Invasion
Invasion Description
1st Record: Ralik Chain, Eniwetok Atoll/Marshall Islands/Pacific Ocean (1955, 63, as Aiptasia pulchella, U.S. National Museum of Natural History 2020;
Geographic Extent
Ralik Chain, Eniwetok Atoll/Marshall Islands/Pacific Ocean (1955, 63, as Aiptasia pulchella, U.S. National Museum of Natural History 2020); Hilo, Hawaii/HI/Pacific Ocean (Grajales and Rodriguez 2014, AMNH 5368, 19 43 56.37, 155 03 06.06); Palau/Jellyfish Lake (3/16/2020. i-Naturalist 2020. 7.161851; 134.375442); Palau/Ongeim’l Tketau (also known as Jellyfish Lake) (11/2003, covered 1/3 of lakes area by 12/2006, Marino et al. 2008, as Aiptasia sp.)
Vectors
| Level | Vector |
|---|---|
| Alternate | Hull Fouling |
| Alternate | Ballast Water |
Regional Impacts
| Ecological Impact | Competition | |
| 'Currently, no quantitative data exist to describe the impact Aiptasia sp. is having on the ecosystem. However, it is clear from direct observation that Aiptasia sp. is a thriving competitor for space and can heavily alter benthic diversity (Figure 16.9). Mangrove root and shallow water communities that were once dominated (in terms of both space and numbers) by algae or diverse assemblages of invertebrates are now dominated by invasive anemones' (Marino et al. 2008). Patris et al. (2019) did not find strong associations between the abundance of E. pallida and native species, in spite of the growng abundnaceog thr anemone. | ||
| Economic Impact | Aesthetic | |
| Jellyfish Lake is one of Palau's major tourist attractions, where divers can swim among dense swarms of beautiful, non-stinging, migrating jellyfish (Mastigias sp.). Impacts of Aiptasia on this ecosystem are not known but could constitute a threat to this unique ecosystem. Small-scale attempts of eradication have been unsuccessful (Marino et al. 2008). | ||