Intra- and interspecific variability, being at the very core of alpha taxonomy, has been a long-standing topic of debate among tardigrade taxonomists. Early studies tended to assume that tardigrades exhibit wide intraspecific variation. However, with more careful morphological studies, especially those incorporating molecular tools that allow for an independent verification of species identifications based on phenotypic traits, we now recognise that ranges of tardigrade intraspecific variability are narrower, and that differences between species may be more subtle than previously assumed. The taxonomic history of the genus Milnesium, and more specifically that of the nominal species, M. tardigradum described by Doyère in 1840, is a good illustration of the evolution of views on intraspecific variability in tardigrades. The assumption of wide intraspecific variability in claw morphology led Marcus (1928) to synonymise two species with different claw configurations, M. alpigenum and M. quadrifidum, with M. tardigradum. Currently claw configuration is recognised as one of the key diagnostic traits in the genus Milnesium, and the two species suppressed by Marcus have recently been suggested to be valid. In this study, we clarify the taxonomic status of M. alpigenum, a species that for nearly a century was considered invalid. We redescribe M. alpigenum, using a population collected from the locus typicus, by the means of integrative taxonomy, i.e. including light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, ontogenetic observations, and genetic barcoding. Moreover, the redescription of M. alpigenum allowed us to verify the uncertain taxonomic status of two popular laboratory models that were originally considered to be M. tardigradum; though one was recently reidentified as M. cf. alpigenum. Our analysis showed that both laboratory strains, despite being morphologically and morphometrically nearly identical to M. alpigenum, in fact represent a new species, M. inceptum sp. nov.  The two species, being disnguishable only by statistical morphometry and/or DNA sequences, are the first example of pseudocryptic species in tardigrades.

1. The disproportionately low presence of marine species in the list of invasive alien species (IAS) of Union concern of the European Union (EU) Regulation 1143/2014 does not fully acknowledge the threat they pose to the EU marine environment.2. In this study, the first EU-scale Horizon Scanning (HS) focusing on marine alien species was performed, aiming to deliver a ranked list of species that should be of high priority for risk assessment (Article 5 of the EU IAS Regulation).3. Species absent from or with a limited distribution in EU marine waters were targeted. In total, 363 alien species were initially screened for HS by a panel of experts, including a broad range of taxonomic groups. Species were scored for their likelihood of arrival, establishment, spread, and impact in EU waters. 4.A consensus workshop ranked 267 species, including a subset of 26 prioritized species. These species are considered to be mainly introduced by shipping (fouling and ballast water), via the Suez Canal, and aquaculture activities. The 26 priority species were also scrutinized in terms of feasibility of their management; 18 of them were suggested for performing risk assessments on the basis of the EU IAS Regulation.5. Since biological invasions are dynamic and connected with accelerated globalization and diversified human activities, we recommend HS to be repeated periodically to review the species already listed and assess new ones.

The horse mackerel Trachurus mediterraneus is a commercially important pelagic fish species in the Black Sea fishery. The present investigation was carried out between May and December 2010 along the Bulgarian coast of the Black Sea. Population parameters of horse mackerel from the trawl and fishing nets catches were estimated from length frequency data, by using ELEFAN-I computer program. The ELEFAN-I analysis gave the following Von Bertalanffy Growth Function (VBGF) parameters: the asymptotic length  cm, growth coefficient value was , and the hypothetical age at which length is zero was . Based on these growth parameters, the total mortality coefficient () during the study period was estimated to be 2.99. The estimated value for natural mortality () was 1.08; hence, the fishing mortality coefficient () was 1.91. The estimated value for the exploitation rate () using the length converted catch curve was 0.64. The estimated sizes of T. mediterraneus at 25, 50, and 75 percent probabilities of capture were 16.80 cm, 18.72 cm, and 20.64 cm, respectively.

A revised checklist of the fish fauna of the Black Sea is reported. This paper is the first attempt to present an actual Check List of the fishes in the Black Sea according to the data available in Black Sea countries, as well as their current conservation status, enlisted in IUCN. The total number of Black Sea fish species is 189. Concerning the conservation status, only two species (1.06 %) are extinct (Acipenser nudiventris and A. sturio), 3.70 % are critically endangered, 16.40 % are vulnerable, 1.06% are endangered; for 10.58 % there is a lack of data, 26.46% has been classified in the category "Least concern", 2.65 % are "Near threatened" and 38. 10% are "Not evaluated".