ON THE PRESENCE OF THE NON-NATIVE BEROE OVATA BRUGUIÈRE, 1789 AND THE SPREAD OFF THE INVASIVE MNEMIOPSIS LEIDYI A. AGASSIZ, 1865 IN THE LEBANESE WATERS, EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN SEA

The two non-native ctenophores Beroe ovata Bruguiere, 1789 and Mnemiopsis leidyi A.Agassiz, 1865, were reported off the Lebanese waters. Beroe ovata Bruguiere, 1789, a specializedpredator on Mnemiopsis leidyi, was collected and photographed, on May 2th 2019 duringfieldwork in Beirut waters. While, Mnemiopsis leidyi was reported for the first time on April 27th2009, to date, it is widely distributed from the south to the north of the Lebanese waters. The mostpossible pathway of the introduction of those species is a spreading, or bringing with ballastwaters from the Black Sea.