First distribution record of the invasive copepod Oithona davisae Ferrari and Orsi, 1984, in the coastal waters of the Aegean Sea

The occurrence of the invasive nonindigenous copepod Oithona davisae Ferrari and Orsi, 1984, is reported for the first time in the Aegean Sea. The data we collected in August 2017 from 14 stations along the Turkish coast of the Aegean Sea reveal the spatial distribution of O. davisae between the openning of the Dardanelles Strait in the north and the Izmir Bay in the south. The O. davisae individuals, in seven mesozooplankton samples collected from a single station, were consistently found in the inner part of the Izmir Bay from April 2015-October 2016. The abundance of female O. davisae ranged from 4 ind./m(3) in April 2015 to 31,524 ind./m(3) in July 2016 and contributed to the total oithonid female population by 10.8% in April 2015 and 92.8% in September 2016. Our results show that this species is well established in the inner part of Izmir Bay and that it has become a permanent component of the copepod community in the area.