![Sample our Environment & Agriculture journals, sign in here to start your access, latest two full volumes FREE to you for 14 days]({"type":"image" , "src" : "/sda/5934/TOC-Subject-Sample-2021-Environment-Agriculture.jpg"})
Abstract
The paraonid polychaete Aricidea fragilis Webster, 1879, a typically west-Atlantic species, is reported from the Mediterranean Sea on the basis of several individuals, from the Adriatic and Tyrrhenian Sea. Its differences with the other Mediterranean Paraonidae, and in particular with the morphologically close Aricidea suecica meridionalis Laubier & Ramos, 1974, are briefly discussed. The possible status of A. fragilis as an alien species in European waters is analysed. The scarcity of historical records, the relatively restricted distribution, and the population dynamics observed in European waters strongly support the hypothesis of an introduction, despite the wide temporal interval between the first record of the species in the 1930s and the currently ongoing range expansion and population explosion. Here we precautionarily suggest considering A. fragilis a cryptogenic species.
Acknowledgements
We are grateful to G. Benedettini, O. Bresciani and A. Pavia (ARPA Toscana), M. Lionello (ARPA Veneto), F. Nasi (Istituto Nazionale di Oceanografia e Geofisica Sperimentale, Trieste), and A. M. Pastorelli (ARPA Puglia) for giving us some of the studied individuals; to G. Montesanto (University of Pisa) for his valuable help in the preparation and improving of drawings; to A. Marchini (University of Pavia) for her useful suggestions and her encouragement in the preparation of the manuscript; to C. Strazzulla (Cardiff University) for her contribution in improving the English expression; and, lastly, to four anonymous referees for their useful comments and corrections that significantly contributed to this work.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.