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Thursday 16 July 2015

Documentation on the establishment of Percnon gibbesi (H. Milne Edwards, 1853) (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura) in Cyprus (Eastern Mediterranean) By G. Κonstantinou and K. Kapiris

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Percnon gibbesi (H. Milne Edwards, 1853) - Cyprus


Mediterranean Marine Science journal


http://www.katsanevakis.com/PDF%20files/MMS_Thessalou_et_al_Biodiversity_Records.pdf

2.4. Documentation on the establishment of Percnon gibbesi (H. Milne Edwards, 1853) (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura) in Cyprus (Eastern Mediterranean) 

By G. Κonstantinou and K. Kapiris 

A total of 133 alien species have been recorded from Cyprus up to December 2010 (30 fish, 44 molluscs, 19 polychaetes, 15 phytobenthic species, 12 crustaceans and 13 species from other taxa). Of these, 109 are Lessepsian immigrants (105 of Indo-Pacific origin, 4 cosmopolitan or circumtropical) (EASTMED, 2010). Percnon gibbesi (H. Milne Edwards, 1853) is the most invasive decapod species to enter the Mediterranean from the Atlantic, with a rapid expansion across that Sea, and a remarkable ability to establish large populations in anthropogenically impacted areas (e.g. ports) as well as in natural habitats. Regarding Cyprus, although P. gibbesi does not appear in the EASTMED (2010) report and in Katsanevakis et al. (2009), two observations, in Dhekelia (Larnaca) and Limassol, were cited in Katsanevakis et al. (2011a), dating back to 2006 and 2007, respectively. We herein record the species from a new location on the south coast of Cyprus, and provide data on the material collected. Three male and three female specimens of the sally lightfoot crab (Figs. 5 a-d) were collected on 5/8/2012 in the sea area between Zygi and Alaminos, close to Larnaca (0.5-1 m) by underwater observation using snorkelling gear (33o 23’27’’E/34o 44’39’’N, 33o 20’38’’E/34o 43’44’’N). The bottom consisted of submerged boulders covered by a thin layer of microalgal felt, rock ledges and, partially, sand. The sampling habitat in the above studied area was similar to that reported from elsewhere in the Mediterranean (Pipitone et al., 2001; Cannicci et al., 2004; Deudero et al., 2005). Gender, body measurements and weight of the collected specimens are presented in Table 2. Among the females caught, two were berried, in accordance with other records on the brooding season in the Mediterranean (Sciberras and Schembri, 2007). On the other hand, the occurrence of ovigerous females supports that P. gibbesi is established in Cyprus.



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