Find in Library

Golden tide macroalgae have been accumulating in the Southern Yellow Sea (SYS) for several years, causing serious damage to local coastal economy and ecosystems. However, little is known about the environmental and ecological significance of the epizoans drifting on the floating macroalgae. In this study, floating macroalgae collected from four stations were identified as <i>Sargassum horneri</i>. Furthermore, morphological and molecular (based on the Cytochrome C Oxidase Subunit I, COI) identification revealed that the 28 epizoans on the macroalgae consisted of four crustacean (<i>Ampithoe lacertosa</i>, <i>Idotea metallica</i>, <i>Apohyale</i> sp., and <i>Peramphithoe tea</i>). <i>Apohyale</i> sp. and <i>P. tea</i> were found at all stations, while <i>A. lacertosa</i> is found at only one station. The weight range of <i>Apohyale</i> sp., <i>P. tea</i>, <i>I. metallica</i>, and <i>A. lacertosa</i> is 0.0037~0.0420 g, 0.0057~0.0304 g, 0.0222~0.6592 g, and 0.0047 g, respectively. The specific roles of these epizoans in the golden tide in SYS deserve further study. Our results provide a reference for future studies of invasive macroalgae and epizoans.