First record of Aequorea globosa Eschscholtz, 1829 (Cnidaria: Hydrozoa) in the coast of Syria

Abstract

The Indo-Pacific jellyfish Aequorea globosa Eschscholtz, 1829 was reported last year for the first time in the Mediterranean Sea from Iskenderun Bay (S. Turkey). This jellyfish was observed in the coast of Syria, on 8 January 2012, during a regular monthly sampling program.

New Mediterranean Marine biodiversity records (December, 2013)

“…Since the preserved oceanic puffer specimen was affixed to a wooden board, it could not be weighed. (Durgham, 2011;Mamish et al, 2012;Siokou et al, 2013).…”

First record of the new alien sea jelly species Marivagia stellata Galil and Gershwin, 2010 off the Syrian coast

“…It has a typically cryptic sessile, asexually reproducing polypoid stage, which can asexually produce large numbers of planktonic young medusa (ephyra), followed by a pelagic and sexually reproducing medusa stage (Graham et al 2007). Therefore, ephyra may have been carried with the Levantine coastal currents, as the case of the sea jelly species Aequorea globosa (Mamish et al 2012), or as polyps in ship fouling or ballast water of ships, as the case of the sea jelly species Phyllorhiza punctata (Abed-Navandi and Kikinger 2007, Boero et al 2009, Gueroun et al 2014. The sudden appearance of 60 sexually mature specimens of the new alien sea jelly species together at the same time may be attributed to the fact that local population that has been already established close to the major port of Lattakia.…”

“…Many reports of human problems with sea jelly have increased and captured public attention. Such problems come mainly from sea jelly stinging swimmers and interfering with fishing, aquaculture and power plant operations (Malej 2001;Pagès 2001;Benovic and Lucic 2001;Lynam 2006;Boero et al 2008;Licandro et al 2010;Sakınan 2011;Turan and Ozturk 2011;Mamish et al 2012).…”

“…The list of the new alien sea jelly species recorded recently in the Syrian costal water (eastern Mediterranean Sea) is increasing. Phyllorhiza punctata von Lendenfeld, 1884, Aequorea globosa Eschscholtz, 1829, Cassiopea andromeda Forsskål, 1775, and Rhopilema nomadica Galil, 1990 have been recently recorded and they are mostly of Indo-Pacific and Red Sea origin introduced through the Suez Canal (Ikhtiyar et al 2002;Durgham 2011;Mamish et al 2012;Siokou et al 2013;Mamish et al 2015).…”

First record of Aequorea macrodactyla (Cnidaria, Hydrozoa) from the Israeli coast of the eastern Mediterranean Sea, an alien species indicating invasive pathways

“…Turan et al (2011) report the presence of Aequorea globosa Eschscholtz, 1829 for the first time near the coast of Iskenderun Bay in the northeastern Mediterranean and they suggest ship-mediated transport as probable vector. A year later in 2012, Mamish et al (2012) observed Aequorea globosa near the coast of Syria and considered its appearance an indicator of climate change in the eastern Mediterranean marine environment. Gravili et al (2013) published a comprehensive review to update the diversity poll of species of what is known as a non-Siphonophora Hydrozoa (NSH) in the Mediterranean, which are traditionally studied as a separate group as their polyp and/or medusa stage is distinctive in global distributions (Kramp 1961;Kramp 1965).…”