Molecular Confirmation on the Presence of Anadara Kagoshimensis (Tokunaga, 1906) (Mollusca: Bivalvia: Arcidae) in the Black Sea / Confirmarea moleculară a prezenţei speciei Anadara Kagoshimensis (Tokunaga, 1906) (Mollusca: Bivalvia: Arcidae) în Marea Neagră

The use of DNA barcoding in alien invasions has recently proved to be a powerful tool in delineating dispersal pathways and clarifying doubtful identifications. Morphological similarities between Anadara kagoshimensis (Tokunaga, 1906) and Anadara inaequivalvis (Bruguière, 1789) require the use of genetic markers in identifying the ark shell species that has recently invaded the Black Sea. The high genetic similarity (99.8-100%) hereby found between COI sequences obtained from the Black Sea samples and Japanese A. kagoshimensis confirms at a molecular level that the ark clam species invading the Romanian Black Sea belong to this taxon.