Zoology, Steinhardt Museum of Natural History

Two adult specimens of Arcania brevifrons, a leucosiid crab native to the Indo-West Pacific Ocean, were recently collected off the southern Israeli coast, at the southeastern Mediterranean Sea. Molecular analyses based on the mitochondrial barcoding gene cytochrome oxidase sub unit I (COI) revealed two closely related haplotypes and suggest the species has entered the Mediterranean on at least two separate occasions. This is the fourth Erythraean leucosiid species recorded in the Mediterranean Sea. The presence of an ovigerous female may indicate the existence of an established population.

The European Alien Species Information Network (EASIN) aims to facilitate the exploration of alien species information in Europe, and is recognized as the information system supporting European Union Member States in the implementation of the recently published Invasive Alien Species Regulation. In this paper, we present the role and activities of the EASIN Editorial Board (EB), which is responsible for the quality assurance, safeguarding and constant improvement of EASIN. The EB is supported by a web platform that facilitates online discussions about alien species. This platform creates a virtual community by providing a forum-like interface that is moderated by the EB Members but is freely accessible to the scientific community and the general public. It allows all registered users to make comments, raise questions and share experience and expertise on alien species in Europe. Moreover, it provides a means for exchanging opinions and solving disputes in a transparent way. The overall EB activity is commonly agreed upon procedures and standards.

Symbiotic relationships between shrimps and other invertebrates are a very common phenomenon in tropical environments. Although the caridean shrimp-ascidian association has been known for many years, the nature of this relationship is still unclear. The current study investigated the association between the caridean shrimp Odontonia sibogae (Bruce, 1972) and solitary ascidians. A combination of field work conducted along the Red Sea coast of Israel and laboratory experiments, conducted during 2015–2016, revealed a clear preference of the shrimps for the ascidian species Herdmania momus (Savigny, 1816), with a low survival ability of the shrimp outside their host's body. The shrimps usually inhabit their host as pairs of male and female or pair of females, but never as pairs of males. Out of the 53 studied females, 51% were observed to bear between 156–1,146 embryos, throughout the course of the year. As these ascidian hosts are known to create large aggregates, we suggest that males may possibly wander among the ascidians occupied by females in order to increase their reproductive success. To date, this is the first study to record the shrimp Dac-tylonia ascidicola (Borradaile, 1898) inhabiting the ascidian H. momus; and the first study to investigate in depth the ascidian-shrimp association in the Red Sea. It thus provides a platform for future research into the physiological and behavioral adaptations required for such a unique association.

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Marine biota are redistributing at a rapid pace in response to climate change and shifting seascapes. While changes in fish populations and community structure threaten the sustainability of fisheries, our capacity to adapt by tracking and projecting marine species remains a challenge due to data discontinuities in biological observations, lack of data availability, and mismatch between data and real species distributions. To assess the extent of this challenge, we review the global status and accessibility of ongoing scientific bottom trawl surveys. In total, we gathered metadata for 283,925 samples from 95 surveys conducted regularly from 2001 to 2019. We identified that 59% of the metadata collected are not publicly available, highlighting that the availability of data is the most important challenge to assess species redistributions under global climate change. Given that the primary purpose of surveys is to provide independent data to inform stock assessment of commercially imp...

Two adult specimens of Arcania brevifrons, a leucosiid crab native to the Indo-West Pacific Ocean, were recently collected off the southern Israeli coast, at the southeastern Mediterranean Sea. Molecular analyses based on the mitochondrial barcoding gene cytochrome oxidase sub unit I (COI) revealed two closely related haplotypes and suggest the species has entered the Mediterranean on at least two separate occasions. This is the fourth Erythraean leucosiid species recorded in the Mediterranean Sea. The presence of an ovigerous female may indicate the existence of an established population.

The European Alien Species Information Network (EASIN) aims to facilitate the exploration of alien species information in Europe, and is recognized as the information system supporting European Union Member States in the implementation of the recently published Invasive Alien Species Regulation. In this paper, we present the role and activities of the EASIN Editorial Board (EB), which is responsible for the quality assurance, safeguarding and constant improvement of EASIN. The EB is supported by a web platform that facilitates online discussions about alien species. This platform creates a virtual community by providing a forum-like interface that is moderated by the EB Members but is freely accessible to the scientific community and the general public. It allows all registered users to make comments, raise questions and share experience and expertise on alien species in Europe. Moreover, it provides a means for exchanging opinions and solving disputes in a transparent way. The overall EB activity is commonly agreed upon procedures and standards.

The swimming crab Charybdis longicollis, native to the western Indian Ocean, was first recorded in the Mediterranean in 1954. It is now established from Egypt to Greece, and dominates the sandy-mud bottoms at 25-80 m in the southeastern Mediterranean. The success of C. longicollis is attributed to its high fecundity, agonistic behaviour and omnivorous diet, as well as the rise in seawater temperature. Since the early 1990s its populations in Israel and Turkey have been heavily parasitized by the alien rhizocephalan Heterosaccus dollfusi, which impacts its host's behaviour, growth and fecundity, and causes mortality. Yet, 60 years after its first record in the Mediterranean, the population of C. longicollis seems durable, and has recently spread to the lower shelf and upper slope off Israel, where it is common at 80 m and is found down to 250 m, greatly increasing its spatial spread. The maximal percentage of parasitization was 87.2%, 88.8%, 75.5% and 81.8% at depths of 40, 60, 80, 100 m, respectively, and 50% at 120 and 250 m. Here, we hypothesize on the possible contribution of the depletion of its putative fish predators, mainly rays, to the prevalence of C. longicollis on the lower shelf.

Introduction rates of alien freshwater organisms are increasing worldwide. In Israel, freshwater habitats suffer from heavy anthropogenic stress resulting in numerous records of introduction to date. During 2014 a non-native caridean shrimp was found in several locations in the Jordan River system and in the Yarqon Stream. These systems represent different basins, hydrologically disconnected. Using both DNA analysis (mitochondrial genes COI and 16S) and morphological tools the species was identified as Neocaridina denticulata, an ornamental species originating from SouthEast Asia. Phylogenetic analyses of 56 Israeli and 18 Japanese specimens revealed no geographical differentiation among Israeli specimens, affiliated to a single haplotype, in contrast to the division of two groups within Japanese specimens. It is therefore possible that this species had been released by aquarium hobbyists. Field and laboratory observations revealed a highly reproductive and environmentally tolerant populations, reaching a reproductive stage within few months and releasing more than 70 larvae per ovigerous female. In addition, N. denticulata was found to be significantly larger in comparison to the native Atyidae shrimp Atyaephyra orientalis. We suggest that N. denticulata may expand its geographical distribution into similar freshwater systems in Europe and other Mediterranean countries, where suitable environmental conditions exist. We further provide tools for taxonomic identification and field observations for effective detection and inspection protocols.

Introduction rates of alien freshwater organisms are increasing worldwide. In Israel, freshwater habitats suffer from heavy anthropogenic stress resulting in numerous records of introduction to date. During 2014 a non-native caridean shrimp was found in several locations in the Jordan River system and in the Yarqon Stream. These systems represent different basins, hydrologically disconnected. Using both DNA analysis (mitochondrial genes COI and 16S) and morphological tools the species was identified as Neocaridina denticulata, an ornamental species originating from SouthEast Asia. Phylogenetic analyses of 56 Israeli and 18 Japanese specimens revealed no geographical differentiation among Israeli specimens, affiliated to a single haplotype, in contrast to the division of two groups within Japanese specimens. It is therefore possible that this species had been released by aquarium hobbyists. Field and laboratory observations revealed a highly reproductive and environmentally tolerant populations, reaching a reproductive stage within few months and releasing more than 70 larvae per ovigerous female. In addition, N. denticulata was found to be significantly larger in comparison to the native Atyidae shrimp Atyaephyra orientalis. We suggest that N. denticulata may expand its geographical distribution into similar freshwater systems in Europe and other Mediterranean countries, where suitable environmental conditions exist. We further provide tools for taxonomic identification and field observations for effective detection and inspection protocols.

Symbiotic relationships between shrimps and other invertebrates are a very common phenomenon in tropical environments. Although the caridean shrimp-ascidian association has been known for many years, the nature of this relationship is still unclear. The current study investigated the association between the caridean shrimp Odontonia sibogae (Bruce, 1972) and solitary ascidians. A combination of field work conducted along the Red Sea coast of Israel and laboratory experiments, conducted during 2015-2016, revealed a clear preference of the shrimps for the ascidian species Herdmania momus (Savigny, 1816), with a low survival ability of the shrimp outside their host's body. The shrimps usually inhabit their host as pairs of male and female or pair of females, but never as pairs of males. Out of the 53 studied females, 51% were observed to bear between 156-1,146 embryos, throughout the course of the year. As these ascidian hosts are known to create large aggregates, we suggest that males may possibly wander among the ascidians occupied by females in order to increase their reproductive success. To date, this is the first study to record the shrimp Dactylonia ascidicola (Borradaile, 1898) inhabiting the ascidian H. momus; and the first study to investigate in depth the ascidian-shrimp association in the Red Sea. It thus provides a platform for future research into the physiological and behavioral adaptations required for such a unique association.

Qafzeh Cave, the burial grounds of several anatomically modern humans, producers of Mousterian industry, yielded archaeological evidence reflecting their modern behavior. Dated to 92 ka BP, the lower layers at the site contained a series of hearths, several human graves, flint artifacts, animal bones, a collection of sea shells, lumps of red ochre, and an incised cortical flake. The marine shells were recovered from layers earlier than most of the graves except for one burial. The shells were collected and brought from the Mediterranean Sea shore some 35 km away, and are complete Glycymeris bivalves, naturally perforated. Several valves bear traces of having been strung, and a few had ochre stains on them.

Five marine shell assemblages, consisting of over 5000 shells and shell fragments from Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (9200–7800BP) sites in the Sinai peninsula have been studied. The aims of this study were (1) to compare assemblages among the sites and, within the two larger and stratified sites (Ujrat el Mehed and Wadi Tbeik), among levels; and (2) to try to determine the place of marine shells within the socio-economic structure of the PPNB period in southern Sinai. Red Sea shell beads processed in southern Sinai may have been exchanged for cereals from PPNB agricultural communities within the Mediterranean zone.