A new record and range extension of an invasive amphipod Caprella scaura Templeton, 1836 in Tunisia, North Africa

Abstract We report the presence of the invasive amphipod Caprella scaura Templeton 1836 in the Bizerte Lagoon (North of Tunisia) in November 2017. This lagoon is approximately 100 km north from the Tunis Lagoon where the presence of C. scaura was previously recorded in 2014. This new species record is considered as the most northern in the southern Mediterranean. This invasive species was found attached to Cymodocea nodoa leaves, and the presence of adult male and gravid female specimens provides the evidence of a viable population in the site. This study showed that fouling has a positive impact on the settlement success of invasive species. We hypothesize that C. scaura was probably introduced to the Bizerte Lagoon through the fouling community on shellfish farms. We suggest that Bizerte Channel, used as commercial and fishing navigation, is an interesting area for future monitoring studies.