Occurrence of Diopatramarocensis (Annelida, Onuphidae) in the eastern Mediterranean

Abstract

The present study deals with the presence of Diopatramarocensis in the eastern Mediterranean. This species is small-sized and inhabited muddy bottom near the opening of rivers or lagoons salinity range: 33-39‰] in the Aegean and Levantine Seas, and reached a maximum density of 90 ind.m(-2) in Mersin Bay. This species might be an alien species that was introduced from the East Atlantic (near Gibraltar) to the eastern Mediterranean via ballast water of ships, as it has never been reported from the western Mediterranean Sea.