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This work aimed to collect the available material on the presence of marine Non-Indigenous Species (NIS) in the Mediterranean countries starting with existing national inventories and updating with new species records observed until December 2020 and other taxonomic and status amendments as appropriate. The final outcome is the result of a collaborative process between national and regional experts, involving detailed exchange of information and the building of consensus on the final lists to be used as the baselines for the implementation of the Integrated Monitoring and Assessment Programme for the Mediterranean. (IMAP). In total, 1011 non-indigenous species have been found in Mediterranean marine waters, of which 748 are currently considered established. The highest number of species is observed in Israel, Turkey, Lebanon and Italy. Approximately 50 species were categorized as Data Deficient, eitherdue to lack of consensus on their alien status or the validity of their identification. Polychaeta and Foraminifera were the taxonomic groups with the highest number of controversial species.There was a general increase in the yearly rate of new NIS introductions after the late 1990’s, which appears to be slowing down in the last decade. The refined NIS inventories are and important step for the full operationalization of the Common Indicator 6 for alien species in the context of IMAP.

CIESM Atlas egzotičnih vrsta bio je prvi pokušaj pružanja opsežnog, po grupama, pregleda nedavnih morskih "useljenika" u Mediteran, koji prolazi kroz drastične i brze promjene svoje biote. Mnoge od ovih novih vrsta su indo-pacifičkog podrijetla koje su dosegle Sredozemno more kroz Sueski kanal, i ti takozvani „lesepsijski“ ili "eritrejski" migranti sada značajno doprinose poglavito bioraznolikosti istočnog bazena Mediteranskog mora. Vrste koje su prodrle iz Crvenog u Sredozemno more nazivaju se „lesepsijskim migrantima“, prema inženjeru Ferdinandu de Lessepsu koji je planirao i nadgledao gradnju Sueskoga kanala. Iako je kanal otvoren u oba smjera, više vrsta migrira u smjeru Mediterana. Tako je do danas u Sredozemnom moru zabilježeno više od 300 morskih organizama različitih taksonomskih skupina. Sa sve većom pozornošću koja se posvećuje ovom fenomenu, sada se sve češće prepoznaju i osvajači drugog podrijetla, osobito iz područja tropskog Atlantika kao posljedica prirodne invazije kroz Gibraltar ili unosa (slučajnog ili namjernog) od strane čovjeka. Od 1869. godine Mediteran nudi otvorena vrata - putem Sueskog kanala -„morskim osvajačima“ iz Indo- Pacifika. Posljedica toga je da niti jedna druga regija svjetskog oceana sada ne stvara takav osjećaj ubrzane biološke promjene na planetarnoj razini kao upravo sam Mediteran. Toliko toga je nagoviješteno u prvom izdanju iz 2002. godine koje je otkrilo bogatu, uglavnom tropsku ihtio-faunu koja je dospjela Mediteran tijekom 20. stoljeća. Iako je predviđeno da će za ažuriranje ovog izdanja biti potrebno mnogo revizija, taj je zadatak ipak podcijenjen. Na kraju se pokazalo da je pet godina bilo potrebito za analizu novih zapisa, provjeru istinitosti izvora, uklanjanje nepouzdanih unosa, reviziju brojnih karata. Rezultat je zapanjujući i zabilježen je samo u jednoj statistici: u 20 godina od prvog izdanja atlasa, daleko više egzotičnih riba (107) dospjelo je u Mediteran nego tijekom čitavog stoljeća koje je prethodilo. To uključuje 43 nova „doseljenika“ koji su uspjeli u uspostavljanju samoodrživih populacija, plus dodatno 64 vrste koje su nedavno viđene barem jednom u svom novom potencijalnom staništu. U drugom izdanju su predstavljene i ilustrirane sve te ribe, plus 80 vrsta "preživjelih" iz prvog izdanja. Ovo brzo širenje rezultat je nekoliko čimbenika, koji se razlikuju od porasta temperature i slanosti mediteranskih voda, što pogoduje aklimatizaciji pristiglih tropskih riba, do značajnog proširenja i produbljivanja Sueskog kanala, kako bi se zadovoljili zahtjevi međunarodnog pomorskog prometa. Iako su neki nedavni dolasci zasigurno dobra vijest za mediteranske riblje tržnice, drugi već imaju značajne ekološke i gospodarske učinke, mijenjajući prirodu i dinamiku lokalne morske mrežice ili predstavljaju nove opasnosti po zdravlje potrošača.

This Collective Article presents information on 17 taxa belonging to five (5) Phyla and extending from the Alboran Sea to the Levantine Sea. These new records were found in six (6) different ecoregions as follows: Alboran Sea: Second and easternmost record of the sponge Chalinula nigra in the Mediterranean Sea; Western Mediterranean: first record of the rare gobid Gobius couchi for Spain, based on both morphological and molecular data; new records for the rare ascidian Ciona edwardsi from the Marine Protected Area of Tavolara, Sardinia; several records for four (4) different species of black coral, Antipathella subpinnata, Antipathes dichotoma, Leiopathes glaberrima and Parantipathes larix from the Aeolian Archipelago, all of which are currently threatened and/or protected at a Mediterranean level; the first documented records of the sea lamprey Petromyzon marinus in Calabria, which is considered “Critically Endangered” in Italy; first record in the Tyrrhenian Sea and second record in the Ionian Sea for the crab Ocypode cursor, which seems to be rapidly expanding its distribution range across Italian waters; Adriatic Sea: Additional records of yellowmouth barracuda, Sphyraena viridensis, in the northern Adriatic, which seems to be experimenting a meridionalization process in the region; Aegean Sea: First confirmed record of the iconic gastropod Bursa scrobilator scrobilator in the eastern Mediterranean Sea; an additional record for the vulnerable shark Dalatias licha, also being the largest individual caught in eastern Mediterranean waters till the time of capture; an additional record for the rare crab Distolambrus maltzami, suggesting the species might be more morphologically variable than originally thought; first documented record for the myctophid Hygophum hygomii in both Turkish waters and the north Aegean Sea; additional records for the tuna Katsuwonus pelamis and the sunfish Ranzania laevis in the eastern Mediterranean, pointing out that both species might not be as rare in the area as previously thought; Levantine Sea: additional records for the rare stingray Taeniura grabata in Turkish waters. © 2021

On 12 May 2013, a specimen of Lobotes surinamensis of 342 mm of total length was captured in the Raša Bay (Luka cove) on the southern coast of the Istra peninsula in the North Adriatic Sea. This capture would be the most northerly occurrence for the Adriatic and the Mediterranean Sea.

According to reports, the following 16 species have extended their distribution to other Mediterranean areas or have made a new appearance in other regions. The first category includes the following organisms: The rare and common Indo-Pacific seaweed Codium arabicum (Lebanese coasts), the acari Thalassarachna affinis (Marmara Sea), and the non-indigenous nudibranch Flabellina rubrolineata, which has been found in several areas of the Aegean Sea. In addition, the rare sea slug Thecacera pennigera (Mar Piccolo of Taranto), the fangtooth moray Enchelycore anatina (National Marine Park of Zakynthos, Ionian Sea), the carangid Seriola fasciata (Gulf of Antalya), Lagocephalus sceleratus (SE Ionian Sea), the reticulated leatherjacket Stephanolepis diaspros (Slovenia, N. Adriatic Sea), the marbled stingray, Dasyatis marmorata (NE Levantine), the starry smooth-hound Mustelus asterias (Iskenderun Bay, NE Mediterranean), the cephalopod Ommastrephes bartramii (Ionian Sea) have also been reported. The Atlantic crab Dyspanopeus sayi has expanded to many Italian areas and the blue crab Callinectes sapidus to a lake in N. Greece and in the S. Adriatic Sea. Finally, Farfantepenaeus aztecus has been found in the Ionian Sea, thus showing its wide expansion in the Mediterranean. The larval stages of Faccionella oxyrhyncha have been found, after many years, in the Aegean Sea and the first report of an existence on intersexual acari Litarachna duboscqi in Split (Adriatic Sea) was reported.

The occurrence of an early life stage of the king of herrings, Regalecus glesne Ascanius, 1772, is reported for the first time from the Adriatic waters. A single larva (SL = 103.4 mm) was found alive in the waters of open Adriatic near a remote Island PalagruĹľa. Findings of early life stages of this species are very rare in the Mediterranean and have previously been reported only from the waters of the Strait of Sicily and Elba Island.

One specimen (total length: TL= 108 mm, weight: W = 0.70 g) of smallmouth spiny eel Polyacanthonotus rissoanus (De Filippi & Verany, 1857) (Notacanthidae) was captured at a depth between 1192 and 1200 m in the area of the southern Adriatic Pit (42° 05.80 N ; 17° 38.00 E). This is the first record of this species for the Adriatic. Specimen is stored in the Ichthyological collection of the Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries, Split, under the number IOR-18.

Temperate Labridi species are nest builders with nests usually made out of plant material or detritus. During the summer 2004, 131 nests of three wrasses (S. roissali, S. ocellatus and S. cinereus) were studied with SCUBA diving in the Slovenian coastal sea (Northern Adriatic) in order to compare nest parameters and microhabitat preferences among the species. For the description of the structure of each nest, algal species, benthic invertebrates and type of substrata within the nest were determined, as well as the features of each microhabitat. The presence of the male at the nest was also taken into consideration while sampling. A redundancy analysis (RDA) was performed in order to highlight the distribution of the three species in relation to environmental variables and their preferences for different biotic and abiotic variables in the construction of nests. Labrid species resulted to be more abundant on rocky bottoms, where the Cystoseiretum barbatae association is dominant. It seems that the studied species show a preference for some microhabitats, but are building their nests using the most abundant algal material in the environment. Only S. ocellatus seems to select shrub-forming algae as the main nest-forming material.

The recruitment of leaping grey mullet, Liza saliens juveniles in the Neretva River estuary (middle eastern Adriatic Sea, Croatia) started in July, was highest in August, decreased in September, and was unobserved later. The juveniles firstly occupied mouths of rivers and channels and then started migrating to more freshwater habitats. By feeding investigation, the harpacticoids were the dominant prey in the stomachs of L. saliens juveniles during the period from August to December and nematodes replaced those as the dominant prey from January to April. Plant material in the stomachs started to appear at 24 mm of standard length, and was common prey in fish larger than 26 mm. In comparison with other Adriatic mullet’ s species, the leaping grey mullet juveniles first started to recruit during July and August, while other grey mullet species appeared later (in September) in the Neretva River estuary. Such intraspecies spawning and recruitment segregation together with the optimal quantity and quality of available and preferable prey could provide an explanation for the recent success and propagation of this species in this area.

One specimen of crested oarfish, Lophotus lacepede (male, mature), with total length TL=167 cm and weight 10, 1 kg was captured in the eastern Adriatic (islet Brušnjak) on 20th January 2006. This record represents the northernmost record for thisspecies in the Mediterranean area.

The embryonic and early larval development of the laboratory-reared sand smelt, Atherina boyeri are described. Mature unfertilized eggs were pelagic and spherical with a homogeneous and unsegmented yolk contained several oil droplets. Eggs were equiped with long hairy appendages. Fertilized eggs ranged in diameter from 1.58 to 2.05 mm, with a mean (± ; ; SD) of 1.75± ; ; 0.101 mm. Embryonic development lasted 211 h 32 min at a mean temeperature 19.20C. Newly hatched yolk-sac larvae measured 4.5 mm (± ; ; SD=0.15) total length in average (range 4.4-4.7 mm). The yolk was completely resorbed by the day 3 after hatching. Changes in length and shape of yolk-sac larvae and larvae during the first six days after hatching are also presented.

International audience

International audience; Growth of juvenile Diplodus puntazzo from the Kornati Archipelago, eastern middle Adriatic Sea was analysed. A total of 663 juveniles, ranging in length from 1.6 to 9.3 cm, were caught. Most individuals (98.80%) belonged to the 0 cohort. The first settlers, aged 2.0-2.5 months, were recorded at the end of November. Relationship between total length and weight indicates positive allometric growth (b = 3.181). The condition factor, as a consequence of length-weight relationship, was CF = 1.55. The Gompertz equation (c = 0.038 mm days-1 ; R2 = 0.832) seems to be the most appropriate for the description of young D. puntazzo growth.

One specimen of the eel Anguilla anguilla (Linnaeus, 1758), was caught in the vicinity of the town of Ploče (eastern Adriatic, Croatian coast). Its total length TL=1487 mm represents maximum reported length for this species.

Young-of-the-Year (Y-O-Y) fish in the littoral shallows of the Neretva and Mala Neretva estuaries comprises a highly diverse fish community composed of 68 species representing 28 families. Gobiidae represent the most diverse family followed by Sparidae, Mugilidae and Soleidae. Moreover, more than 64.7% (44 species) of the Y-O-Y species caught are among the species that form the main targets for commercial fisheries in the southern Adriatic.

The stomach contents of Spondyliosoma cantharus and Diplodus puntazzo were analysed using three simple methods (numeric, gravimetric and frequency of occurrence) and a composite index (IRI - Index of relative importance). To compare the species, the Schoener index was used. The diet of S. cantharus consisted mainly of amphipods followed by polychaetes, ophiuroids and hydrozoans, while macrophyta, bivalves, spongids, polychaetes and ophiuroids dominated in the case of D. puntazzo. There were some size-related differences in S. cantharus and D. puntazzo feeding. Diet overlap was high and significant between species. Polychaetes were the dominant prey group in all seasons for S. cantharus, particularly from spring to autumn. Significant differences among seasons were found for polychaetes, amphipods, ophiuroids and decapods. Mean weight and mean number of prey significantly increased to spring-summer period. Macrophyta and bivalves were the dominant prey groups in all seasons for D. puntazzo, particularly from spring to summer. Significant differences among seasons were found for macrophyta, bivalves, ophiuroids and hydrozoans. Mean weight and mean number of prey significantly increased to spring-summer period.

A specimen of great white shark was caught near island Jabuka (eastern middle Adriatic), and this new record (after several decades) was connected with the presence of higher quantity of tunas in the Adriatic.

The feeding habits of sand smelt, Atherina boyeri Risso, 1810 in the mouth of the Mala Neretva River were studied by examining the stomach contents of 1236 fishes collected from March 2001 to February 2002. Thirteen different food categories were identified. The greatest diversity was recorded in winter, especially in January, when 11 categories were present. The minimum (4) was in September, and was associated with the highest number of empty stomachs. Marine and estuarine species represented the bulk of the prey, while typically fresh-water species (Daphnia spp. and Cyclops spp.) were found only sporadically. Crustaceans were the most common prey and, of these, the most common were copepods (45%), followed by gammarid amphipods (34%), cladocerans (13%), decapod larvae (12%) and mysids (8%). Insects represented 7%. The percentage number of prey showed high seasonal variations. Copepods dominated in autumn and winter, cyclopoids in April, poecilostomatoids and harpacticoids in December, and calanoids in January and February. Decapod larvae dominated in March-May, and mysids in July-August. PCA and clustering analysis was performed on the prey data in order to reveal associations between prey items or seasonal similarities. The opportunistic mode of feeding of the species Atherina boyeri is also discussed. Los hábitos alimenticios del pejerrey, Atherina boyeri Risso, 1810 en la boca del río Mala Neretva se estudiaron mediante el examen del contenido estomacal de 1236 peces recolectados desde marzo de 2001 a febrero de 2002. Se identificaron 13 categorías diferentes de alimento. La mayor diversidad se observó en invierno, especialmente en enero, en que estuvieron presentes 11 categorías.. El mínimo (4) se observó en septiembre, y se asoció al mayor número de estómagos vacíos. Las especies marinas y estuáricas representaron el principal grupo de presas, mientras que especies típicas de agua dulce (Daphnia spp. y Cyclops spp.) se encontraron sólo esporádicamente. Los crustáceos fueron las presas más comunes, siendo los copépodos los más frecuentes (45%), seguido de los amfípodos gammaridos (34%), cladóceros (13%), larvas de decápodos 12%, misidáceos 8%, e insectos 7%. El porcentaje de presas mostró una alta variación estacional. En general, los copépodos dominaron en otoño e invierno: los Cyclopoides fueron más numerosos en abril, los poecilostomátidos y harpacticoides en diciembre y los calanoides en enero y febrero. Las larvas de decápodo dominaron en marzo-mayo y los misidáceos en julio-agosto. Con los datos de presas se realizaron análisis multivariantes para revelar asociaciones entre presas o similaridades estacionales. En este trabajo se discute, también, el modelo de alimentación de tipo oportunista de la especie Atherina boyeri.