First genetic survey on the invasive rayed pearl oyster Pinctada radiata (Leach, 1814) populations of the Balearic Islands (Western Mediterranean)

Abstract

A survey of the invasive pearl oyster Pinctada radiata along the Balearic Archipelago was conducted based on the COI mitochondrial marker. Results confirmed the identity of the specimens as P. radiata. The Balearic populations are certainly of Indo-Pacific origin but not from the Persian Gulf nor from other introduced populations in the eastern or central Mediterranean, therefore the precise origin remains to be discovered. Despite the small number of samples from the Persian Gulf compared to the Mediterranean, the haplotype diversity is higher in the native populations compared to the non-native.