Keywords
Anomia ephippium
DNA barcoding
CoxI
Gulf of Trieste
How to Cite
Abstract
The pea crab Pinnotheres bicristatus lives in symbiosis with the saddle oyster Anomia ephippium. The first record in the Adriatic Sea dates to 2021, when one male specimen was observed in the Gulf of Trieste. This study reports additional findings from fouling samples collected in the port of Trieste as part of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive monitoring program. Seven specimens were identified based on morphological features, confirmed through CoxI DNA marker analysis, showing 100% similarity with GenBank reference sequences. This record represents the fourth occurrence of the species in the Mediterranean Sea and confirms its continued
presence in the Adriatic. Due to the identification challenges in pinnotherids, its small sizes and the fact that its host, the saddle oyster, has no commercial value, P. bicristatus presence could have gone unnoticed in the past and its real distribution could be more widespread, resembling those of its host.
References
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