Preliminary inventory of marine fouling invertebrates’ community in Abu-Qir Port, Alexandria, Egyptian Mediterranean Sea

Ports constitute hot spots for the introduction of species transported by maritime shipping and are therefore important sites for biological monitoring. The current study investigated the marine fouling community in Abu-Qir Port, Alexandria, Egypt (south-eastern Mediterranean basin), using a modified rapid assessment technique (~6 h of sampling effort). A total of 95 taxonomic units were collected (84 identified to species level), with Annelida and Crustacea being the most diverse groups, comprising 31.5% and 30.5% of the total number of recorded taxa, respectively. The amphipod Dulichiella fresnelii was recorded for the first time as a new non-indigenous species (NIS) in the Mediterranean Sea. Overall, 39 NIS, including one questionable species, were found, comprising approximately 41% of the total biodiversity, of which 10 constitute new records for the Egyptian Mediterranean fauna, including 2 Annelida (Polychaeta: Oenone fulgida and Syllis crassicirrata), 2 Bryozoa (Celleporaria brunnea and Tricellaria inopinata), 5 Crustacea (Amphipoda: Ampithoe bizseli, Caprella scaura, D. fresnelii, and Stenothoe georgiana; Isopoda: Paranthura japonica), and 1 Porifera (Paraleucilla magna). Studies on fouling communities in ports are strongly recommended in order to obtain a more comprehensive overview of NIS presence and abundance. Baseline assessments in ports are crucial for assessing the potential impacts of NIS in these environments and for evaluating invasion dynamics.