Leiosolenus aristatus

Invasion History

First Non-native North American Tidal Record: 1916
First Non-native West Coast Tidal Record: 1916
First Non-native East/Gulf Coast Tidal Record:

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General Invasion History:

The Scissor Date Mussel (Leiosolenus aristatus) was described from Senegal by Dillwyn in 1817 (Turner and Boss 1962). It has a fossil record in the Caribbean, and ranges from North Carolina to Venezuela. In the Eastern Atlantic, it has been found from the Algarve, Portugal to Angola, and in the Mediterranean, from Spain to Tunisia. It has been variously treated as native to the Caribbean, but introduced or cryptogenic in the Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean (Turner and Boss 1962; Gofas and Zenetos 2003; Pestana net al. 2019; Lopez-Soriano 2019). Leiosolenus aristatus has been observed as a recent, well-documented invader on Cape Verde Island (Lopes 2011) and in bays on the coast of Brazil (Simone and Goncalves 2006; Ignacio et al. 2010; Cavallari et al. 2012).   

Carlton et al. (2019) regard L. aristatus as widely introduced in the East Pacific, probably before the mid-19th century.  It now ranges from southern California (Los Angeles, La Jolla, establishment unknown) to Ecuador (Soot-Ryen 1955; Turner and Boss 1962). Genetic analysis of Pacific and Eastern Atlantic populations of L. aristatus is desirable. This bivalve was collected from Cocos Island, Costa Rica (Soot-Ryen 1955, cited v=by Hertlein 1963).

North American Invasion History:

Invasion History on the West Coast:

The Scissor Date Mussel (Leiosolenus aristatus) is known from scattered locations in California at La Jolla ((1916,ANSP 114118, Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 2021) and Los Angeles County ( White's Point ,Los Angeles County/CA/Pacific Ocean (1975, ANSP A473372, Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 2021). It is established in the Gulf of California, and the southern Pacific Coast of Mexico (Turner and Boss 1962).

Invasion History Elsewhere in the World:

Leiosolenus aristatus (Scissors Date Mussel) was described from Senegal, west Africa, but has a fossil record in the Caribbean (Turner and Boss 1962).  The early distribution of this species may have been influenced by the African-Caribbean slave trade.  This mussel bores into shells of bivalves and corals, and has great potential for transport in ship fouling  'Certainly, ships badly fouled with oysters are a perfect means of transport for these mollusks' (Turner and Boss 1962).  In Jalsico state, Mexico, it was studied as a commensal of a native Rock Oyster (Striostrea prismatica; Sanchez-Telumbre et al. 2021). It has been long established in the Eastern Pacific, with first records in the Galapagos in 1898, in Panama in 1944, and Cocos Island Costa Rica before 1955 (Soot-Ryen 1955, cited by Hertlein 1963).

Leiosolenus aristatus  is regarded as a recent invader in Brazil, where it was first reported in Sao Paulo and Santa Catarins states in 2005 (Simon and Gonçalves 2006; Cavallari et al. 2012). In 2019, it was found much further north in Bahia state (13° S; Cavallari et al. 2012). Leiosolenus aristatus is believed to have been introduced to Brazil from the Caribbean (Simon and Gonçalves 2006; Cavallari et al. 2012).

In the Eastern Pacific, Leiosolenus aristatus was an early introduction, established in the Galapagos Islands by 1898 (Carlton et al. 2019), and was found in Panama by 1944, Peru in the 1930s, and Cocos Island before 1955 (Soot-Ryan 1955; US National Museum of Natural History 2023).

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Description

Leiosolenus aristatus (Scissors Date Mussel) is one of a subfamily (Lithophaginae) of mussels which use acid secretions to bore into shells, corals, and other calcareous material. The shells are narrow and elliptical and thin and fragile. The periostracum is largely covered with calcareous deposits. Curved calcareous projections extend posteriorly and cross, giving a scissor-like view when seen from above. The interior of the shell is purplish and iridescent. The shell can reach 52 mm in length. The synonyms Lithophaga aristata and Myoforceps aristatus are still widely used in the literature (Turner and Boss 1962; Simone and Gonçalves 2016).

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Taxonomy

Ecology

General:

Reproduction has not been described in Leiosolenus aristatus, but sexes are probably separate as in other mussels, and larvae are probably planktonic larvae (e.g., Mytilus galloprovincialis, Geukensia demissa).
 

Food:

Phytoplankton, detritus

Trophic Status:

Suspension Feeder

SusFed

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Habitats

General Habitat	Oyster Reef	None
General Habitat	Marinas & Docks	None
General Habitat	Coral reef	None
General Habitat	Vessel Hull	None
Salinity Range	Polyhaline	18-30 PSU
Salinity Range	Euhaline	30-40 PSU
Tidal Range	Subtidal	None
Vertical Habitat	Epibenthic	None

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Life History

Leiosolenus aristatus is widely distributed in shallow warm-temperate to tropical marine waters. This mussel is a suspension-feeder but can have adverse impacts on shelled mollusks and corals by boring into shells and coral skeletons. Despite the former genus name Lithophaga, this mussel does not bore into non-living rock (Turner and Boss 1962). The mussels are known from oysters, scallops, chitons, conchs, whelks and limpets where they reside (Turner and Boss 1962; Simone and Gonçalves 2006; Alvarez-Cerrillo et al. 2011). 

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Tolerances and Life History Parameters

Maximum Length (mm)	52	Turner and Boss 1962
Maximum Height (mm)	16.5	Turner and Boss 1962
Broad Temperature Range	None	Warm-temperate-Tropical
Broad Salinity Range	None	Polyhaline-Euhalibe

General Impacts

This mussel bores into other molluscan shells and corals. In Brazil, the invasion of Leiosolenus aristatus has been promoted by the spread of the cup corals Tubastraea coccinea and T. tagusenisis, whose calcareous bases provide habitat. The increasing abundance of L. aristatus is considered a threat to native corals and reefs (Vinagre et al. 2017).

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Regional Impacts

SEP-Z	None		Ecological Impact	Habitat Change
The Scissors Date Mussel (Leiosolenus aristatus) wwa an abundant internal borer of live coral Porites lobata, together with the native L.laevigatusa (Reaka-Kudla et al. 1996).
NEP-VII	None		Economic Impact	Fisheries
The boring mussel Leiosolenus aristatus abundant in the shells of the native Rock Oyster (Striostrea prismatica), which supports an artisanal fishery (Sanchez-Telumbre et al. 2021).
SA-II	None		Ecological Impact	Habitat Change
The invasive cup corals Tubastraea coccinea and T. tagusensis have provided increased habitat for the boring mussel Leiosolenus aristatus, posing a threat to native corals (Vinagre et al. 2017).

References

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Antit, M.; Gofas, S.; Salas, C.; Azzouna, A. (2011) One hundred years after Pinctada: an update on alien Mollusca in Tunisia, Mediterranean Marine Science 12(1): 53-73

Breves, A.; ; Junqueira, A. O. R. (2017) Intertidal vermetid reef as a shelter for invasive bivalves in a tropical bay, Aquatic Ecosystem Health and Management 20(4): 383-392

Capel, Kátia C. C.;Creed, Joel C ;Kitahara, Marcelo V. (2020) Invasive corals trigger seascape changes in the southwestern Atlantic, Bulletin of Marine Science 96(1): 217-218
https://doi.org/10.5343/bms.2019.0075

Carlton, James T.; Keith, Inti; Ruiz, Gregory M. (2019) Assessing marine bioinvasions in the Galápagos Islands: implications for conservation biology and marine protected areas, Aquatic Invasions 14(1): 1-20

Cavallari, Daniel C.;Gonçalves, Eric P; do Amaral, Vanessa S. (2012) New occurrences of Myoforcepsaristatus (Bivalvia: Mytilidae) in the Brazilian coast, Strombus 19: 23-27

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Lopes, Rubens M. (Ed.) (2009) <missing title>, Ministry of the Environment, Brasilia, Brazil. Pp. 1-440

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Museum of Comparative Zoology 2008-2015 Invertebrate Zoology Collections Database http://mczbase.mcz.harvard.edu/SpecimenSearch.cfm. <missing URL>



Pestana, Lueji Barros; Dias, Gustavo Muniz; Marquesa, Antonio Carlos (2017) A century of introductions by coastal sessile marine invertebrates in Angola, South East Atlantic Ocean, Marine Pollution Bulletin 125: 426-a432

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Simone, Luiz Ricardo L.;; Gonçalves, Eric Pedro ERIC PEDRO GONÇALVES (2006) Anatomical study on Myoforceps aristatus, an invasive boring bivalve in s.e. Brazilian coast (mytilidae), Papeis Avulsos Zoologia de Sao Paolo 47(6): 57-65

Soot-Ryen T (1955) (1955) A report on the family Mytilidae (Pelecypoda)., Allan Hancock Pacific Expeditions 20: 1-175

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U.S. National Museum of Natural History 2002-2021 Invertebrate Zoology Collections Database. http://collections.nmnh.si.edu/search/iz/



Vinagre, Catarina; Silva, Rodrigo; Mendonça, Vanessa; . Flore, Augusto A.V.; Baeta, Alexandra; Marques, João Carlos (2018) Food web organization following the invasion of habitat-modifying Tubastraea spp. corals appears to favour the invasive borer bivalve Leiosolenus aristatus, Ecological Indicators 85: 1204-

WoRMS Editorial Board (2021). 2021 World Register of Marine Species. https://www.marinespecies.org/

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