The Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) of the European Union aims to enhance the protection of marine ecosystems by assessing Good Environmental Status using several descriptors. Descriptor 2 of the MSFD states that the status of marine non-indigenous

This report presents results from four pilot studies from harbors in Belgium, Germany, Denmark and Sweden that combine metabarcoding, morphological analysis, and qPCR techniques to test the applicability of DNA-based methods for NIS detection in harbors

Background Unlike most free-living platyhelminths, catenulids, the sister group to all remaining flatworms, do not have eyes. Instead, the most prominent sensory structures in their heads are statocysts or sensory pits. The latter, found in the family