Abundance patterns at the invasion front: the case of Siganus luridus in Linosa (Strait of Sicily, Central Mediterranean Sea)
Ernesto Azzurro A E , Giulio Franzitta B , Marco Milazzo B , Michel Bariche C and Emanuela Fanelli D
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA), Piazzale dei Marmi 2, I-57123 Livorno, Italy.
B Department of Earth and Marine Sciences, University of Palermo, Via Archirafi 22/28, I-90123 Palermo, Italy.
C Department of Biology, American University of Beirut, Riad El-Solh 1107 2020, Beirut, Lebanon.
D ENEA, Marine Environment Research Centre, PO Box 224, I-19100 Pozzuolo di Lerici (SP), Italy.
E Corresponding author. Email: eazzurr@gmail.com
Marine and Freshwater Research 68(4) 697-702 https://doi.org/10.1071/MF16024
Submitted: 23 January 2016 Accepted: 22 March 2016 Published: 16 June 2016
Abstract
The dusky spinefoot (Siganus luridus) has spread through much of the eastern Mediterranean since its introduction in 1920. In the present study, we monitored the abundance of this invader around the island of Linosa (Strait of Sicily), where the species was first recorded in 2003. Data were periodically collected along two temporal windows, 2005–06 and 2012–15, by both underwater visual census and surface snorkelling. Local ecological knowledge was investigated to gain complementary information. Both approaches highlighted significant proliferation of this tropical invader, with an average abundance of 0.36 individuals per 250 m2 across the 0–30-m depth range. Dense aggregations of more than 100 adult individuals were observed in September 2015, and a coherent spatial structure at the small scale (<1 km) was demonstrated. Considering the biogeographical relevance of this population, located at the western edge of its exotic distribution, these findings can be taken as a valuable case study for understanding invasion processes in the marine environment.
Additional keywords: Italy, Lessepsian migration, population outbreak, Siganidae.
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