Codium fragile subsp. fragile (Suringar) Hariot in Tunisia: morphological data and status of knowledge.

The Mediterranean Sea is currently facing dramatic changes and threats, including change in native species and accidental introductions. The introduced green alga Codium fragile subsp. fragile (Suringar) Hariot influences diversity and community structure in some parts of the world. This paper documents the distribution of this species in Tunisia and provides a morphological description of C. fragile subsp. fragile in Northern Tunisia. Results confirm the identity of Tunisian specimens as the invasive subspecies C. fragile subsp. fragile. This is the first morphological characterization of this subspecies in Tunisia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]