Species Regional Summary
Halimeda opuntia
Northern Yucatan, Gulf of Mexico, Florida Straits, to Middle Eastern Florida ( CAR-I )

Invasion History Vectors Impacts References

Invasion

Invasion Description

1st Record?:Florida/Atlantic Ocean (1884, US National Museum of Natural History 2019)

Geographic Extent

Coconut Grove, Miami-DadeCounty (1899, USNM 5350, US National Museum of Natural History 2017); Key Largo/FL/Florida Straits-Biscayne Bay (Kooistra and Verbruggen 2005); Bache Shoals-Key Largo (Lirman and Biber 2000); Dry Tortugas/FL/Gulf of Mexico (Taylor, W.R. (1928). The marine algae of Florida with special reference to the Dry Tortugas. Publications of the Carnegie Institution of Washington 379: [i-] v, [1]- 219, 3 figs, 7 tables, 37 plates., cited by Guiry and Donncha 2008); Boot Key/FL/Gulf of Mexico (1974, USNM 19744, US National Museum of Natural History 2010); Old Rhodes Key/FL/Biscayne Bay (1895, USNM 53508, US National Museum of Natural History 2010); Key West/FL/Gulf of Mexico (1902, USNM 68662, US National Museum of Natural History 2017)

Vectors

Level Vector
Probable Hull Fouling

Regional Impacts

Ecological ImpactFood/Prey

The calcareous alga Halimeda opuntia is an important food for two species of parrotifishes (Caridae, Sparisoma spp), and probably for other herbivorous fishes (Munoz and Motta 2000)

 

References

Full Reference List for Halimeda opuntia

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