We recorded the Jaguar cichlid, Parachromis managuensis, in the Balsas River Basin for the first time in August 2022.A second visit in August 2023 yielded more specimens.The introduction likely resulted from escapes from ornamental fish production centers or intentional release for human consumption.Early detection is crucial for control and eradication.

A single adult specimen of Thalamita oculea, a portunid crab known from the Indian Ocean, was recently collected off the Israeli coast, in the southeastern Mediterranean Sea.Morphological characters, as well as molecular analyses based on the mitochondrial barcoding gene 16S ribosomal RNA, support the identification.The species is described, illustrated, and differentiated from its Mediterranean congeners.As the Israeli shelf serves as an important way station and breeding ground for invasive Erythraean biota, T. oculea may potentially spread along the Levant coastline.

The black bullhead Ameiurus melas is an invasive fish species that has been introduced into Europe.In this account, proteocephalid tapeworms of the subfamily Essexiellinae, which are specific intestinal parasites of ictalurid catfishes in North America, are reported from A. melas from the Danube River in Slovakia.Molecular phylogenetic analysis based on sequences of the 28S rRNA and COI genes revealed that the tapeworms from Slovakia are almost identical to Corallotaenia sp. 1 of Scholz et al. (2020) from A. melas in Oklahoma and Wisconsin, USA and are morphologically similar.This is the second report of the occurrence of essexielline tapeworms in Europe after 35 years.The relatively common occurrence of these tapeworms in black bullheads from one of the largest European river that connects Western and Eastern Europe is alarming, and their further spread throughout Europe is likely.

Klasea quinquefolia (M.Bieb.ex Willd.)Greuter & Wagenitz is a perennial and rhizomatous herb native to the Russian Caucasus, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, and Asian Turkey.The natural habitats of the species are deciduous forests or open areas in hill/mountain areas.Outside the native range, the species is mainly known for its ethnobotanical and pharmaceutical uses but in recent years, it has been also recorded as an alien species in Austria.In this work, we reported the first occurrence of K. quinquefolia in Italy.The species was recorded in August 2023 in the Monza Park (Lombardy, N-Italy) in a mesophilous woodland dominated by Carpinus betulus.The new population was subdivided in 10 subpopulations distributed in habitat patches with surface areas ranging from 0.085 to 95,008 m 2 .The total population accounted almost 500 individuals with a flowering population size of about 350 individuals.Likely, the establishment of K. quinquefolia is linked to the presence of internationally frequented facilities that might have favoured its unintentional arrival (e.g. the Monza Racetrack) or to historical reasons of past introductions to Royal Gardens of the Monza Palace.Presently, it should be treated as a naturalized alien species in Italy even if its further spreading could be favoured by the species' habitat preference and climate change.

A crucial first step in managing marine non-indigenous species (NIS) that pose a threat to native species, habitats or ecosystems is for countries to update their NIS lists.In the Mediterranean region, efforts to update these lists vary greatly from country to country.There is a notable disparity between the northern and southern coasts of this basin, which warrants attention to ensure a comprehensive assessment of the management and dissemination of NIS along the Mediterranean coasts.In this context, a rapid assessment survey was carried out along the Tunisian coasts in five marinas: Bizerte, Gammarth, Hammamet, Port El Kantaoui and Cap Monastir.NIS belonging to the five sessile macrozoobenthic groups Ascidiacea, Bryozoa, Porifera, Hydrozoa and Polychaeta in different substrata of these marina habitats were surveyed in May and December 2019.Here we report a total of twenty NIS and cryptogenic species with six new records in Tunisian marinas:

Marine species are expanding polewards with rising temperatures.In the Northwest Atlantic, tropical/subtropical species native to the Caribbean have been documented as spreading into temperate regions.One such species, the green porcelain crab (Petrolisthes armatus), has been migrating up the southeastern United States coastline from Florida since the 1990s.Until 2018, the species had not been detected north of Wilmington, North Carolina (NC).Here, we document the establishment of P. armatus populations along the NC central coast.During biodiversity monitoring, we detected the first record of P. armatus in 2018 in Beaufort, NC, and subsequent records of the crab were detected at multiple locations in the region over a four-year time period (2018-2022), often at relatively high abundances.Morphological and genetic evidence confirmed the identity of P. armatus in this region and distinguished it from its less abundant native congener, P. galathinus (banded porcelain crab).While cold winter temperatures have likely limited the species' ability to spread northwards in the past, rising winter temperatures in recent years may facilitate its continued expansion.It is vital that we continue monitoring the species' population demographics in its expanding range, as well as determine community-level impacts in the region.

This study updates the distribution and status of Arctotheca calendula (L.) Levyns (Asteraceae, Cichorioideae) in continental North Africa (Algeria and Tunisia).Field surveys carried out mainly in northeastern Algeria (from 2021 to 2024) and northern Tunisia (from 2004 to 2023) by the first two authors, led to the identification of a total of 13 new localities (5 in Algeria and 8 in Tunisia), some of which are located far from the locations where the plant was previously reported by other authors.Our results showed that A. calendula spreads in a westward direction in Algeria from the first recorded occurrence (El Behaira pond).To the contrary, in Tunisia the species spreads towards the north, east and west from the first recorded occurrence (Sejnane).Currently, in both Algeria and Tunisia, the species colonizes exclusively wetlands, but a possible future expansion into other habitats, notably coastal dunes and beaches, cannot be ruled out.Additionally, the species is likely to spread into western Algeria as it was recently detected just 7 km from the border between Algeria and Morocco where it is widespread.To highlight this spread, a map of the current distribution of A. calendula within continental North Africa (mainly Algeria and Tunisia) and field images are provided; the possible negative impacts of the species are also discussed.As a result of this work, A. calendula can be defined as a species with high invasive potential in continental North Africa.Its invasion in Algerian and Tunisian wetlands requires the implementation of a management plan to control its further spread within these threatened ecosystems.Hand-pulling is, in our opinion, the best solution, but it needs to be implemented quickly before the species' range expands further, notably in Algeria.

Biological invasions cause huge environmental and socio-economic losses worldwide.Among successful invaders, there are also several decapod crustacean species.In this study, we report the presence of an potentially invasive crab species that damages rice crops in Sumatra, Indonesia.This paddy-field crab Parathelphusa convexa De Man, 1879 is a freshwater species native to Java, which was introduced in Sumatra around 2000 via an uncertain pathway.The sampling was conducted from July to September 2021 in paddy fields in West Sumatra, where its well-established population was discovered.The crab negatively impacts rice plants and paddy fields in the region through grazing and burrowing behaviour.Since the species is too small to be attractive for human consumption and also, it is not popular for ornamental keeping due to indistinct colouration, it has no benefits for local communities and is considered unwanted.The continuous monitoring of the species with possible regulation or eradication activity in Sumatra is recommended.

Melanoplus differentialis, which is a pest native to the Americas, causes serious damage to landscape trees and farmland.It has adapted to the domestic environment and is on the rise.M. differentialis was first identified on natural habitat in 2020 in Ulsan.This study aims to identify the habitat status, host plants, and ecological characteristics of M. differentialis in South Korea.Melanoplus differentialis overwinters in egg pods in the ground.Nymphs were identified from April, and adults from June to November.M. differentialis was distributed in a region, which consisted of 16 orders, 18 families, and 32 species of host plants, among which M. differentialis preferred species of Asteraceae and Fabaceae plants.On measuring the soil temperature at oviposition sites during the overwintering season, the minimum soil temperature in winter was 0.37 °C from December 2020 to March 2021 and 2.3 °C from December 2021 to March 2022.The results provide basic data that could facilitate the minimization of damage to ecosystems and crops by determining the habitat status and ecological characteristics of M. differentialis in South Korea.