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First record of the alien gastropod Melibe fimbriata (Opistobranchia: Tethyidae) in the Taranto seas (Mediterranean Sea)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 October 2004

Danilo Carriglio
Affiliation:
Istituto Ambiente Marino Costiero, Sez. Talassografico ‘A. Cerruti’, CNR Via Roma 3, 74100 Taranto, Italy
Giovanni Fanelli
Affiliation:
Istituto Ambiente Marino Costiero, Sez. Talassografico ‘A. Cerruti’, CNR Via Roma 3, 74100 Taranto, Italy
Fernando Rubino
Affiliation:
Istituto Ambiente Marino Costiero, Sez. Talassografico ‘A. Cerruti’, CNR Via Roma 3, 74100 Taranto, Italy

Abstract

The first occurrence of the alien gastropod Melibe fimbriata in the Taranto marine coastal area is reported. This mollusc was observed on muddy bottoms covered with dense algal beds mainly composed of Chaetomorpha linum, Gracilaria spp. and the invasive chlorophyta Caulerpa racemosa. Occasionally, M. fimbriata specimens were found in proximity to mussel farms. Most specimens of M. fimbriata were observed during diurnal foraging activity and associated with anaspideans species, like native Aplysia depilans and the lessepsian immigrant Bursatella leachii. Melibe fimbriata can be considered a definitively resident species in the opistobranch fauna of the Taranto seas.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
2004 Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom

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