Rugulopteryx (Dictyotales, Phaeophyceae), a genus recently introduced to the Mediterranean

• Published in: Phycologia
• Main Authors: Verlaque, Marc, Steen, Frederique, De Clerck, Olivier
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2009
• Subjects: Biology and Life Sciences; France; NORTH-ATLANTIC; Mediterranean; Rugulopteryx okamurae; Species introduction; Marine algae; GENERIC CONCEPT; Pacific; Crassostrea gigas; North Atlantic
• Online Access: https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/920340; http://hdl.handle.net/1854/LU-920340; https://doi.org/10.2216/08-103.1; https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/920340/file/920372

The introduction of a common Western Pacific representative of the Dictyotales, Rugulopteryx okamurae (Dawson) I.K. Hwang et al., in european waters was demonstrated for the first time. The species was collected in the coastal lagoon of Thau (France, Mediterranean) in 2002. The specimens from Europe are described and compared with R. okamurae. Their conspecificity with northwest Pacific populations is confirmed based on morphological and comparative sequence analysis of the plastid-encoded psbA gene. Rugulopteryx okamurae is probably introduced in the Thau lagoon along with Japanese oysters, Crassostrea gigas (Thunberg 1793), imported into Europe for mariculture purposes. Since its introduction, although reproductive structures were not observed, R. okamurae has established self-sustaining populations without displaying an invasive behaviour. Rugulopteryx okainurae can be expected to turn up wherever C. gigas is reared.