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The invasive spoted sea hare Aplysia dactylomela (Molusca: Gastropoda: Aplysidae) - new records and spread pattern in the Mediteranean.

2012; Volume: 62; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

0240-8759

Fabio Crocetta, Bella S. Galil,

Marine Biology and Ecology Research

Recent and overlooked unpublished records (2005-2011) of the invasive alien sea hare Aplysia dactylomela from Israel, Cyprus, Turkey, Greece, Malta and Italy are presented. We confirm the presence of established populations in Israel, Malta and the Gulf of Taranto (Italy, Ionian Sea), where hitherto the species was known from single records. In addition, new records from Cosenza and Vibo Valentia provinces point to a spread northwards along the Tyrrhenian coast of Italy. Finally, the possible pathway of introduction to the Mediterranean is discussed taking account of a previously unreported record off Israel.