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Mediterranean invasive species factsheet

Similar species Mytilaster minimus. It is a preferred prey of the
Mytilaster minimus, Gregariella petagnae and gastropod Stramonita haemastoma.
Mytilaster lineatus. Major differences are that in
M. minimus: 1) the shell surface is smooth and only Economic impacts
concentric growth lines with no ribs are evident; and The economic impact of this species has not yet
2) the internal shell margin is smooth. Gregariella been quantified anywhere; however, dense mats of
petagnae has a hairy shell and Mytilaster lineatus, these bivalve populations in industrial facilities and
an endemic species from the Adriatic, is very similar salt works might result in high energy consumption
in shape but has numerous rib lines on the shell and economic losses.
surface.

Management options
Suggested prevention actions are: a) to conduct
local public awareness campaigns combined with
monitoring; and b) to identify and remove rayed
Erythrean mussels from the hull fouling assemblages
on vessels. Control actions to eradicate this
species from the environment are not feasible due to
the small size and large number of individuals
Mytilaster minimus
forming new populations. If MPA managers or port
authorities plan to check the hulls of boats entering
marine reserves, B. pharaonis should be a target
species to look for and scrape off the keel once the
boat is out of the water.
No ribs; hairy

Further reading
http://www.europe-aliens.org/pdf/Brachidontes_pharaonis.pdf

http://www.ciesm.org/atlas/Brachidontespharaonis.html
Gregariella petagnae http://convittofoscarini.it/didattic/conchiglie/bivalvi/specie/M
ytilasterLineatus.htm
Brief history and route of
introduction
Brachidontes pharaonis is a classic example of an
introduced species from the Red Sea and Indian
Ocean that was introduced into the Mediterranean
after the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869. It was
first recorded in 1876 in Egypt. Since then it has
been recorded in Lebanon, Israel, Italy (Sicily),
Malta, Greece, Syria, Cyprus and Croatia. The latest
record was in 2007 from Izmir in Turkey. These
bivalves can also be easily spread by boat fouling (in
the communities encrusting a ship’s hull).

Ecological impacts
This species can deplete the phytoplankton Mytilaster lineatus. Photo: J. Zauoali
concentration in the water column, constraining the Drawings: Juan Varela
growth of other filter-feeding animals such as

62 Monitoring Marine Invasive Species in Mediterranean MPAs: A strategy and practical guide for managers