Invasion
Invasion Description
1st record: TX/Corpus Christi Bay (Hartman 1952)
Geographic Extent
Cape Canaveral/FL/Mosquito Lagoon (Walters 2001); FL/Indian River Lagoon (Ruiz et al., unpublished data); research boat 'Physalia'/FL/'Southern Florida' (1953, Renaud 1956); Florida (1953, Renaud 1956); Miami area/FL/Biscayne Bay (2004, Ruiz et al., unpublished data); near Key West, Safe Harbor/FL/Gulf of Mexico (1970, USNM 45242, U.S. National Museum of Natural History 2007); Maximo Marina, Tampa area/FL/Tampa Bay (Ruiz et al., unpublished data; Bastida-Zavala et al. 2017); TX/Corpus Christi Bay (Hartman 1952; Ruiz et al., unpublished data; Bastida-Zavala et al. 2017); Veracruz/Mexico/Gulf of Mexico (1960, Bastida-Zavala and Ten Hove 2002); San Juan de Ulua, Veracruz/Mexico/Gulf of Mexico (Rock Pier) (1996, Bastida-Zavala and Ten Hove 2002); 20 km S. of Champoton, Campeche/Mexico/Gulf of Mexico (Bastida-Zavala and Ten Hove 2002)
Vectors
| Level | Vector |
|---|---|
| Alternate | Hull Fouling |
| Alternate | Ballast Water |
Regional Impacts
| Economic Impact | Shipping/Boating | |
| Hydroides elegans has been found in fouling of boats and marinas in the Gulf of Mexico and southern Florida (Hartman 1952; Renaud 1956; Ruiz et al., unpublished data) and probably has some impact in boat and ship fouling in those regions. | ||
| Ecological Impact | Competition | |
| Tubeworms (Hydroides spp., probably including H. elegans) were dominant fouling organisms on the shells of living and dead oysters in the Mosquito Lagoon, Florida (Walters 2001; Boudreaux et al. 2006), and are likely to compete with adult oysters for food and oyster spat for space. | ||