Invasion History
First Non-native North American Tidal Record: 1986First Non-native West Coast Tidal Record: 1994
First Non-native East/Gulf Coast Tidal Record: 1986
General Invasion History:
The colonial tunicate Polyandrocarpa zorritensis was described from Zorritos, Peru in 1931 (Van Name 1945) in the southeastern Pacific. The next published collections were from the southeastern Atlantic, in Brazil, at Santos and Itacurussa (near Cananeia) (Millar 1958). The native region of this tunicate could be either the Southwest Atlantic or Southeast Pacific. However, this tunicate has become widely introduced, as it is found on the East and West coasts of North America, Hawaii, Japan, and the Mediterranean. In the Mediterranean and possibly elsewhere, its growth seems to be favored by eutrophication (Brunetti and Mastrototaro 2004).
North American Invasion History:
Invasion History on the West Coast:
Polyandrocarpa zorritensis was first collected in Southern California at Oceanside Harbor in September, 1994, where it was abundant. During that same year, it was also found in Mission and San Diego Bays, but was rare (Lambert and Lambert 1998). In 1997, it was found in Alamitos Bay, Long Beach Harbor, and at King Harbor and Marina del Rey in Santa Monica (Lambert and Lambert 2003). In 2001, P. zorritensis was found on fouling plates in San Francisco Bay at two locations: Jack London Square, Oakland in the Central Bay, and in Redwood City in the South Bay (Ruiz et al. unpublished data). In 2001, it was also collected in Tomales Bay (Fairey et al. 2002). Polyandrocarpa zorritensis was found in Ensenada, Mexico, in 2000 (Lambert and Lambert 2003), and Bahia San Quintin, Baja California in 2005 (Rodriguez and Ibarra-Obando 2008).
Invasion History on the East Coast:
The date of arrival of Polyandrocarpa zorritensis on the East Coast is not known, but it was well-established in the Indian River Lagoon, near Fort Pierce, Florida by 1994 (Vazquez and Young 1996; Vazquez and Young 1998, Gretchen Lambert, personal communication). In 2005, it was found at Cape Marina, in Cape Canaveral, Florida (da Rocha, personal communication, Ruiz et al., unpublished data). In 2014, P. zorritensis was found in three marinas in Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina (Villalobos et al. 2017).
Invasion History on the Gulf Coast:
Polyandrocarpa zorritensis was reported from Clearwater Harbor, Florida, south of Tampa Bay in 2002 (Grechen Lambert, personal communication 2002), and from Port Isabel, Texas in 2004 (Lambert et al. 2005).
Invasion History in Hawaii:
In 1997, Polyandrocarpa zorritensis was found at several locations in Oahu, Hawaii, in Pearl Harbor (in 1997, Coles et al.1999a), Ke'ehi Lagoon, Honolulu (in 1997, Coles et al.1999b), and in Kaneohe Bay (in 1997, Coles et al. 2002).
Invasion History Elsewhere in the World:
In 1991, the tunicate was found in southern Japan, at Kitakyushu, Kyushu, on the East China Sea, and at Kochi, on Shikoku (Nishikawa et al. 1993, cited by Iwasaki (2006). Polyandrocarpa zorritensis has also invaded the western Mediterranean Sea. In 1975, it was detected in the harbor of La Spezia, Italy, on the Tyrrhenian Sea (Brunetti 1978). In 2001, it was found in the Gulf of Taranto, near the tip of the Italian Peninsula (2001, Brunetti and Mastrototaro 2004). In Spanish waters, P. zorritensis has been found in the delta of the Ebro River (Turon and Perrera 1998).
Description
Polyandrocarpa zorritensis is a colonial tunicate, whose colonies consist of a crowded mass or cluster of club-shaped zooids. The zooids are connected at the base of the colony by a tangled mass of root-like stolons. Individual zooids have an oval cross-section (meaning they are slightly compressed from side to side; Van Name 1945) and are free at their anterior end. The anterior end is rounded or truncated, and the oral and atrial siphons have four lobes, with two dark bands per lobe (Brunetti and Mastrototaro, 2004). Each zooid has its own tunic, though tunics of adjacent individuals may adhere to each other. The tunics are thin, tough and can be densely encrusted with sand. Zooids are pale brown to yellowish green in color (Lambert and Lambert 1998) and are up to 20 mm long and 3.8 mm diameter (Van Name 1945).
Taxonomy
Taxonomic Tree
| Kingdom: | Animalia | |
| Phylum: | Chordata | |
| Subphylum: | Tunicata | |
| Class: | Ascidiacea | |
| Order: | Stolidobranchia | |
| Family: | Styelidae | |
| Genus: | Polyandrocarpa | |
| Species: | zorritensis |
Synonyms
Potentially Misidentified Species
Ecology
General:
Life History- A colonial (or compound) tunicate consists of many zooids, bearing many or all of the organs of a solitary tunicate, but modified to varying degrees for colonial life. Colonial tunicates of the genus Polyandrocarpa have zooids resembling solitary tunicates, rounded, oval, or club-like in shape. Zooids can be crowded together, but do not coalesce. Each zooid has an oral and atrial siphon. Water is pumped into the oral siphon, through finely meshed ciliated gills on the pharynx, where phytoplankton and detritus are filtered, and passed on mucus strings to the stomach and intestines. Excess waste is expelled in the outgoing atrial water (Van Name 1945; Barnes 1983).
Colonial tunicates reproduce both asexually, by budding, and sexually, from fertilized eggs developing into larvae. Colonies vary in size and can range from small clusters of zooids to huge spreading masses. The zooids are hermaphroditic, with eggs and sperm being produced by a single individual. Eggs may be self-fertilized or fertilized by sperm from nearby animals, but many species have a partial block to self-fertilization. Depending on the life-history of the species, eggs may be externally or internally fertilized. Fertilized eggs hatch into a tadpole larva with a muscular tail, notochord, eyespots, and a set of adhesive papillae. The lecithotrophic (non-feeding, yolk-dependent) larva swims briefly before settlement. Swimming periods are usually less than a day, and some larvae can settle immediately after release, but the larval period can be longer at lower temperatures. Once settled, the tail is absorbed, the gill basket expands, and the tunicate begins to feed by filtering (Van Name 1945; Barnes 1983).
Food:
Phytoplankton, detritus
Trophic Status:
Suspension Feeder
SusFedHabitats
| General Habitat | Marinas & Docks | None |
| General Habitat | Vessel Hull | None |
| General Habitat | Mangroves | None |
| Salinity Range | Polyhaline | 18-30 PSU |
| Salinity Range | Euhaline | 30-40 PSU |
| Tidal Range | Subtidal | None |
| Vertical Habitat | Epibenthic | None |
Life History
Tolerances and Life History Parameters
| Minimum Temperature (ºC) | 12 | Field, Mediterranean Sea (Brunetti, pers. comm., cited by Lambert and Lambert 1998) |
| Maximum Temperature (ºC) | 30 | Field, Mediterranean Sea (Brunetti, pers. comm., cited by Lambert and Lambert 1998) |
| Minimum Salinity (‰) | 22.7 | Field, Mediterranean Sea (Brunetti, pers. comm., cited by Lambert and Lambert 1998) |
| Maximum Salinity (‰) | 38 | Field, Mediterranean Sea (Brunetti, pers. comm., cited by Lambert and Lambert 1998) |
| Minimum Reproductive Salinity | 26 | Salinities below 26 PSU halted the swimming of larvae (Vazquez and Young 1998) |
| Maximum Duration | 0.2 | Larvae, Laboratory observations (Vazquez and Young 1998) |
| Broad Temperature Range | None | Warm temperate-Tropical |
| Broad Salinity Range | None | Polyhaline-Euhaline |
General Impacts
Economic Impacts-
Polyandrocarpa zorritensis was reported to overgrow cultured oysters (Crassostrea gigas) in the Ebro Delta, Spain (Perrera et al. 1990, cited by da Rocha et al. 2009).
Ecological impacts-
Polyandrocarpa zorritensis formed 100% cover in several locations in San Diego and Mission Bays in 1994–2000, suggesting it is capable of outcompeting native and other introduced fouling species (Lambert and Lambert 2003).
Regional Impacts
| MED-II | None | Ecological Impact | Competition | ||
| Polyandrocarpa zorritensis was reported to overgrow cultured oysters (Crassostrea gigas) in the Ebro Delta, Spain (Perrera et al. 1990, cited by da Rocha et al. 2009). | |||||
| MED-II | None | Economic Impact | Fisheries | ||
| Polyandrocarpa zorritensis was reported to overgrow cultured oysters (Crassostrea gigas) in the Ebro Delta, Spain (Perrera et al. 1990, cited by da Rocha et al. 2009). | |||||
| NEP-VI | Pt. Conception to Southern Baja California | Ecological Impact | Competition | ||
| Polyandrocarpa zorritensis formed 100% cover in several locations in San Diego and Mission Bays in 1994-2000, suggestive of competition (Lambert and Lambert 2003). | |||||
| P020 | San Diego Bay | Ecological Impact | Competition | ||
| Polyandrocarpa zorritensis formed 100% cover in several locations in San Diego and Mission Bays in 1994-2000, suggestive of competition (Lambert and Lambert 2003). | |||||
| P030 | Mission Bay | Ecological Impact | Competition | ||
| Polyandrocarpa zorritensis formed 100% cover in several locations in San Diego and Mission Bays in 1994-2000, suggestive of competition (Lambert and Lambert 2003). | |||||
| CA | California | Ecological Impact | Competition | ||
Polyandrocarpa zorritensis formed 100% cover in several locations in San Diego and Mission Bays in 1994-2000, suggestive of competition (Lambert and Lambert 2003)., |
|||||
Regional Distribution Map
| Bioregion | Region Name | Year | Invasion Status | Population Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SEP-C | None | 1931 | Crypogenic | Established |
| CAR-I | Northern Yucatan, Gulf of Mexico, Florida Straits, to Middle Eastern Florida | 1986 | Non-native | Established |
| NEP-VI | Pt. Conception to Southern Baja California | 1994 | Non-native | Established |
| MED-III | None | 1975 | Non-native | Established |
| SP-XXI | None | 1997 | Non-native | Established |
| MED-II | None | 1988 | Non-native | Established |
| NEP-V | Northern California to Mid Channel Islands | 2000 | Non-native | Established |
| NWP-3b | None | 1991 | Non-native | Established |
| SA-II | None | 1958 | Crypogenic | Established |
| MED-IV | None | 2001 | Non-native | Established |
| P020 | San Diego Bay | 1994 | Non-native | Established |
| P050 | San Pedro Bay | 1997 | Non-native | Established |
| S190 | Indian River | 1986 | Non-native | Established |
| P030 | Mission Bay | 1994 | Non-native | Established |
| P023 | _CDA_P023 (San Louis Rey-Escondido) | 1994 | Non-native | Established |
| P060 | Santa Monica Bay | 1997 | Non-native | Established |
| P090 | San Francisco Bay | 2001 | Non-native | Established |
| G330 | Lower Laguna Madre | 2004 | Non-native | Established |
| G074 | _CDA_G074 (Crystal-Pithlachascotee) | 2002 | Non-native | Established |
| NWP-3a | None | 1991 | Non-native | Established |
| P110 | Tomales Bay | 2001 | Non-native | Established |
| SEP-H | None | 2008 | Crypogenic | Established |
| NWP-4a | None | 0 | Non-native | Established |
| NEP-VIII | None | 2009 | Non-native | Established |
| P027 | _CDA_P027 (Aliso-San Onofre) | 2011 | Non-native | Established |
| MED-VII | None | 2015 | Non-native | Established |
| PAN_PAC | Panama Pacific Coast | 2008 | Crypogenic | Established |
| CAR-VII | Cape Hatteras to Mid-East Florida | 2014 | Non-native | Established |
| S040 | New River | 2014 | Non-native | Established |
| WA-IV | None | 2010 | Non-native | Established |
| CIO-II | None | 2014 | Non-native | Unknown |
| WA-I | None | 2014 | Non-native | Established |
| SEP-Z | None | 2015 | Non-native | Established |
| P062 | _CDA_P062 (Calleguas) | 2013 | Non-native | Established |
| P040 | Newport Bay | 2017 | Non-native | Established |
| CAR-IV | None | 2019 | Non-native | Established |
| S045 | _CDA_S045 (New) | 2018 | Non-native | Established |
| P065 | _CDA_P065 (Santa Barbara Channel) | 2020 | Non-native | Established |
| P064 | _CDA_P064 (Ventura) | 2020 | Non-native | Established |
Occurrence Map
| OCC_ID | Author | Year | Date | Locality | Status | Latitude | Longitude |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 767428 | Ruiz et al., 2015 | 2013 | 2013-07-19 | SeaWorld Marina, Mission Bay, CA, California, USA | Non-native | 32.7676 | -117.2314 |
| 767483 | Ruiz et al., 2015 | 2013 | 2013-08-04 | Bahia Resort Marina, Mission Bay, CA, California, USA | Non-native | 32.7731 | -117.2478 |
| 767498 | Ruiz et al., 2015 | 2013 | 2013-07-31 | Campland on the Bay, Mission Bay, CA, California, USA | Non-native | 32.7936 | -117.2234 |
| 767514 | Ruiz et al., 2015 | 2013 | 2013-08-01 | Hyatt Resort Marina, Mission Bay, CA, California, USA | Non-native | 32.7634 | -117.2397 |
| 767529 | Ruiz et al., 2015 | 2013 | 2013-08-03 | Mission Bay Sport Center, Mission Bay, CA, California, USA | Non-native | 32.7857 | -117.2495 |
| 767542 | Ruiz et al., 2015 | 2013 | 2013-07-30 | Hilton Resort Docks, Mission Bay, CA, California, USA | Non-native | 32.7791 | -117.2128 |
| 767569 | Ruiz et al., 2015 | 2013 | 2013-08-05 | Paradise Point Resort, Mission Bay, CA, California, USA | Non-native | 32.7730 | -117.2406 |
| 767684 | Ruiz et al., 2015 | 2013 | 2013-07-17 | Naval Station San Diego, San Diego Bay, CA, California, USA | Non-native | 32.6867 | -117.1333 |
| 767698 | Ruiz et al., 2015 | 2013 | 2013-07-24 | NAB ACU-1 Docks, San Diego Bay, CA, California, USA | Non-native | 32.6786 | -117.1615 |
| 767710 | Ruiz et al., 2015 | 2013 | 2013-07-25 | Navy Ammo Dock, Pier Bravo, San Diego Bay, CA, California, USA | Non-native | 32.6939 | -117.2276 |
| 767721 | Ruiz et al., 2015 | 2013 | 2013-07-21 | Cabrillo Isle Marina, San Diego Bay, CA, California, USA | Non-native | 32.7272 | -117.1995 |
| 767734 | Ruiz et al., 2015 | 2013 | 2013-07-22 | Coronado Cays Marina, San Diego Bay, CA, California, USA | Non-native | 32.6257 | -117.1309 |
| 767751 | Ruiz et al., 2015 | 2013 | 2013-07-18 | NAB Fiddlers Cove, San Diego Bay, CA, California, USA | Non-native | 32.6524 | -117.1486 |
| 767769 | Ruiz et al., 2015 | 2013 | 2013-07-26 | Pier 32 Marina, San Diego Bay, CA, California, USA | Non-native | 32.6516 | -117.1077 |
| 767776 | Ruiz et al., 2015 | 2013 | 2013-07-20 | Chula Vista Marina, San Diego Bay, CA, California, USA | Non-native | 32.6252 | -117.1036 |
| 767791 | Ruiz et al., 2015 | 2013 | 2013-07-28 | Marriott Marquis and Marina, San Diego Bay, CA, California, USA | Non-native | 32.7059 | -117.1655 |
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