Caprellid assemblages (Crustacea: Amphipoda) in shallow waters invaded by var. from southeastern Spain

M. Vázquez-Luis (1) , J. M. Guerra-García (2) , P. Sanchez-Jerez (3) , J. T. Bayle-Sempere (3)

1 Centro de Investigación Marina de Santa Pola (CIMAR)
2 Laboratorio de Biología Marina, Departamento de Fisiología y Zoología, Facultad de Biología
3 Departamento de Ciencias del Mar y Biología Aplicada

Growth of the invasive algae var. in shallow habitats may influence the faunal assemblage composition. We studied its effects on caprellid assemblages associated with shallow-water habitats of hard and soft bottoms from the SE Iberian Peninsula (native rocky-bottom algae, from hard and soft bottoms, and , and from soft bottoms). Samples were taken in two different sampling periods (September 2004 and March 2005). A total of seven caprellid species were identified, with important differences in their distribution in different habitats. Total abundance of caprellids was very high in March on native algae on hard bottoms, and on on both soft and hard bottoms. On both hard and soft bottoms, abundances of recorded from were low. On the other hand, a higher abundance of other species, namely , , and , was recorded from . The results indicate that may have a positive influence on some caprellid species, while seasonal changes are also evident. It is concluded that introduced may serve as a new habitat, promoting and maintaining caprellid populations in shallow Mediterranean habitats.

Mots clés: var; Amphipoda; Caprellidae; var.; Southeastern Spain; Invasive species

M. Vázquez-Luis, J. M. Guerra-García, P. Sanchez-Jerez, J. T. Bayle-Sempere. Caprellid assemblages (Crustacea: Amphipoda) in shallow waters invaded by var. from southeastern Spain. Helgoland Marine Research, 2008, 63 (2), pp.107-117. ⟨10.1007/s10152-008-0129-4⟩. ⟨hal-00478106⟩