A Mediterranean record of Eulalia ornata (Annelida: Phyllodocidae) corroborating its fidelity link with the Sabellaria alveolata-reef habitat

Among marine habitats Sabellaria alveolata -reefs deserve protection since they provide important ecosystem services and positive effects on biodiversity. Several marine species are listed among the S. alveolata -reef associated fauna, but characteristic species were seldom reported. Eulalia ornata (Annelida, Phyllodocidae) might represent an exception, since it appears common/abundant in S. alveolata -reefs of the Eastern Atlantic. The most evident geographical mismatch in the distributions of E. ornata and these biogenic reefs occurs in the Mediterranean Sea, where S. alveolata -reefs are commonly found, but E. ornata was never recorded, whilst E. viridis , a non-Mediterranean species, wa…