First record of the recently described Korean bryozoan Primavelans glabricollaris Min, Chae, Yang, Noh, Lee & Seo, 2021 (Cheilostomatida: Pacificincolidae) from the North-east Atlantic

• Published in: BioInvasions Records
• Main Authors: Schüler, L., Leitinger, J., Faasse, M., Kind, B., De Blauwe, H.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2022
• Subjects: Bryozoa; Primavelans glabricollaris; Pacific; North East Atlantic
• Online Access: https://www.vliz.be/imisdocs/publications/387423.pdf

Primavelans glabricollaris is a cheilostomatid bryozoan described in 2021 from Korean coastal waters. Here, we report the first observations of this Pacific species from samples at two different locations during soft-bottom surveys of the North Sea in 2019. Its European discovery predates the actual species description from the year 2021. The Pacificincolidae are not native to Europe, and since Primavelans glabricollaris was found only recently, despite earlier surveys at the same locations, we regard it as a non-indigenous species. Its disjunct distribution within the North Sea as well as its rare occurrence in soft-bottom habitats far off the coasts of the Netherlands and Germany might indicate some specific anthropogenic introduction mechanism different from the usual ballast water or shellfish import vectors known for these coasts.