Invasion
Invasion Description
1st record: Pictou/Nova Scotia/Northumberland Strait (1840, Ganong 1887, Bequaert 1943)
Geographic Extent
Labrador/Red Bay (1949, USNM 600984, US National Museum of Natural History 2007; Blakeslee and Byers 2008; Blakeslee et al. 2008); Blanc Sablon/Quebec/Straits of Belle Isle (Blakeslee and Byers 2008; Blakeslee et al. 2008); Flower's Cove/Newfoundland/Strait of Belle Isle (Blakeslee and Byers 2008; Blakeslee et al. 2008); Bonne Bay/Newfoundland/Gulf of St. Lawrenc (Blakeslee and Byers 2008; Blakeslee et al. 2008); Searston/Newfoundland/Gulf of St. Lawrenc (Blakeslee and Byers 2008; Blakeslee et al. 2008); Cape Perce/Quebec/Gulf of St. Lawrence (Bequaert 1943); Anticosti Island/Quebec/Gulf of St. Lawrence (USNM 162726 , US National Museum of Natural History 2007); Point St. Charles, Near Matarnek River, On Beach/Quebec/Gulf of St. Lawrence (1927, USNM 431150, US National Museum of Natural History 2007); Bathurst/New Brunswick/Bay of Chaleur (1855, Morse 1880, cited by Bequaert 1943); New Brunswick/Bay de Vin (Blakeslee and Byers 2008; Blakeslee et al. 2008); Quebec/Salmon Bay (Bequaert 1943); Pictou/Nova Scotia/Northumberland Strait (1840, Ganong 1887, Bequaert 1943); Charlottetown/Prince Edward Island/Northumberland Strait (1873, Ganong 1887); Summerside/Prince Edward Island/Gulf of St. Lawrence (USNM 663278, US National Museum of Natural History 2007); Newfoundland/Conception Bay (Bequaert 1943)
Vectors
| Level | Vector |
|---|---|
| Alternate | Fisheries Intentional |
| Alternate | Dry Ballast |
| Alternate | Hull Fouling |
Regional Impacts
| Ecological Impact | Parasite/Predator Vector | |
| The introduction of Littorina littorea to the Northwest Atlantic is believed to have also introduced the digenean trematode Cryptocotyle lingua. Common Periwinkles collected at 6 sites in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, were infected with C. lingua (Blakeslee and Byers 2008). The rediae (first parasitic stages) have infected not only L. littorea, but also native populations of L. saxatilis (Rough Periwinkle) and L. obtusata (Smooth Periwinkle) (Blakeslee and Byers 2008; Blakeslee et al. 2008). The trematodes cause extensive damage to the host's digestive and reproductive systems (Wood et al. 2009). The rediae of C. lingua metamorphose into cercariae, which have a swimming tail and infect fishes (Stunkard 1930; Sindermann et al. 1962). When infected fish are eaten by birds or mammals, the metacercariae grow in the final host's digestive tract and and reproduce (Stunkard 1930; Sindermann et al. 1962). Thus, the introduction of the Common Periwinkle has added a new parasite to 3 trophic levels. | ||