The alien spreading of Chama pacifica Broderip, 1835 (Mollusca: Bivalvia: Chamidae) in the Mediterranean Sea

Abstract

A detailed Mediterranean synonymy (= list of published records) and distributional map is offered for the Pacific jewel-box Chama pacifica Broderip, 1835, an alien mollusk invasive in the deep eastern Mediterranean Sea. A more detailed examination of the single specimen published from the Thermaikos Gulf led us to consider it as a juvenile of the native congeneric C. gryphoides Linnaeus, 1758. Concomitantly, the presence of C. pacifica along the Greek shores is here first recorded on the basis of 4 adult live specimens sampled at Fokià Bay (Kàrpathos Island). Dates of first record in the Mediterranean for each country in which the species was recorded are reviewed with respect to the recent bibliography. On the basis of the specimens directly examined or reported in the literature, the first record date for Turkey and Lebanon is 1999, and for Greece, 2011. Finally, a discussion regarding the Mediterranean spreading of C. pacifica is offered. © TÜBİTAK.