Alien species of invertebrates in the Mar Piccolo of Taranto

Dyspanopeus sayi (Smith, 1869) is a marine crustacean decapod species. It was collected for the first time on mussel culture of Mytilus galloprovincialis from Mar the Piccolo of Taranto. A total of 14 specimens were recorded in September 2011 (11 individuals) and May 2012 (3 ovigerous females). The data suggest a slow spread of this invasive species northwards to the Central Mediterranean Sea, however it is necessary to maintain high vigilance in order to prevent its spread to the mussel-culture of the Mar Piccolo.
The first reporting of Caprella scaura (Crustacea, Amphipoda) in the Mar Piccolo of Taranto was noticed on 2008. C. scaura was collected during one year, from January 2008 to December 2008, on seaweed beds and on the algal cover of rocky substrates, at depths of 0.5 m, using a square metal box (50 x 50 cm). The results suggest that the population had successfully established at this location, albeit with great density fluctuations.
It is highly probable that C. scaura has been introduced, either from eastern Mediterranean or Indo-Pacific populations, by a combination of vectors including independent natural dispersal and attachment.
During a visual survey in August 2018, several specimens of Malleus regula (Mollusca, Bivalvia) were noticed on the poles of mussel farms and rocky substrata at about 2 m depth in the first inlet of the Mar Piccolo. The absence of earlier records of this newcomer may be attributed to a very recent introduction or to the fact that it may have been overlooked until now.