The invasion history of alien Prosopis (mesquite) in Israel and Jordan is presented, with a detailed description of the introduction, background and the habitats now infested with Prosopis in these countries. While the number of escaped individuals in Israel is still limited, Prosopis has invaded large areas in Jordan and has become the main invasive alien tree in the Jordan valley. It is also now spreading in the canyons of south Jordan. The distinct prosopis invasion patterns in Israel and Jordan are discussed. Control programs are urgently needed in order to contain the proliferation of Prosopis, which now poses a major threat to natural habitats as well as to fallow fields. The ongoing establishment of dense thickets of Prosopis along wadis with year-round water flow is likely to displace native species such as Acacia raddiana Savi, and to alter the function of natural ecosystems.

Cytochrome c oxidase subunit I DNA sequences provide genetic confirmation of the presence of the invasive slug Deroceras invadens on Norfolk Island, an isolated Pacific island, where it has not previously been identified. The six sequences that were determined include two distinct haplotypes indicating that more than one individual has contributed genetic material to the invasive population. No close relatives of one of these haplotypes have yet been found in Europe, suggesting that the species’ genetic diversity in its native range has not yet been fully sampled.

This paper reports the first record of Carabus granulatus L. from Moosonee, Ontario. The record extends the range of the species northward in Ontario by approximately 200 km. Carabus granulatus was first introduced into North America in 1890 from Europe. The historic area of C. granulatus in North America was plotted against year. The square root of area occupied by C. granulatus was linear over time (R2 = 0.96, a type 1 expansion curve) a pattern associated with expansion driven by neighbourhood diffusion.

The present paper documents the further spread of the venomous scyphomedusa Rhopilema nomadica Galil, Spannier & Ferguson, 1990, which first appeared in the Mediterranean off the Israeli coast in the mid-1970s. This report provides the northernmost and westernmost record of the species in the Mediterranean—from the eastern coast of the Italian island of Sardinia—based on a new record of the species within the Sicily Channel (Aegadian Islands) and provides evidence of its further establishment within Tunisian coastal waters.

Craspedacusta sowerbii (Lankester, 1880) is a cnidarian thought to originate from the Yangtze River valley in China. However, C. sowerbii is now an invasive species in freshwater systems worldwide. In Chile, C. sowerbii was first recorded in 1942 by Porter and Schmitt in the Marga-Marga Reservoir, in Valparaíso. Since then, there have been few further Chilean records of this species. Here, we report the presence of C. sowerbii medusae in Santa Elena Lake, Bulnes, Región del Bío-Bío, along with limnological parameters.

The serpulid polychaete Hydroides sanctaecrucis Krøyer in Mörch, 1863, native to the Caribbean, was found in the Port of Kaohsiung, Taiwan, and this currently represents the most northern record within the western Pacific Ocean. It was found associated with the invasive dreissenid bivalve Mytilopsis sallei (Récluz, 1849), also native to the Caribbean. It is likely that the spread of this serpulid within the Pacific Ocean has been due to vessel hull fouling, and the extensive shell surfaces of M. sallei in the estuarine regions of the port have provided suitable surfaces for its settlement. Here we review the occurrence of H. sanctaecrucis within the Pacific Ocean. It is expected to spread to other ports in the western Pacific Ocean.

Invasive species can change ecosystem services, cause loss of biodiversity, alter biogeochemical processes, and significantly affect global economics. Corbicula fluminea is an invasive bivalve found globally in lotic and lentic systems. This study aimed to examine the distribution, density, and potential ecological effects of C. fluminea in Lake Seminole, a large shallow, polymictic reservoir in the S.E. USA by investigating: 1) the density and distribution of C. fluminea; 2) abiotic factors determining abundance; and 3) heavy metals and nutrients accumulating within whole body tissue. This study calculated C. fluminea abundance at 55 ± 29 (mean ± SD) per m², leading to a reservoir-wide estimate of ~4.3 billion. Multivariate analysis showed water depth as the leading factor determining C. fluminea occurrence. Corbicula fluminea siphon large volumes of Lake Seminole potentially playing a role in benthic/pelagic biochemical coupling. Compared to surrounding sediments, C. fluminea whole body tissue had significantly greater concentrations of Zinc, Copper, and Phosphorus. Results show that C. fluminea can thrive in large, shallow reservoirs as well as provide linkages between pelagic and benthic environments.

This study reports the presence of the Charru mussel Mytella charruana d’Orbignyi, 1846 (Bivalvia: Mytilidae) in Manila South Harbor, Manila Bay, Luzon Island, Philippines. In 2014, mussels previously identified as Mytilus spp. were reported in Manila Bay. The species was detected as part of an ecological dynamics study of previously-recorded marine non-indigenous mollusc species. DNA barcoding results suggest that the previously identified Mytilus are in fact Mytella charruana with an average identity match of 94%. The trends in abundance of Mytella during the 2014–2015 sampling season are described and the potential of this new species to become invasive and competitive with native Perna viridis (Linnaeus, 1758).

The Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas (Thunberg, 1793) is an invasive non-native species to Europe, introduced as an aquaculture alternative in 1890. In recent years, C. gigas have expanded their range past 60ºN on the east side of the North Sea along the Norwegian coast, consistent with range-expansion predictions. However, the northwest North Sea around the Scottish coast has not shown an equivalent expansion. Here we report collection of two C. gigas specimens north of 60ºN in Shetland, corresponding to an increase in the species northwest range of 471 km. These finds have implications for local shellfish aquaculture industries and in the conservation of priority marine habitats that are located in the near vicinity. The findings suggest that the species can spawn and survive at much lower temperatures than those used in current models.

We report the first discovery of the marine amphipod Caprella mutica (Schurin, 1935), commonly known as the Japanese skeleton shrimp, in South African waters. This amphipod is indigenous to north-east Asia and has invaded several regions, including Europe, North America, New Zealand and now South Africa. C. mutica was detected in scrape samples from the hulls and niche areas of four yachts resident to False Bay Marina, Simon’s Town, on South Africa’s South Coast. A total of 2,157 individuals were recorded, comprising 512 males, 966 females (20% of which were gravid) and 679 juveniles. The yachts upon which this amphipod was found were not alongside each other, suggesting that the species is widely distributed within the marina. The presence of C. mutica in South Africa has been anticipated, as previous work highlighted the climatic suitability of the region and the presence of vectors between South Africa and other invaded areas. The fast reproductive cycle of C. mutica, along with its high reproductive output, have important implications for its invasiveness in South Africa. Although it has already reached substantial densities in the marina environment, the extent to which it may invade natural habitats along the South African coast remains unclear. This paper comprises the first record of this amphipod from the African continent.

Four specimens of the northern brown shrimp Penaeus aztecus Ives, 1891, a West Atlantic species, were unexpectedly caught by bottom trawlers along the South coast of Sicily between Porto Empedocle and Mazara del Vallo (Central Mediterranean). The dispersal and transport of shrimp eggs and larvae via surface water circulation is suggested as the likely cause of its rapid westward spread since its first appearance in the Gulf of Antalya (Turkey) in 2009. The settlement of P. aztecus in Mediterranean coastal habitats may result in competition with the native caramote prawn Penaeus kerathurus (Forskål, 1775). Some aspects of the species geographical distribution in Mediterranean are briefly discussed in relation to the circulation pattern of surface waters.

We report the most northerly occurrence of the bighead goby Ponticola kessleri (Günther, 1861) in the Elbe River in Germany, where the fish was first observed in August 2015. Previously, the northernmost record of this Ponto-Caspian gobiid species originated from the lower Rhine River. Twelve specimens of P. kessleri were recorded in the Elbe River between Hamburg and Lauenburg between the 7th of August 2015 and the 13th of June 2016. Detailed morphometric and meristic data for nine specimens are provided. We further provide DNA barcode sequences for two of the specimens and compare these to published records. The newly sequenced specimens and previously published sequences from German and Austrian locations showed no genetic variation for the COI gene.

Dactylogyrus anchoratus and Dactylogyrus vastator (Monogenea, Dactylogyridae) are distributed worldwide as the most frequent ectoparasites of goldfish (Carassius auratus). This is the first report of D. anchoratus and D. vastator from India. The monogeneans were identified using morphometric measurements of hard parts, the morphology of the haptoral parts and the shape of the male copulatory organ. Molecular characterization by phylogenetic analyses of 18S and 28S ribosomal RNA gene sequences supported the morphological identifications.

The African clawed frog Xenopus laevis Daudin, 1802 is a global invader with established non-native populations on at least four continents. While Florida, USA has the largest established non-native herpetofauna in the world, there has been no evidence of X. laevis establishment in the state. Surveys during July 2016 in the Tampa Bay region of west-central Florida revealed an active breeding site of this species in an urban detention pond. The pond (~458 m²) is located adjacent to a small tributary of the Alafia River, which receives discharge from the pond. Two historic X. laevis collection locations were sampled but no individuals were detected. An additional 15 detention and retention ponds and 5 stream crossings near the breeding pond were also surveyed but no X. laevis specimens were collected at any location except the one active breeding site. No eggs were found in the breeding pond and early stage tadpoles were rare, but middle and late stage tadpoles, froglets, and juvenile frogs were common. At least 13,000 tadpoles and froglets were removed during four sampling dates. Climate modeling suggests that west-central Florida is not suitable for establishment and is warmer than the native range of X. laevis. However, daytime temperatures in the pond were relatively cool (25–26°C) for summertime in west-central Florida due to shading provided by an extensive tree canopy. We suspect that the availability of relatively cool refuge habitat in shaded streams and temporary pools, augmented by frequent cooling summer rains, strongly influences X. laevis dynamics in the region. The breeding site was unique among surveyed locations due to its combination of ephemeral nature but with adequate hydroperiod for tadpole development and metamorphosis, lack of fishes and low abundance of other potential predators, and heavy shading. Surveys during other seasons, across a broader geographic range, and using multiple sampling gears might detect additional breeding sites or increase the known range of X. laevis in Florida.