engleski

A new record of the pearl oyster, Pinctada radiata (Bivalvia: Pteriidae), in the eastern Adriatic Sea (Croatia): morphological and molecular characterization.

Specimens of the invasive Pinctada radiata collected in the Adriatic Sea (Croatia) and Aegean Sea (Greece) were compared using morphological and molecular analyses. The specimen from Adriatic Sea was collected in an aquaculture area at a depth of 5 m while the specimen from Aegean Sea was collected in a touristic area at a depth of 2 m. Both morphological characters and mitochondrial data (16SrRNA and COX1 genes) support the assignation of the sampled specimens to the species Pinctada radiata. The croatian Pinctada radiata was fi rstly recorded in 2008 in the northern Adriatic Sea. The considered specimen represent the fi rst record for the central Adriatic Sea. Obtained results provided the fi rst molecular characterization of P. radiata in the Adriatic Sea.

Pinctada radiata, invasive species, Adriatic Sea, Croatia, new record

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