Seawater warming favours the northward range expansion of Lessepsian species in the Mediterranean Sea: the cephalaspidean Lamprohaminoea ovalis

Monitoring the spread of non-indigenous species is fundamental to study global warming effects on marine biodiversity. A valuable tool is represented by the continuous updating of the geographic range expansion of non-indigenous species. Lamprohaminoea ovalis is a Lessepsian mollusc initially recorded in the Mediterranean Sea in 2001. This paper reports its range expansion over the last 20 years related to water warming. The first record of Lamprohaminoea ovalis from the Ligurian Sea (NW Mediterranean) is also reported. Two individuals (about 10 mm length) were observed on a sub-vertical rocky bottom at 26 m depth displaying potential trailing behaviour. This recent finding extends the currently known distributional range of Lamprohaminoea ovalis, representing the northernmost occurrence of this non-indigenous species in the western Mediterranean Sea.