EASIN - European Alien Species Information Network

Kostas Tsiamis
10/22/2015 - 3:13 PM

Thread Opening Text:
This taxon is it alien in Europe?

If yes, should it be listed as Spiroloculina aff. communis or as S. communis?

Martin LANGER
11/22/2015 - 10:05 AM

Spiroloculina aff. communis is not yet recognized as a legitimate species and it is certainly not identical with the original Spiroloculina communis described by Cushman and Todd in 1944. 
The foraminiferal species Spiroloculina communis has been described in 1944 from recent sediments off Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia by Cushman and Todd. I am not aware of a reliable occurrence of this species in the Mediterranean Sea or in European waters. Publications that mention this species just mention a name without a picture (or a picture that shows all necessary details). As such I cannot confirm that Spiroloculina aff. communis has yet to be recognized as an invasive species in the Mediteranean Sea.

There is a, however, a well documented Red Sea occurrence of Spiroloculina aff. S. communis from the Gulf of Aqaba (Red Sea). 

To conclude: Spiroloculina aff communis cannot yet be accepted as an invasive species in European waters and it can certainly not be listed as Spiroloculina communis.

Kostas Tsiamis
1/20/2016 - 1:58 PM

Thread Closing Text:
The species is deleted from the EASIN Catalogue

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