The first record of the Indo-Pacific benthic ctenophore Coeloplana (Benthoplana) meteoris (Ctenophora: Coeloplanidae) in the ArabianPersian Gulf

Abstract

This report presents the first occurrence of the Indo-Pacific benthic ctenophore Coeloplana (Benthoplana) meteoris (Thiel, 1968) in the western part of the Arabian-Persian Gulf, extending its range to 2000km, a record that illustrates a cyclic event observed in the Marine Arabic Province. The seasonal biodiversity influx of invertebrates from the Indian Ocean that establish themselves for a short period of time in the west of the Gulf before the extreme high temperatures takes place in the summer.