Occurrence of the alien nudibranch Melibe viridis (Kelaart, 1858) (Opisthobranchia, Tethydidae), in the Maltese Islands
Borg, J.A.; Evans, J.; Schembri, P.J. (2009). Occurrence of the alien nudibranch Melibe viridis (Kelaart, 1858) (Opisthobranchia, Tethydidae), in the Maltese Islands. Mediterr. Mar. Sci. 10(1): 131-136. https://dx.doi.org/10.12681/mms.127
In: Mediterranean Marine Science. National Centre for Marine Research: Athina. ISSN 1108-393X; e-ISSN 1791-6763, more
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| Keywords |
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| Author keywords |
Mollusca; Gastropoda; Nudibranchia; Dendronotina; Malta; Mediterranean;Dispersal |
| Authors | | Top |
- Borg, J.A.
- Evans, J.
- Schembri, P.J.
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| Abstract |
The alien dendronotacean nudibranch Melibe viridis (Kelaart, 1858), a tropical Indo-Pacific speciesthat seems to have been introduced by shipping into the Mediterranean via the Suez Canal, and which hasestablished populations in Greece, Turkey, Cyprus, Montenegro, Croatia, NW Sicily, southern peninsularItaly and Djerba Island in the Gulf of Gabes, is recorded for the first time from Malta. A thriving populationwas observed on a soft sediment bottom at a depth of 18-20 m off the western coast of the islandof Comino (Maltese Islands). It is suggested that this species was introduced into Malta due to a naturalrange expansion of surrounding populations. |
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