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Detection of an unusual presence of the cubozoan Carybdea marsupialis at shallow beaches located near Denia, Spain (south-western Mediterranean)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 September 2011

Cesar Bordehore ,
Verónica L. Fuentes ,
Dacha Atienza ,
Carmen Barberá ,
Damian Fernandez-Jover ,
Mireia Roig ,
Melissa J. Acevedo-Dudley ,
Antonio J. Canepa  and
Josep Maria Gili
Cesar Bordehore*
Affiliation:
Departamento de Ecología, Universidad de Alicante, Apartado 99 E-03080 Alicante (Spain) Instituto Multidisciplinar para el Estudio del Medio ‘Ramon Margalef’ IMEM, Universidad de Alicante, Apartado 99 E-03080 Alicante (Spain)
Verónica L. Fuentes
Affiliation:
Institut de Ciències del Mar-CSIC, Passeig Maritim de la Barceloneta, 37–49. 08003, Barcelona (Spain)
Dacha Atienza
Affiliation:
Institut de Ciències del Mar-CSIC, Passeig Maritim de la Barceloneta, 37–49. 08003, Barcelona (Spain)
Carmen Barberá
Affiliation:
Instituto Español de Oceanografía, Centro de Baleares, Apartado 291, Moll de Ponent s/n. 07080 Palma de Mallorca (Spain)
Damian Fernandez-Jover
Affiliation:
Departamento de Ciencias del Mar y Biología Aplicada, Universidad de Alicante, Apartado 99 E-03080 Alicante (Spain)
Mireia Roig
Affiliation:
Instituto Multidisciplinar para el Estudio del Medio ‘Ramon Margalef’ IMEM, Universidad de Alicante, Apartado 99 E-03080 Alicante (Spain)
Melissa J. Acevedo-Dudley
Affiliation:
Institut de Ciències del Mar-CSIC, Passeig Maritim de la Barceloneta, 37–49. 08003, Barcelona (Spain) Instituto Multidisciplinar para el Estudio del Medio ‘Ramon Margalef’ IMEM, Universidad de Alicante, Apartado 99 E-03080 Alicante (Spain)
Antonio J. Canepa
Affiliation:
Institut de Ciències del Mar-CSIC, Passeig Maritim de la Barceloneta, 37–49. 08003, Barcelona (Spain) Instituto Multidisciplinar para el Estudio del Medio ‘Ramon Margalef’ IMEM, Universidad de Alicante, Apartado 99 E-03080 Alicante (Spain)
Josep Maria Gili
Affiliation:
Institut de Ciències del Mar-CSIC, Passeig Maritim de la Barceloneta, 37–49. 08003, Barcelona (Spain)
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: C. Bordehore, Departamento de Ecología, Universidad de Alicante, Apartado 99 E-03080, Alicante (Spain) email: cesar.bordehore@ua.es
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Abstract

An unusual bloom of the cubozoan Carybdea marsupialis occurred at some beaches located near Denia (south-western Mediterranean Sea, south-eastern Spain) during the summer of 2008. The bloom was first detected and recorded by the local Red Cross first aid services. Densities of C. marsupialis in the area were characterized by quantitative sampling. The number of bathers stung totalled 3330 during the three months of summer. Sampling at shallow beaches from 15 September to 21 November 2008 gave insights into cubozoan density in the area, estimated at 265.9 individuals per 100 m2 as the highest value. These densities have never been recorded previously in the Mediterranean where the species was considered to be rare. Mean density along the 17 km of coastline which was sampled reached 5.4 ± 3.8 ind/100 m2. Data on size distribution are also given. This paper analyses the reasons behind these unusually high abundances of C. marsupialis in the north-western Mediterranean Sea and provides guidelines for future studies to elucidate the causes of this bloom.

Keywords

CubomedusaeCarybdea marsupialisjellyfish bloomswestern Mediterraneanjellyfish stings
Type
Research Article
Information
Marine Biodiversity Records , Volume 4 , December 2011 , e69
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2011

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