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

Invasion History Vectors Impacts References

Invasion

Invasion Description

1st Record: Dry Tortugas/FL/Gulf of Mexico (as B. a. hawaiiensis, USNMNH specimen 155404). Amphibalanus amphitrite was absent on pre-Columbian oyster shells form the Indian River lagoon examined by Boudreaux et al. (2009).

Geographic Extent

Port Canveral/FL/Atlantic Ocean (2019-2020, Wassich et al. 2022); FL/Mosquito Lagoon (Boudreaux et al. 2006); FL/Haulover Canal, Indian River Lagoon (Mook 1983); Eau Gallie/FL/Indian River Lagoon (Mook 1983); FL/Sebastian Inlet, Indian River Lagoon (Mook 1983); Vero Beach/FL/Indian River Lagoon (Mook 1983); Vero Beach/FL/Atlantic Ocean (Nelson et al. 1994); Link Port/FL/Indian River Lagoon (Mook 1983); Fort Pierce/FL/Fort Pierce Inlet (Mook 1983); Port St. Lucie/FL/St.Lucie Inlet (Mook 1983); Jupiter/FL/Intracoastal waterway just north of Jupiter Inlet (Sta. 1, McPherson et al. 1984); Jupiter/FL/Loxahatchee estuary at A1A bridge (Sta. 2, McPherson et al. 1984); Jupiter/FL/Intracoastal Waterway just south of Jupiter Inlet (Sta. 3, McPherson et al. 1984); Jupiter/FL/North Fork Loxahatchee River (Sta. 4, McPherson et al. 1984); FL/Southwest Fork Loxahatchee River (Sta. 5, McPherson et al. 1984); FL/Northwest Fork Loxahatchee River (Sta. 6, McPherson et al. 1984); FL/Northwest Fork Loxahatchee River (Sta. 7, McPherson et al. 1984 - upstream limit); Martin, Palm Beach, & Broward Counties/FL/Atlantic Ocean (2001, Lindeman et al. 2009); Miami Beach/FL/Biscayne Bay (1960, Moore et al. 1974); Miami/FL/Biscayne Bay (1963, Henry and McLaughlin 1974); Virginia Key/FL/Biscayne Bay (Southward 1975); Key Biscayne/FL/Biscayne Bay (Southward 1975); Dry Tortugas/FL/Gulf of Mexico (U.S. Museum of Natural History 2002); Fort Myers/FL/Gulf of Mexico (Henry and McLaughlin 1975); Tampa/FL/Tampa Bay (Henry and McLaughlin 1975; Bros 1987; Baker et al. 2003); Port Tampa/FL/Tampa Bay (Henry and McLaughlin 1975); FL/Boca Ciega Bay (1955, Henry and McLaughlin 1975; U.S. Museum of Natural History 2002, USNM 101167); Panama City/FL/St. Andrews Bay (Wells 1966, USNM 113424); St. Marks/FL/Gulf of Mexico (Henry 1959, cited by Wells 1966); Pass Christian/MS/Mississippi Sound (Zullo 1966); Corpus Christi Bay beach/TX/Corpus Christi Bay (1971, 1980, Gittings 1985); Port Aransas/TX/Redfish Bay (Gittings 1985); TX/Baffin Bay (Gittings 1985); Port Mansfield/TX/Laguna Madre (Gittings 1985); Gulf of Mexico/Mexico/Bahia de Vergara (1965, Henry and McLaughlin 1975); Veracruz/Mexico/Veracruz Harbor (1965, Henry and McLaughlin 1975); Campeche/Mexico/Gulf of Mexico (Rodríguez-Almaraz and García-Madrigal 2014)

Gittings et al. (1986) note a gap in distribution from Louisiana to Reddish Bay, Texas, where A. reticulatus is an abundant species.

Vectors

Level Vector
Alternate Hull Fouling
Alternate Ballast Water

Regional Impacts

Economic ImpactShipping/Boating
Amphibalanus amphitrite is probably an important hull-fouling organism over most of its range. At a commercial paint-testing station in Biscayne Bay, Miami, it comprised 12% of barnacles maturing on fouling panels (Moore and Frue 1959).
 
Ecological ImpactHabitat Change
In Tampa Bay, A. amphitrite affected the composition of the fouling community, mainly by creating additional structure for the recruitment and colonization of motile species. Removing barnacle shells inhibited recruitment, while adding barnacle shells increased recruitment (Bros 1987).
 
Ecological ImpactCompetition
In the Indian River Lagoon, the introduced Amphibalanus amphitrite and the native A. eburneus competed with the Eastern Oyster (Crassostrea virginica) for settlement sites, and also affected survival and growth of oysters by settling on their shells (Boudreaux et al. 2009).
 

References

Gittings, Stephen R. (1985) Notes on barnacles (Cirripedia: Thoracica) from the Gulf of Mexico., Gulf Research Reports 8(1): 35-41

Gittings, Stephen R.; Dennis, George D.; Harry, Harold W. (1986) <missing title>, Texas A&M Sea Grant, College Station TX. Pp. 1-36

Henry, Dora P.; McLaughlin, Patsy A. (1975) The barnacles of the Balanus amphitrite complex (Cirripedia, Thoracica)., Zoologische Verhandelingen 141: 1-203

Lindeman, Kenyon C.; McCarthy, Daniel A.; Holloway-Adkins, Karen; Snyder, David B. (2009) <missing title>, CSA International, Inc., Stuart FL. Pp. <missing location>

McPherson, Benjamin, Sonntag, Wayne H.; Sabanskas, Maryann (1984) Fouling community of the Loxahatchee River estuary, Florida, 1980-81, Estuaries 7(2): 149-157

Mook, David (1983) Indian River fouling organisms, a review, Florida Scientist 26(3/4): 162-167

Moore, H. B.; Frue, A. C. (1959) The settlement and growth of Balanus improvisus, B. eburneus, and B. amphitrite in the Miami area., Bulletin of Marine Science of the Gulf and Caribbean 9(4): 421-440

Moore, Hilary B.; Albertson, Helen D.; Miller, Sigmund M. (1974) Long-term changes in the settlement of barnacles in the Miami area., Bulletin of Marine Science 24: 86-100

Nelson, W. G.; Savercool, T. E.; Rodda, Neth and J. R. (1994) A comparison of the fouling community development on stabilized oil-ash and concrete reefs., Bulletin of Marine Science 55(2-3): 1303-1315

Rodríguez-Almaraz, Gabino A.; García-Madrigal, María del Socorro (2014) [Aquatic Invasive Species in Mexico], Comisión Nacional para el Conocimiento y Uso de la Biodiversidad, <missing place>. Pp. 337-371

Southward, A. J. (1975) Intertidal and shallow water Cirripedia of the Caribbean., Studies of the Fauna of Curacao and other Caribbean Islands 150: 1-153

2002-2021 Invertebrate Zoology Collections Database. <missing description>



Wells, Harry W. (1966) Barnacles of the northeastern Gulf of Mexico., Quarterly Journal of the Florida Academy of Sciences 29(4): 81-95


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