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First record of Acrothamnion preissii (Rhodophyta: Ceramiaceae) from the Maltese Islands (central Mediterranean Sea)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 January 2015

Julian Evans ,
Veronica Farrugia Drakard  and
Patrick J. Schembri
Julian Evans
Affiliation:
Department of Biology, University of Malta, Msida MSD2080, Malta
Veronica Farrugia Drakard
Affiliation:
Department of Biology, University of Malta, Msida MSD2080, Malta
Patrick J. Schembri*
Affiliation:
Department of Biology, University of Malta, Msida MSD2080, Malta
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: P.J. Schembri, Department of Biology, University of Malta, Msida MSD2080, Malta email: patrick.j.schembri@um.edu.mt
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Abstract

The ceramiacean red alga Acrothamnion preissii is an Indo-Pacific species that was first recorded in the Mediterranean Sea (Italy) in 1969, and which subsequently spread within the north-western basin, reaching the Balearic Islands to the west and Sicily to the south. Here we record A. preissii from the Maltese Islands, which represents a further southwards expansion of its known distribution range in the Mediterranean Sea. Although this species can be invasive, becoming the dominant epiphyte by forming dense turfs that smother native species, so far there is no evidence for such an invasion phase in the Maltese Islands.

Keywords

CeramialesMaltainvasive speciesalien speciesrange expansion

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Type
Research Article
Information
Marine Biodiversity Records , Volume 8 , 2015 , e6
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2015 

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