First record of the Indo-Pacific seaweed Codium arabicum Kutz. (Bryopsidales, Chlorophyta) in the Mediterranean Sea

Since the beginning of the 21st century, the Mediterranean shores of Israel have experienced invasions of several alien Indo-Pacific seaweed species. This phenomenon has been observed mainly on the northern Israeli Mediterranean shore, particularly near the port of Haifa. Here we report and discuss the first record of the common Indo-Pacific seaweed Codium arabicum from the Mediterranean Sea, namely, from the Levant coast of Israel. This macroalga was first identified morphologically, and the determination later confirmed by molecular techniques using two plastid DNA sequences: rbcL exon 1 and rps3-rpl16. High water temperatures for most of the year and free habitat space appear to facilitate the successful settlement and establishment of this species, as has been the case for hundreds of other invasive Indo-Pacific organisms along the Israeli Mediterranean shore.