A tropical scleractinian coral reaches the Mediterranean: Tubastraea sp. in the Levantine Sea

The spread of non-indigenous species (NIS) in the Mediterranean Sea is a serious concern to its marine biodiversity and ecosystem stability. In the eastern Mediterranean, the Levantine Sea’s waters are warmer than in other regions and its native populations decline. In this study, we documented the first occurrence of the scleractinian coral Tubastraea sp. in the Mediterranean, based on genetic and morphological characterization. We recorded Tubastraea sp. (three adults and two recruits) on artificial structures of the shipwreck MS Zenobia off Cyprus in February 2025, in a shaded area at 25 m depth surrounded by sciaphilic epibenthic communities, despite a chronic oil pollution. From 2011 to 2025, a monitoring of seawater in the shipwreck revealed a warming trend, with the longest warming period from July 2023 to May 2025. This warm scenario may have been conducive to the recruitment of Tubastraea sp. Further research is required to identify the potential spread of Tubastraea sp. and its ecological implications. This finding has strengthened the importance of long-term studies of benthic community composition on different substrata and habitats off Cyprus for biodiversity monitoring.