ISWG's New Species found in Florida's Natural Environments

---

Red Blue Crab found in North Florida

(Photo by Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve)

In October 2003, a red blue crab (Callinectes bocourti) was brought to the Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine located on the Atlantic coast in St. Augustine, Florida. It was initially found in a local canal. This crab can normally be found in the Caribbean to Brazil and is harvested in Venezuela as part of the commercial crab industry. The red blue crab has also been found in the Indian River Lagoon and in New Orleans.

Caulerpa brachypus
According to recent reports from local divers a new non-native seaweed, known as Caulerpa brachypus, has now become established on the reefs in Florida's Palm Beach County and scientists fear that it will displace native species. The algae has also been found as far north as Ft. Pierce, Fla., about sixty miles away. For more information, please see DEP's caulerpa page.

Green mussel (Perna virdis)The green mussel has been found in Tampa Bay in late 1999. It is originally from the Indian and Pacific Oceans. For more information on the green mussel, please download the USGS fact sheet:

http://www.fcsc.usgs.gov/greenmussel2.pdf

Giant Salvinia (Salvinia molesta)
According to the USGS, the February 1999 discovery of giant salvinia, a native of South America, at a canal in Naples, followed months of chemically treating a small population that was initially thought to be Salvinia minima [Jacqueline Smith s.n. (FLAS)]. Salvinia molesta is now suspected to have been occurring in that canal for about three years. In January 2000, Salvinia molesta was again found in Naples, at a separate location. Plants were found just a few days after being placed by a homeowner into a 5 acre subdivision pond. For more information about giant salvinia, please see the USGS websiteor DEP's Weed Alert.

Asian swamp eel (Monopterus albus)

This non-native fish (right, USGS photo) has been found in canals, ditches, streams and ponds near Tampa and Miami. The species is spreading and has the capability of invading and harming freshwater ecosystems throughout the southeast, including the Everglades ecosystem. For more information about this invader, please see the USGS webpage on the Asian swamp eel.

New jellyfish (Phyllorhiza punctata) in the Northern Gulf of Mexico

Australian spotted jellyfish have been found in Mobile Bay. Scientists believe they hitched a ride into the Gulf on a ship coming through the Panama Canal and colonized the Caribbean some time ago. Thousands are now swarming in the Mississippi Sound. Scientists speculate that these jellyfish may harm fish populations and other commercially important species such as shrimp, menhaden, anchovies, and crabs. They will likely invade Florida waters. For more information about this invader, please see the USGS webpage on this Australian jellyfish.

Australian spotted jellyfish photo (USGS photo)

Another marine invader: cannibalistic alien jellyfish enter the Gulf

Giant caribbean nonindigenous jellyfish (Drymonema dalmatina) have entered the Gulf of Mexico and common moon jellyfish are being cannibalized. The pink jellyfish grow to three feet in diameter, and their tentacles can reach 70 feet. They resemble a ragged clump of fiberglass insulation or a blob of cotton candy. This species, first seen in early September 2000, have been reported from Destin, Fla., to west Louisiana. They likely drifted from the Caribbean into the northern Gulf on a current similar to the one that brought hordes of exotic Australian jellyfish to the Coast in May. In some parts of the Gulf, scientists have counted thousands of these jellyfish per square mile.

Asian snakehead found in Florida

An Asian fish commonly known as a snakehead is the most recent addition to Florida's list of reproducing exotic fishes. "However, it's far too early to know or even speculate on what effects the presence of this snakehead will have," according to Paul Shafland, director of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation's (FWC) Non-Native Fish Lab in Boca Raton. For more information, please see the FWC news release: http://199.250.30.114/fishing/news-rel/snakehead.html

Are you aware of any new species discoveries?
Tell us!