First record of the new alien sea jelly species Marivagia stellata Galil and Gershwin, 2010 off the Syrian coast

Abstract

Marivagia stellata Galil and Gershwin, 2010 (Scyphozoa: Rhizostomeae: Cepheidae), was recorded for the first time off the Syrian coast on the 6th of July 2015. Several specimens of the alien sea jelly species M. stellata were observed very close to the port of Lattakia, and a single specimen was caught, at a depth of 7 m by a professional scuba diver during a regular sea jelly monitoring program. The occurrence of non-indigenous sea jelly species in the Syrian coastal waters may be related to the introduction of Indo-Pacific and Red Sea origin species into the Mediterranean Sea through the Suez Canal. The growing list of alien sea jelly indicates that considerable changes are occurring in the eastern Mediterranean marine environment.