First record of Acrothamnion preissii (Rhodophyta: Ceramiaceae) from the Maltese Islands (central Mediterranean Sea)

Abstract

The ceramiacean red alga Acrothamnion preissii is an Indo-Pacific species that was first recorded in the Mediterranean Sea (Italy) in 1969, and which subsequently spread within the north-western basin, reaching the Balearic Islands to the west and Sicily to the south. Here we record A. preissii from the Maltese Islands, which represents a further southwards expansion of its known distribution range in the Mediterranean Sea. Although this species can be invasive, becoming the dominant epiphyte by forming dense turfs that smother native species, so far there is no evidence for such an invasion phase in the Maltese Islands.