Atlantic expansion of the pink shrimp Penaeus notialis Pérez Farfante, 1967 (Crustacea, Decapoda, Penaeidae) to the southwesternmost coast of Europe

Abstract

The present study reports the occurrence of several specimens of the penaeid shrimp Penaeus notialis in the Gulf of Cadiz (Spain). The southern pink shrimp is a penaeid originating from east and west Atlantic tropical coastal waters. New observations of tropical species in temperate waters have increased in the last 20 years. This species may have been able to expand successfully northward to European waters, probably favored by global warming, although an accidental introduction by ballast waters cannot be completely discarded. The widespread presence of African biota such as P. notialis in the Gulf of Cadiz ecosystem underscores the necessity of establishing a long-term monitoring program that focuses on this and other currently established non-native species.