Page 7 - ArcipelagoEgadi

Fig. 9: Tetrasporophyte specimen of Antithamnionella elegans.
Note the tetraspores (TS) attached to the first order cell of the
whorl-branchlets (scale bar = 100µm).

and prostrate axes mainly bear three whorl branchlets per Fig. 10: Codium parvulum. a. Habit. b. Utricle in the basal part.
axial cell, distichously arranged; gland cell measuring 15-
18 x 8.5-10.5 µm, with each one resting laterally on a single species have been recorded to occur in Turkey (Taşkın
cell (Fig. 8). Rhizoids, produced on the ventral surfaces of et al., 2008; Thessalou-Legaki et al., 2012). Two alien
most cells of the main axes, anchor these prostrate axes to species, Codium parvulum (Bory ex Audouin) P.C. Sil-
E. elongata calcified thalli. Tetrasporangia oblong, 38-53 va and Codium arabicum Kützing, were reported for the
x 17-25 µm, tetrahedrally, sessile, formed singly, initially first time in the Mediterranean Sea from Israel (Israel et
on the first whorl cell, usually one per whorl (Fig. 9); sper- al., 2010; Hoffman et al., 2011). In this paper, the alien
matangial and carposporangial plants were not observed. green alga Codium parvulum is recorded for the first time
from Turkey and the Aegean Sea.
Morphological and cellular characteristics of the ex-
amined specimens were in good agreement with those of Samples were collected at Ayvalık in June 2012
Antithamnionella elegans var. elegans, published by Cormaci (Aegean coast of Turkey�)���b���y��s�c�u�b�a��d�i�v�i�n�g�,��a�n�d��p�r�e�-
& Furnari (1988) and Antithanmion elegans Berthold pub- served in 2-4% formaldehyde in seawater. Specimens
lished by Athanasiadis (1996). These taxa are now regarded
as Antithamnionella elegans (Guiry & Guiry, 2015).

Antithamnionella elegans has been previously re-
ported from the Levant Mediterranean Sea of Syria as
well as from several sites in the western and eastern
basins of the Mediterranean Sea (Zenetos et al., 2010;
Tsiamis et al., 2011).

Although the Levant Mediterranean shore of Israel
was intensively surveyed during the past ten years, this is
the first observation of the genus Antithamnionella from
this coast. Moreover, the present survey shows that this
species is very common all along the shoreline. These
facts may indicate that this alien species needs special
environmental conditions in order to grow and prosper in
the Levant Mediterranean.

2.2. New record of the alien green alga Codium parvu-
lum for Turkey and the Aegean Sea

By Ö. Aydogan and E. Taşkın

Thirteen taxa in the genus Codium Stackhouse (Co-
diaceae, Bryopsidales) have been reported to occur in the
Mediterranean Sea (Cormaci et al., 2014). Ten Codium

478 Medit. Mar. Sci., 16/2, 2015, 472-488