Feeding pressure on meroplankton by the invasive ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi

Mnemiopsis leidyi has successfully made the transition from its native spatial range along the Atlantic coast of North and South America to many areas of the Eurasian seas. In summer 2016, we observed M. leidyi at several sites within the northern Adriatic (Mediterranean Sea). Here we describe the spatio-temporal distribution of this invasive ctenophore and its morphological and biometric characteristics, and we present laboratory data on egg production and microscopic observations. M. leidyi was observed in the offshore, coastal and lagoon systems of the northern Adriatic, at temperatures ranging from 13 °C to 29 °C and salinity from 11 and 38, from July to December 2016. Dense blooms were detected intermittently from mid-August to November 2016. Total length (TL) of M. leidyi ranged from 2.0 to 13.5 cm with overall dominance (68.9 ± 14.2%) of the 5–9 cm size fraction. In the eastern part of the northern Adriatic, we always observed individuals with TL < 3 cm from August to November and cydippid larvae were found in net samples indicating successful reproduction throughout the studied period. Egg production under laboratory conditions (temperature 20–22 °C, salinity 37–38) was high, with mean of 4320 ± 3980 eggs ind.− 1 day− 1 and maximum of 13,512 eggs ind.− 1 day− 1.