Journal Article
A Jelly-Eating Hitchhiker in the Mediterranean: Molecular Identification of Brachyscelus rapacoides Stephensen 1925 (Amphipoda: Brachyscelidae) in Greece
Konstantinos Kalaentzis; Paraskevi Louizidou; Gerasimos Kondylatos; Elisavet Kaitetzidou; Lyndall Pereira da Conceicoa; Mara Lawniczak; Alex Makunin; Jack Monaghan; Paul Heath; Craig Corton; James Watts; Michelle Smith; Nathalie Smerdon; Abdulrahman Tuameh; Scott Thurston; Abdullah Yoldas; Andrew Sparkes; Harriet Craven; Katy Taylor; Neil Sycamore; Seena Nair; Stephen Inglis; Thomas Whiteley; Charlie Hathaway; Kiernan Harding; Logan Howat; Andrew Varley; Ian Still; Nancy Holroyd; Ada Clarke; Daniel Barrett; Fran Flack; Joe Dawson; Lea Tang; Lynda Dupont; Maria Coppola; Robleh Barre; Tea Bun Zin; Xavier Manasse; Adam Laverack; James Mack; Jamie Lovell; Melanie Robinson; Richard Rance; James Uphill; Tavis Mason; Tracey Chillingworth; Barnaby Dingemans; Benjamin Topping; Luke Wilson; Remi Clare; Alicja Witwicka; Eleanor Drury; Phoenix Baker; Elliott Trigg; Henry Mallalieu; Neil Marriott; Alex Hatton; Lena Hughes-Hallett; Dasun Puwakdandawa; Nithin Matthew Joseph; Thomas Assheton; Rob Davies; James Groom; Sandra Carrizosa Mataix; Matthieu Muffato; Cibin Sadasivan Baby; Carl Meadows; Cameron Robert Ferguson; Leia Zhao; Naomi Park; Physilia Chua; Eduardo Martin Rojo; Priyanka Surana; Edel Sheerin; Michael Blackhurst; Jemma Salmon; Alice Linsdell; Elizabeth Cook; Stuart McHattie; Sam Shingles; Fiona Teltscher; Emma Dawson; Colin Barker; Edward Moulsdale; Elizabeth Huckle; Katherine Huggins; Leanne Morrow; Alexandros Triantafyllidis
Thalassas: An International Journal of Marine Sciences · Vol. 42, Issue 2 · 2026
Abstract
The hyperiid amphipod Brachyscelus rapacoides is a warm-water species associated with gelatinous zooplankton. In the Mediterranean it has been reported in association with Rhopilema nomadica in both Israel and Turkey. Here, we document the first record of B. rapacoides in Greek waters, representing the first confirmed record for Europe, based on both morphological examination and DNA barcoding of the mitochondrial COI gene. Specimens were collected from the umbrella of infested R. nomadica from two localities in the southeastern Aegean Sea. Diagnostic morphological characters, particularly the dentition of gnathopods 1–2 and male antennal morphology, agree with published redescriptions of the species. Phylogenetic analyses placed the studied specimens within B. rapacoides , clearly separated from congeners. This finding extends the known distribution of the species westwards in the Mediterranean and further supports its close ecological association with R. nomadica . The record highlights the role of gelatinous hosts in facilitating dispersal of symbiotic hyperiids and underscores the importance of integrating molecular tools and citizen science observations for early detection of overlooked pelagic associates.