A new record of Ascidiella scabra (Müller, 1776) (Ascidiacea, Phlebobranchia) in the southwestern Atlantic
Diego R. Giménez,
Anabela Taverna,
Marco Meloni,
Nancy Correa,
Francisco Sylvester,
Marcos Tatián
Affiliations
Diego R. Giménez
Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Instituto de Diversidad y Ecología Animal (IDEA)
Anabela Taverna
Universidad Nacional de Córdoba
Marco Meloni
Sofies
Nancy Correa
Servicio de Hidrografía Naval (Ministerio de Defensa) y Escuela de Ciencias del Mar (Sede Educativa Universitaria. Facultad de la Armada. Universidad de la Defensa)
Francisco Sylvester
Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET)
Marcos Tatián
Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Instituto de Diversidad y Ecología Animal (IDEA)
Non-indigenous ascidians are transported across oceans in vessel-hull fouling communities, and regional traffic plays a role in their secondary spread. We found the ascidian Ascidiella scabra (Müller, 1776) in the hull-fouling community of an oceanographic vessel confined to waters of the southwestern Atlantic and Southern Oceans. The previously known distribution of this species was restricted to its native area (Mediterranean Sea and northeastern Atlantic); its presence in the southwestern Atlantic may have been masked in the past by the occurrence of its congener Ascidiella aspersa (Müller, 1776).
