Pitombo Fabio Bettini, Gobin Judith, Abreu Nivia Maria Nunes, Jute Alana
Departamento de Biologia Marinha, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niterói, CEP 24020-14 - Brazil..
Zootaxa. 2017 Feb 26;4237(1):zootaxa.4237.1.7. doi: 10.11646/zootaxa.4237.1.7.
The barnacle Megabalanus zebra is largely known from ship hulls, with little information on its biology, ecology, and natural range. We identify M. zebra here from the southern Caribbean, based upon specimens collected as early as 2002. Challenges associated with identifying megabalinine species have delayed recognition of this species as distinct from other Caribbean Megabalanus. Sequenced material of M. zebra from Curaçao did not match M. zebra GenBank sequences that could be verified by descriptions or vouchered material. The presence of young M. zebra on vessels that have not left the Caribbean, as well as on pier pilings and resident buoys, indicate that this species is established in the tropical Western Atlantic Ocean, but the timing of its invasion remains unknown.
藤壶巨藤壶斑马亚种主要见于船体，关于其生物学、生态学和自然分布范围的信息很少。我们根据早在2002年收集的标本，在此确定了来自加勒比海南部的斑马巨藤壶。识别巨藤壶属物种所面临的挑战，导致该物种与其他加勒比巨藤壶区分开来的时间推迟。来自库拉索岛的斑马巨藤壶测序材料与通过描述或凭证材料验证的斑马巨藤壶基因库序列不匹配。在未离开加勒比海的船只上，以及在码头桩柱和常驻浮标上发现幼年斑马巨藤壶，表明该物种已在热带西大西洋定殖，但其入侵时间仍然未知。
