Invasion

Invasion Description

1st record & type locality: Cairo area, Fayum Province/Egypt/Lake Qarun (Nile Delta) (Boulenger 1908; Ress 1957, found growing on Cordylophora caspia)

We are aware of no recent collections of this hydrozoan in Lake Qarun or other Mediterranean lagoons. Dumont (1999) considers it extinct, due to increasing salinity in the lagoon. Rees and Gershwin (2000) consider that this and other coastal populations of such as (Moerisia spp., San Francisco Bay; M. gangetica, Ganges River; M. lacustris, Trinidad) may represent introductions, probably from a Ponto-Caspian source. However, taxonomic studies are needed to resolve the systematics and distribution of the genus (Rees and Gershwin 2000).

Geographic Extent

Cairo area, Fayum Province/Egypt/Lake Qarun (Nile Delta).