73 new species recorded in Maltese waters

A total of 61 authenticated alien species and another five unconfirmed ones were recorded in Maltese waters by the end of last year, according to an extensive survey Julian Evans, Jacqueline Barbara and Patrick J Schembri, from the university’s Department of Biology. Analysis of the known or probable mode of arrival of these species indicated that the most common mode of introduction was through boating and shipping. Other species were first introduced elsewhere in the Mediterranean and then managed to spread to the Maltese Islands under their own steam. Thirty of these records were made since the turn of the century, clearly indicating that the rate of new records was at an all-time high. This was likely due to the present day warming trend of Mediterranean surface water, which favoured the occurrence, establishment and range extension of warm-water species in the central Mediterranean. The researchers also documented another phenomenon – the spread of Atlantic warm-water species to the central Mediterranean – which was almost certainly related to this warming trend.  To date, seven such species have been recorded in the Maltese Islands, so the total number of new species...