Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species - Malta

Stephen Mifsud; Julian Evans; Patrick. J. Schembri; Lian Jenna Wong; Shyama Pagad

doi:10.15468/yvxl1l

Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species - Malta

Citation

Mifsud S, Evans J, Schembri P J, Wong L J, Pagad S (2020). Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species - Malta. Version 1.2. Invasive Species Specialist Group ISSG. Checklist dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/yvxl1l accessed via GBIF.org on 2024-12-11.

Description

The Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species (GRIIS) presents validated and verified national checklists of introduced (alien) and invasive alien species at the country, territory, and associated island level. Checklists are living entities, especially for biological invasions given the growing nature of the problem. GRIIS checklists are based on a published methodology and supported by the Integrated Publishing Tool that jointly enable ongoing improvements and updates to expand their taxonomic coverage and completeness. Phase 1 of the project focused on developing validated and verified checklists of countries that are Party to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). Phase 2 aimed to achieve global coverage including non-party countries and all overseas territories of countries, e.g. those of the Netherlands, France, and the United Kingdom. All kingdoms of organisms occurring in all environments and systems are covered. Checklists are reviewed and verified by networks of country or species experts. Verified checklists/ species records, as well as those under review, are presented on the online GRIIS website (www.griis.org) in addition to being published through the GBIF Integrated Publishing Tool.

Purpose

The resource will be a support to countries to make progress to achieve Aichi Biodiversity Target 9 -in the development of their National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plans, their National Invasive Alien Species Strategy and Action Plan, target setting and monitoring.

Sampling Description

Study Extent

The geographic focus of this checklist is Malta

Sampling

This annotated checklist is focused on introduced (alien) and invasive species that are known to occur in Malta The International Union for Conservation of Nature, (IUCN) describes an Introduced/ Alien and Invasive alien species as follows:
An Introduced or Alien species means a species, subspecies, or lower taxon occurring outside of its natural range (past or present) and dispersal potential (i.e. outside the range it occupies naturally or could not occupy without direct or indirect introduction or care by humans) and includes any part, gametes or propagule of such species that might survive and subsequently reproduce. An Invasive Alien Species is an alien species which becomes established in natural or semi-natural ecosystems or habitat, is an agent of change, and threatens native biological diversity. In GRIIS, species are recorded as having an impact (as 'yes' under 'isInvasive') if there is evidence of the species negatively impacting biodiversity, and including species that are widespread, spreading rapidly or present in high abundance (Pagad et al. 2018). This usage is relevant to the purpose of GRIIS, and consistent with the concept of impact as formulated by Parker et al. (1999) and now widely used (e.g. Didham et al. 2005, Strayer et al. 2006, McGeoch et al. 2010, 2012, Vila et al. 2011), where impact is a function not only of the per capita effect of an individual organism, but is a combined function of the effect, abundance and range size of a species. Impact can of course be defined in different ways, driven by different objectives, such as its usage in EICAT where it is defined as a measurable change to the properties of an ecosystem caused by an alien taxon (Hawkins et al. 2015).

Quality Control

The draft checklist is compiled by collating data and information through a comprehensive literature overview. Additional steps implemented to control the quality of the data are described below. Taxonomic harmonization and normalization using the GBIF taxonomic backbone To harmonize all species names across countries, species lists are subjected to a normalization process in which taxon rank and taxonomic status are identified and assigned. Spelling and other errors in assigning species authorship are also corrected. Data validation The Project Personnel complete a review and validate all the annotations, especially those on provenance and 'invasive' status of the species based on evidence of impact. Data verification The checklist is submitted to a network of country editors for a review of both accuracy of records, annotations, and identification of any significant gaps in the data. Data verification is an iterative process and the activity for a particular version is declared complete on agreement of all relevant country editors (see versioning details below). One of the key tenets of the GRIIS project has been engagement with country editors in the verification process and as custodians of country checklists. While this has been possible in the majority of countries, for a small number of countries this engagement process has not succeeded in delivering a verified checklist. In these cases, the GRIIS Project Personnel have completed the validation of the species records but continue to work towards identifying country experts.

Method steps

Data collation and categorization Data filtering and categorization/ classification Taxonomic harmonization and normalization Data validation Data verification
The published methods underpinning GRIIS and each checklist are described in Pagad et al 2018.

Additional info

Versioning The original versions of each country checklist (v1.0) undergo two potential types of updates: 1. Major updates: These happen when batches of new species or records become available, usually addressing multiple taxonomic groups simultaneously. Each checklist is assigned a new version number after a major update (e.g. from v1.0 to v2.0). 2. Incremental updates: These are smaller ongoing updates involving the addition of new species or records based on new publications as well as taxonomic or other updates. Incremental updates to a checklist are associated with a subversion number, e.g. v1.1. The checklist version number is visible/available on the citation.

Taxonomic Coverages

Animalia, Bacteria, Chromista, Fungi, Plantae, Protozoa, Viruses

Animalia
rank: kingdom
Bacteria
rank: kingdom
Chromista
rank: phylum
Fungi
rank: kingdom
Plantae
rank: kingdom
Protozoa
rank: kingdom
Viruses
rank: kingdom

Geographic Coverages

Malta

Bibliographic Citations

Hamer, M., Victor, J., Smith, G.F. (2012). Best Practice Guide for Compiling, Maintaining and Disseminating National Species Checklists, version 1.0, released in October 2012. Copenhagen: Global Biodiversity Information Facility, 40 pp, ISBN: 87-92020-48-8, Accessible at http://www.gbif.org/orc/?doc_id=4752. -
Pagad S, Genovesi P, Carnevali L, Schigel D, McGeoch MA (2018) Introducing the Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species. Scientific Data, 5, 170202. https://www.nature.com/articles/sdata2017202 -
Parker I, Simberloff D, Lonsdale W. et al. (1999) Impact: Toward a Framework for Understanding the Ecological Effects of Invaders. Biological Invasions 1, 3–19 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1010034312781 -
Didham RK, Tylianakis JM, Hutchison MA, Ewers RM, Gemmell NJ. (2005) Are invasive species the drivers of ecological change? Trends Ecol Evol. 2005 Sep;20(9):470-4. Epub 2005 Jul 21. -
Strayer DL, Eviner VT, Jeschke JM, Pace ML. (2006) Understanding the long-term effects of species invasions. Trends in Ecology & Evolution 21(11):645-51 -
McGeoch MA, Butchart SHM, Spear D, Marais E. Kleynhans EJ, Symes A, Chanson J, Hoffmann M. (2010) Global indicators of biological invasion: species numbers, biodiversity impact and policy responses. Diversity and Distributions Volume16, Issue1 January 2010. -
McGeoch, M.A., Spear, D., Kleynhans, E.J. & Marais, E. 2012. Uncertainty in invasive alien species listing. Ecological Applications 22, 959-971. 10.1890/11-1252.1 -
Vilà M, Espinar JL, Hejda M, Hulme PE, Jarošík V, Maron JL, Pergl J, Schaffner U, Sun Y, Pyšek P. (2011) Ecological impacts of invasive alien plants: a meta‐analysis of their effects on species, communities and ecosystems. Ecology Letters Volume14, Issue7 July 2011 Pages 702-708 -
Hawkins CL, Bacher S, Essl F, Hulme PE, Jeschke JM, Kühn I, Kumschick S, Nentwig W, Pergl J, Pyšek P, Rabitsch W, Richardson DM, Vilà M, Wilson JRU, Genovesi P, Blackburn TM. (2015) Framework and guidelines for implementing the proposed IUCN Environmental Impact Classification for Alien Taxa (EICAT) Diversity and Distributions Volume21, Issue11 November 2015 Pages 1360-1363 -
Arias, A., et al. (2013). "Biology and new records of the invasive species Branchiomma bairdi (Annelida: Sabellidae) in the Mediterranean Sea." Mediterranean Marine Science 14(1): 162-171. -
Azzurro, E., et al. (2013). "The rocky-reef fish assemblages of Malta and Lampedusa islands (Strait of Sicily, Mediterranean Sea): a visual census study in a changing biogeographical sector." Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 93(8): 2015. -
Casha, A., et al. (2011). "Bromus cathatrticus Vahl (Fam. Poaceae): a new record for the Maltese Islands." -
Deidun, A., et al. (2015). "First record of the silver-cheeked toadfish Lagocephalus sceleratus (Gmelin, 1789) from Malta." -
Deidun, A., et al. (2018). "Invasion by non-indigenous freshwater decapods of Malta and Sicily, central Mediterranean Sea." Journal of Crustacean Biology 38(6): 748-753. -
Evans, J., et al. (2015). "Updated review of marine alien species and other ‘newcomers’ recorded from the Maltese Islands (Central Mediterranean)." Mediterranean Marine Science 16(1): 225-244. -
Ellul, T., et al. (2019). "Invasion alert: rapid range expansion of Caulerpa taxifolia var. distichophylla in Maltese waters (central Mediterranean)." BioInvasions Record 8(2). -
Gatt, P., et al. (2009). "First record of Aedes (Stegomyia) albopictus (Skuse)(Diptera: Culicidae) in Malta." European Mosquito Bulletin(27): 56-64. -
Goud, J. and C. Mifsud (2009). "Fulvia fragilis (Forsskål in Niebuhr, 1775)(Bivalvia: Cardiidae), an alien species new to the Maltese malacofauna." Aquatic Invasions 4(2): 389-391. -
Mifsud, S. (2009). "Update on the Maltese flora (Central Mediterranean) including very rare species of species thought to be extinct from mainland Malta or its Islands." Central Mediterranean Naturalist 5(1): 7-16. -
Mifsud, S. (2010). "First occurences of Lemna minuta Kunth (fam. Lemnaceae) in the Maltese islands." -
Mifsud, S. (2011). A floristic survey on the Gozitan islets of Tac-Cawl and Tal-Halfa in the Maltese islands. MaltaWildPlants, com Online Publications (Ref: MWPOP-001), Article Update Version. -
Mifsud, S. (2011). "A study of the genus Persicaria Miller (Polygonaceae) in the Maltese Islands." -
Mifsud, S. (2017). "Contribution to the alien flora of the Maltese Islands: New records, observations on invasive species and taxonomic updates." Bulletin of the entomological Society of malta 9: 81. -
Mifsud, S. (2018). "Contribution to the flora of the Maltese Islands: Euphorbia subg. Chamaesyce and Euphorbia exigua s. l.(Euphorbiaceae)." Phytotaxa 372(2): 153-166. -
Mifsud, S. and A. Casha (2010). "Two new alien grasses from sand dunes of Ghadira bay in Malta." -
Mifsud, S., et al. (2016). "An updated flora of selmunett (St. Paul's Island) including mosses and lichens." -
Schembri, P. J., et al. (2015). "It was only a matter of time: occurrence of Caulerpa taxifolia (Vahl) C. Agardh var. distichophylla (Sonder) Verlaque, Huisman and Procaccini in the Maltese Islands (Chlorophyta, Ulvophyceae, Caulerpaceae)." -
Sciberras, J. and A. Sciberras (2010). "A contribution to the knowledge of alien flora in the Maltese Islands." -
Sciberras, M. and P. J. Schembri (2008). "Biology and interspecific interactions of the alien crab Percnon gibbesi in the Maltese Islands." Marine Biology Research 4(5): 321-332. -
Schembri, P. J. and E. Lanfranco (1996). "Introduced species in the Maltese Islands." -
Sciberras, A. and P. J. Schembri (2006). "Occurrence of the alien Bedriaga's frog (Rana bedriagae) Camerano, 1882 in the Maltese Islands, and implications for conservation." -
Vella, A. and N. Vella (2018). "Safeguarding marine biodiversity in a changing world: maltese small-scale fisheries and alien species." Selected studies in biodiversity. InTech publishers, London: 83-99. -
Vella, A., et al. (2016). "The first records of Indo-Pacific sergeant Abudefduf vaigiensis (Quoy & Gaimard, 1825) and further notes on the occurrence of sergeant major A. saxatilis (Linnaeus, 1758) in Malta: expanding populations of an invasive genus in the Mediterranean Sea." Journal of the Black Sea/Mediterranean Environment 22(1): 1-15. -
Vella, N., et al. (2017). "First Scientific Records of the Invasive Red Swamp Crayfish, Procambarus clarkii (Girard, 1852)(Crustacea: Cambaridae) in Malta, a Threat to Fragile Freshwater Habitats." Natural and Engineering Sciences 2(2): 58-66. -

Contacts

Stephen Mifsud
originator
position: Senior Medical Laboratory Technologist, Botanist
Head Office EcoGozo Directorate
MT
email: stephen.mifsud@gov.mt

Julian Evans
originator
position: Department of Biology
University of Malta
MT
email: julian.evans@um.edu.mt

Patrick. J. Schembri
originator
position: Department of Biology
University of Malta
MT
email: patrick.j.schembri@um.edu.mt

Lian Jenna Wong
originator
position: Research Assistant
Biodiversity Data Management Ltd
NZ
email: biodivdatamgt@gmail.com

Shyama Pagad
originator
position: Deputy Chair- Information
IUCN SSC Invasive Species Specialist Group (ISSG)
NZ
email: s.pagad@auckland.ac.nz

Shyama Pagad
metadata author
position: Deputy Chair- Information
IUCN SSC Invasive Species Specialist Group (ISSG)
NZ
email: s.pagad@auckland.ac.nz

Shyama Pagad
user
IUCN SSC Invasive Species Specialist Group (ISSG)
NZ
email: s.pagad@auckland.ac.nz

Shyama Pagad
administrative point of contact
position: Deputy Chair- Information
IUCN SSC Invasive Species Specialist Group (ISSG)
NZ
email: s.pagad@auckland.ac.nz