A Limpet (Lottiidae), Introduced to Sicily, is Traced to Its Homeland in Sri Lanka and Described as a New Species

Abstract

ABSTRACT Continuing molecular and morphological investigations of a limpet recently reported as introduced to Sicily in the Mediterranean Sea have revealed it to be an undescribed species of Lottia Gray, 1833, a genus that is native to Sri Lanka and vicinity in the northern Indian Ocean. The genetic and morphological features of the limpets compared from Sicily and Sri Lanka correspond so closely that we do not hesitate to describe it collectively as Lottia iani n. sp., with type locality of Tangalle on the coast of Sri Lanka. Much is still unknown about its native range, when and how it arrived in Sicily, whether it is capable of impacting native species, and whether its introduction might be more widespread in the Mediterranean than just the particular eastern Sicilian localities where it has been observed. It is plausible that the introduction of L. iani to Sicily could have resulted from recent expansions to the Suez Canal, which is known to have led to other species introductions in recent years. Other possibilities include an introduction related to shipping or mariculture activities. However it managed to arrive, this limpet species has clearly been able to establish a self-recruiting local population at particular Sicilian localities with rocky volcanic shores.