestrial macrophagous leech, Orobdella kawakatsuorum Richardson, 1975
(Arhynchobdellida, Orobdellidae), is reported as a potential native predator of L. maximus for the first time.
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Benjamin B. Normark, Roxanna D. Normark, Andrew Vovides, Lislie Solís-Montero,
Rebeca González-Gómez, María Teresa Pulido-Silva, Marcos Alberto Escobar-Castellanos,
Marco Dominguez, Miguel Angel Perez-Farrera, Milan Janda and Angelica Cibrian-Jaramillo
Cycad Aulacaspis Scale (Aulacaspis yasumatsui Takagi, 1977) in Mexico and Guatemala: a threat to native cycads (pp 187–193) |
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Cycad Aulacaspis Scale (Hemiptera: Diaspididae: Aulacaspis yasumatsui Takagi, 1977), which is native to Southeast Asia,
is a devastating pest of some species of cycads in areas where it is invasive. In September 2016, it was reported to be present
in Chiapas in southern Mexico, a country with 60 native cycad species, most of which are endemic and endangered. Here we report
the presence of the pest in 6 additional Mexican states and in Guatemala. Surveys of natural populations and quasi-natural sustainable
nurseries in 4 states, including Chiapas, find no evidence that the pest has yet spread to natural populations. At present, it appears
to be confined to cultivated cycads, presenting a window of opportunity for effective control.
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Wendy Y. Wang and Seiki Yamane
First record of a New World ant species (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), Strumigenys eggersi Emery, 1890 in the Old World (pp 195–201) |
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The Neotropical ant Strumigenys eggersi is recorded for the first time in the Old World, specifically from Singapore.
Six queens and 10 workers in total were collected from Malaise trap (4 queens) and leaf litter samples (2 queens, 10 workers) respectively,
on the National University of Singapore (NUS) campus. DNA barcodes (COI, 313 bp) amplified from these specimens closely matched those of
S. eggersi on NCBI GenBank and BOLD databases, in agreement with morphology. Implications of this discovery are briefly discussed.
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Brianna M. Tracy, Kristen J. Larson, Gail V. Ashton, Gretchen Lambert, Andrew L. Chang and Gregory M. Ruiz
Northward range expansion of three non-native ascidians on the west coast of North America (pp 203–209) |
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The solitary ascidians Microcosmus squamiger Michaelsen, 1927, Molgula ficus (MacDonald, 1859), and Styela canopus (Savigny, 1816)
have been found beyond their previously known introduced range on the coast of California. The recent appearance in surveys confirms their presence within
San Francisco Bay, indicating possible range expansions northward of more than 500 kilometers. All three species have spread across the natural biogeographic
barrier of Point Conception, west of Santa Barbara, California. Species identities were confirmed using microscopy, and key distinguishing features were described.
These records contribute to the increasing number of non-native species which are expanding their range northwards on the Pacific coast of North America,
implicating both human vectors and ocean warming.
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Jebarathnam Prince Prakash Jebakumar, Ganesan Nandhagopal, Bose RajanBabu, Shunmugavel Ragumaran,
Vijaya Ravichandran, Agnese Marchini and Dan Minchin
The bryozoan Amathia verticillata (delle Chiaje, 1822) fouling harbours of the southeast coast of India: re-evaluating its status (pp 211–216) |
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The “spaghetti bryozoan” Zoobotryon verticillatum (delle Chiaje, 1822) recently synonymised as Amathia verticillata (delle Chiaje, 1822)
was first described from Naples, Italy. This ctenostome also occurred in the Bay of Bengal, east coast of India, where it has been long treated as a native
species, due to its long presence in the region. However, recent re-appraisal of its global distribution suggests the species was native to the Caribbean region.
This study and a literature survey documented the occurrence of this bryozoan along the coast of Tamil Nadu, India, and summarized records of the species from
other localities. Amathia verticillata has a scattered distribution in the central Indian Ocean and mostly occurs on man modified habitats. Indeed,
it appeared to be absent from natural habitats along the coasts of India. Thus we concluded that A. verticillata is non-indigenous to the coast of India,
where its presence can be attributed to human-mediated dispersal, mainly by shipping.
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Hirokazu Abe, Masaatsu Tanaka and Yusuke Ueno
First report of the non-native freshwater nereidid polychaete Namalycastis hawaiiensis (Johnson, 1903) from a private goldfish aquarium in eastern Japan (pp 217–223) |
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The aquarium trade poses a great risk of aquatic invasion worldwide, but little attention has been paid to unintentionally introduced species.
The present study reports the occurrence of the freshwater polychaete Namalycastis hawaiiensis for the first time from a private home
aquarium in central Japan, which was a considerable distance away from the native distribution of the species (tropical/subtropical regions).
We concluded that the species was unintentionally introduced via the aquarium trade. As the specimens were collected from an aquarium
of the common goldfish, which is one of the most popular ornamental fish in the world, it is possible that a cryptic invasion has already expanded worldwide.
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Jacques Mouthon and Maxence Forcellini
Genetic evidence of the presence in France of the North American species Euglesa compressa Prime, 1852 (Bivalvia, Sphaeriidae) (pp 225–231) |
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The first internal transcribed spacer (ITS-1) of ribosomal RNA of 5 individuals of unknown pisidiid clams collected over several years in the Rhone river
basin was extracted to specify their taxonomic position. The phylogenetic tree obtained from the comparison of these sequences to those of 19 species
available in the NCBI genetic database is in good agreement with the phylogenetic structure of Sphaeriinae and revealed that the unknown bivalves belong
to the North American species Euglesa compressa. This invasive mollusk has now colonized the major French river basins and could be responsible
for the major decline of E. supina in the areas where it has settled. The main features of E. compressa are also presented.
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Jennifer M. Hill, Olivia N. Caretti and Kenneth L. Heck Jr.
Recently established Asian tiger shrimp Penaeus monodon Fabricius, 1798 consume juvenile blue crabs Callinectes sapidus Rathbun, 1896 and polychaetes in a laboratory diet-choice experiment (pp 233–238) |
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Asian tiger shrimp, Penaeus monodon Fabricius, 1798 are a newly established exotic species on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United States (US).
Their size, estuarine distribution, and diet preference for crustaceans and mollusks in their native range suggest that these shrimp may have significant
impacts on a variety of species native to the northern Gulf of Mexico and Southeastern US. However, to date no studies have investigated this possibility.
We examined tiger shrimp prey choice in mesocosm predation experiments. In these experiments, blue crabs and polychaetes exhibited the lowest survival rates
(<25%) while small flat fish, grass shrimp, and juvenile penaeid shrimp exhibited the highest survival (>60%). In separate video observations tiger shrimp
searched for prey by probing the sediment; consequently, juvenile blue crabs Callinectes sapidus Rathbun, 1896 that were buried were easily located
and consumed. This suggests that demersal or buried prey are more likely to be consumed than species occurring on the sediment surface or in the water column.
It is currently unknown how often tiger shrimp may encounter juvenile blue crabs, as tiger shrimp are still rare and adult tiger shrimp are typically caught
on commercial shrimping grounds. These preliminary results warrant further examination of tiger shrimp diets and distributions to more fully determine their
potential impact on populations of commercially important species.
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Romain Ferry, Yan Buske, Joseph Poupin and Juliette Smith-Ravin
First record of the invasive swimming crab Charybdis hellerii (A. Milne Edwards, 1867) (Crustacea, Portunidae) off Martinique, French Lesser Antilles (pp 239–247) |
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Charybdis hellerii (A. Milne Edwards, 1867), a crab native to the Indo-West Pacific, was introduced in the western Atlantic in the late 1980s,
likely through transport of larvae in ballast water of ships. It has since been reported from North Carolina, southeastern coast of United States,
to southern Brazil. This report from Martinique is the first from the Lesser Antilles. Specimens were collected during scuba-diving surveys
conducted during March/April 2016 to study the population size, distribution, and habitat-use of this invader. Two hundred and thirteen transects,
each 60 m2, were searched, in 2–15 m depths, in five coves of the southwestern peninsula of the island. We observed 150 individuals, of which 135 were
collected. Most (89 %) specimens were mature with a male:female sex ratio of 2.4:1. Carapace widths ranged between 17.3 and 58.1 mm, with males
significantly larger than females. Most crabs (93%) were found in dense seagrass beds of Halophila stipulacea, although a few (7%) were found
on bare substrate with rocks and artificial mooring blocks. C. hellerii was absent from sand, coral with rocks and sponges, and mixed beds
of algae and seagrass, possibly due to the presence of predators. The maximum observed density in the dense seagrass beds was 0.37 crab m-2.
Predatory behavior of C. hellerii on other crabs was observed, suggesting this alien crab could alter existing community structure and functioning.
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Bella S. Galil, Ya’arit Levitt-Barmats, Hadas Lubinevsky, Yana Yudkovsky, Guy Paz and Baruch Rinkevich
A record of Arcania brevifrons Chen, 1989 (Crustacea; Decapoda; Leucosiidae) from the Mediterranean coast of Israel (pp 249–253) |
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Two adult specimens of Arcania brevifrons, a leucosiid crab native to the Indo-West Pacific Ocean, were recently collected off
the southern Israeli coast, at the southeastern Mediterranean Sea. Molecular analyses based on the mitochondrial barcoding gene cytochrome
oxidase sub unit I (COI) revealed two closely related haplotypes and suggest the species has entered the Mediterranean on at least two separate
occasions. This is the fourth Erythraean leucosiid species recorded in the Mediterranean Sea. The presence of an ovigerous female may indicate
the existence of an established population.
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Leonardo Uriel Arellano-Méndez, Arturo Mora-Olivo, Carlos Zamora-Tovar and Edilia de la Rosa-Manzano
First report of the invasive red lionfish Pterois volitans (Linnaeus, 1758) (Scorpaenidae) on the coast of Tamaulipas, Mexico (pp 255–258) |
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This paper documents the spread of the non-native, invasive, red lionfish (Pterois volitans), to the coast of Tamaulipas, Mexico,
a state without coral reefs. Six specimens were collected from a breakwater in the town of La Pesca, municipality of Soto la Marina,
in October 2016. The specimens had an average total length of 157 mm and were immature individuals with empty stomachs.
We hypothesize that the presence of this species is due to larval dispersal by currents of the Gulf of Mexico.
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Atsuko Fukunaga, Randall K. Kosaki and Brian B. Hauk
Distribution and abundance of the introduced snapper Lutjanus kasmira (Forsskål, 1775) on shallow and mesophotic reefs of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (pp 259–268) |
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The Bluestriped Snapper, Lutjanus kasmira (Forsskål, 1775), was intentionally introduced to the island of O‘ahu between 1955 and 1961.
It quickly spread throughout the Hawaiian Islands and became highly abundant in reef slope and spur and groove habitats. Here, we investigated
the distribution of L. kasmira on shallow and mesophotic reefs of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI) using fish survey data collected
from 2007 to 2016. L. kasmira was recorded at all islands or atolls of NWHI except for Gardner Pinnacles, Maro Reef, and Laysan Island—the
middle region of the NWHI. It was most abundant at French Frigate Shoals and Nihoa at the southern end of the NWHI. On mesophotic reefs, L. kasmira
was not observed at any locations north of French Frigate Shoals, except for one individual at Lisianski Island at an upper mesophotic depth. Small-bodied
individuals were found more frequently at greater depths. L. kasmira was often observed along with Mulloidichthys vanicolensis
(Valenciennes, 1831), Chromis acares Randall and Swerdloff, 1973, and Naso hexacanthus (Bleeker, 1855) on shallow-water reefs.
The present study indicates the potential effects of habitat types and water temperature in the vertical and horizontal distribution of L. kasmira
in the NWHI and the possibility of differential utilization of resources by adults and juveniles.
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Yuriy Kvach and Yuliya Kutsokon
The non-indigenous fishes in the fauna of Ukraine: a potentia ad actum (pp 269–279) |
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This is a review of the literature on non-indigenous fishes in Ukrainian freshwaters and coastal marine waters.
Excluding the cases of unsuccessful introductions and occasional findings, the list of established non-indigenous fish species
in Ukraine contains 27 species. Nine of these species have been deliberately introduced and are commercially stocked, though
natural spawning has not yet been confirmed. The list of successfully naturalized introductions includes 19 fish species,
eight of which can be considered as invasive due to their continued range expansion with probable negative influences on aboriginal fauna.
The remaining species on the list are restricted in their distribution and form localised populations. Neolimnetics and Mediterranean species
were not considered as non-indigenous because of their native status in major Ukrainian rivers, coastal waters, and/or adjacent waters
of the Black Sea. This review highlights the major research gaps in the distribution and status of native and non-native fishes in Ukraine,
which has considerable implications for the management of biodiversity and aquatic invasive species.
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Jiancao Gao, Xu Ouyang, Bojian Chen, Jonas Jourdan and Martin Plath
Molecular and morphometric evidence for the widespread introduction of Western mosquitofish Gambusia affinis
(Baird and Girard, 1853) into freshwaters of mainland China (pp 281–289) |
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Two North American species of mosquitofish, the Western (Gambusia affinis Baird and Girard, 1853) and Eastern mosquitofish
(G. holbrooki Girard, 1859), rank amongst the most invasive freshwater fishes worldwide. While the existing literature suggests
that G. affinis was introduced to mainland China, empirical evidence supporting this assumption was limited, and the possibility
remained that both species were introduced during campaigns attempting to reduce vectors of malaria and dengue fever. We used combined
molecular information (based on phylogenetic analyses of sequence variation of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene) and morphometric data
(dorsal and anal fin ray counts) to confirm the presence of only one species, G. affinis, across ten sampling sites in mainland China.
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Cassandra Docherty, Jonathan Ruppert, Tyana Rudolfsen, Andreas Hamann and Mark S. Poesch
Assessing the spread and potential impact of Prussian Carp Carassius gibelio (Bloch, 1782) to freshwater fishes in western North America (pp 291–296) |
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Prussian Carp (Carassius gibelio Bloch, 1782) is one of the most successful invasive species in Eurasia. Recently, Prussian Carp
were genetically confirmed in Alberta, Canada, documenting the first detection of this species in North America. Given the close morphological
similarity to their sister species, the Goldfish (Carassius auratus Linnaeus, 1758), it is likely that this species has been undetected
for some time. We document the spread of Prussian Carp since arrival (circa 2000), and contribute a trait-based risk assessment to potential
recipient communities in western North America. Using a meta-analysis of geo-referenced fisheries data in conjunction with original sampling in 2014,
we show that the Prussian Carp range has increased by eight- to eleven-fold over 15 years in Alberta at a rate of approximately 233–1,250 km² per year.
Range expansions in the near future are possible through the Saskatchewan River drainage and south into the Missouri River basin, with easily
accessible routes to Midwestern North America through irrigation canals. We show high life history trait overlap with other successful invasive species,
such as Goldfish and Common Carp (Cyprinus carpio Linnaeus, 1758). Additionally, there was high life history trait overlap with several species
of native sunfish (Centrarchidae) and suckers (Catostomidae). This study highlights Prussian Carp’s potential to widely impact North American
freshwater ecosystems and to successfully compete with native taxa. Considered one of the worst invaders in Eurasia, the arrival of Prussian Carp
in North America poses serious concern for fisheries managers. There is an urgent need to develop management plans before further range expansion
and disruption of freshwater ecosystems by this new invasive species.
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Roberto Alonso Bosch and Rafael Borroto Páez
First record from Cuba of the introduced mourning gecko, Lepidodactylus lugubris (Duméril and Bibron, 1836) (pp 297–300) |
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The mourning gecko, Lepidodactylus lugubris (Duméril and Bibron, 1836), native to the Southwest Pacific, is one of the most successful
reptile invaders. This study reports the first record from Cuba and the Greater Antilles. We document the occurrence of reproductive individuals
in 2008, and collected five adult individuals in an urban environment of Havana city in 2017. Given the species is superficially similar
to another invasive gecko; it is likely that there has been an established population in Cuba for at least the past decade. We warn about
the possible spread and the potential impacts of this partheno¬genetic species of gecko.
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