Atlantic bat star <i>Asterina stellifera</i> (Möbius, 1859) (Echinodermata: Asteroidea: Asterinidae): a potential new invader in the Sea of Marmara, Türkiye

Abstract During a biodiversity survey conducted in the Gulf of Izmit (Sea of Marmara, Türkiye), 87 individuals of bat star Asterina stellifera , whose native distribution is along the South Atlantic coasts of South America and Africa, were identified. The population seems to be well adapted to a mixed substrate composed of coarse sand, silt, and shell fragments of Mytilus galloprovincialis between 4 and 8 meters of depth range. DNA barcoding of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene showed over 99% identity with the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) GenBank sequences from South America, indicating the possible origin and shipping as the mode of introduction. This is the first record of this species outside of its native range.