Preventing a lionfish invasion in the Mediterranean
CitizenScience [77]
AlienSpecies [56]
Catalogue [40]
Biodiversity [37]
IAS [34]
EURegulation [30]
JRC [25]
DataPartner [24]
EASINTeam [21]
IASApp [18]
EASIN [18]
Invasive [18]
Preventing a lionfish invasion in the Mediterranean
Marine alien seagrasses in the Mediterranean Sea, only Halophila stipulacea was known (a Lessepsian immigrant introduced in late 19th century).
The water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) is an invasive aquatic plant of Union Concern native to the Amazon River, introduced in Europe during the 20th century.
Wetlands are critical habitats and highly productive ecosystems, providing environmental, social and economic services to the local communities (so-called ecosystem services).
A large-scale study on 34 Mediterranean marinas (Spain, France, Italy, Malta, Greece, Turkey and Cyprus) revealed that Mediterranean marinas indeed act as major hubs for the transfer of marine alien species, indicating that recreational boats act as effective vectors of spread. Numerous new alien species records at the basin, subregional, country and locality level are also reported.
Biological invasions have become one of the main drivers of habitat degradation and biodiversity loss in island ecosystems worldwide, which are hot spots of biodiversity and contain rare habitats and endemic species. Small islands are particularly vulnerable to the threat of invasive species.
The Atlantic blue crab, Callinectes sapidus, is a species native to the waters of western Atlantic Ocean, from Nova Scotia to Argentina. Introduced to Europe at the beginning of the 20th century, it is currently recorded almost ubiquitously in the Mediterranean and in the Black Sea.
The presence of the Lessepsian migrant red-eye round herring Etrumeus golanii (Clupeidae) is confirmed in Tunisian coastal waters with the record of 7 specimens captured in June 2014 in the Gulf of Gabes.
The moon jellyfish Aurelia (Cnidaria, Scyphozoa) species complex is widely distributed.
The tropical green seaweed Halimeda incrassata (Bryopsidales, Chlorophyta) is reported for the first time from the Mediterranean Sea. Plants were observed at 2 sites off Mallorca island (NW Mediterranean), and species identification was confirmed molecularly.