First record of Thalamita oculea Alcock, 1899 (Crustacea: Decapoda: Portunidae) in the Mediterranean Sea

Bella S. Galil*, Aviyam Tagar, Rotem Zirler, Omri Bronstein, Tamar Feldstein-Farkash

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

A single adult specimen of Thalamita oculea, a portunid crab known from the Indian Ocean, was recently collected off the Israeli coast, in the southeastern Mediterranean Sea. Morphological characters, as well as molecular analyses based on the mitochondrial barcoding gene 16S ribosomal RNA, support the identification. The species is described, illustrated, and differentiated from its Mediterranean congeners. As the Israeli shelf serves as an important way station and breeding ground for invasive Erythraean biota, T. oculea may potentially spread along the Levant coastline.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)97-107
Number of pages11
JournalBioInvasions Records
Volume13
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 2024

Funding

FundersFunder number
American Museum of Natural History
Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Agriculture
Israeli national monitoring of fisheries

    Keywords

    • Erythraean invasion
    • Suez Canal
    • alien species
    • taxonomic validation

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