The razor clam Solen marginatus Pulteney, 1799: A new anthropogenic marine introduction in the Azores Archipelago

Solen marginatus Pulteney, 1799 was reported from São Miguel Island (Azores Archipelago, central North Atlantic) by Drouet in 1858, but the occurrence of this species in the archipelago was questioned by authors. We herein report a novel population from Terceira Island, located in the central island group of the Azores Archipelago. This new record increases the number of non-native marine mollusc species reported from the Azores to six. Our preliminary data gives insight on a population that we infer to have settled about ten years ago and provides a first populational assessment that will be crucial for future studies. So far, specimens occur in a restricted area which is subjected to freshwater, in the northern section of Praia da Vitória bay, reaching maximum sizes of nearly 15 cm. We discuss the most likely vectors of introduction and the probable origin of the colonizers of this non-native species that reached the archipelago. We predict that, given the opportunity, this razor shell will expand its geographic range and colonize other suitable habitats on other islands in the Azores. Finally, we urge the Azorean authorities to implement a monitoring program for this, until now, small and confined population.