Fruits and flowers of the invasive seagrass Halophila stipulacea in the Caribbean Sea

Abstract While the seagrass Halophila stipulacea reproduces both sexually and asexually in its native range, reproduction is largely asexual in its invasive range in the Mediterranean and the Caribbean Seas. Here we make the first report of fruit-bearing H. stipulacea in the Caribbean. Although the lack of reports of H. stipulacea fruit could be the consequence of past survey effort, multiple recent reports of both flowers and fruit across the invasive range strongly suggest that introductions of H. stipulacea in the tropical western Atlantic and Caribbean included both sexes of this dioecious seagrass. This finding may have important implications for the future dispersal, survival, and maintenance of the non-native population.

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Two species of Carcinonemertes Coe, 1902 (Nemertea: Carcinonemertidae) infesting the Caribbean spiny lobster, Panulirus argus (Latreille, 1804) (Decapoda: Achelata: Palinuridae), in Saint Kitts, West Indies

Journal of Crustacean Biology ◽

10.1093/jcbiol/ruaa060 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 40 (6) ◽

pp. 933-942 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Nicole A M Atherley ◽

Michelle M Dennis ◽

Mark A Freeman

Keyword(s):

Spiny Lobster ◽

Caribbean Sea ◽

Distinct Species ◽

Molecular Techniques ◽

Panulirus Argus ◽

Egg Mass ◽

Western Atlantic ◽

First Report ◽

The Caribbean ◽

Eastern Caribbean

Abstract The Caribbean spiny lobster, Panulirus argus (Latreille, 1804), is an important resource in the Western Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, and Gulf of Mexico. A nemertean egg predator of P. argus, Carcinonemertes conanobrieniSimpson, Ambrosio & Baeza, 2017, was recorded in Florida in 2017 and Colombia in 2018. This study sought to investigate the presence of C. conanobrieni in P. argus in Saint Kitts and Nevis, eastern Caribbean Sea. Nemerteans were observed in the brood masses of P. argus. Molecular techniques confirmed its presence in the P. argus population on Saint Kitts. Egg, juvenile, and adult stages of C. conanobrieni and of an undescribed Carcinonemertes sp. were found in the brood masses of 27 of 31 (87%) ovigerous P. argus. Differences in the shape of the nemertean egg masses (string versus spherical arrangement) were confirmed as two distinct species of Carcinonemertes Coe, 1902 using molecular analyses. The juvenile stage of the undescribed Carcinonemertes sp. was detected in the gills of 72 of 320 (23%) of the P. argus individuals from Saint Kitts. The prevalence of branchial nemertean infestation was not significantly different among male and female P. argus. Female lobsters with ovaries in early stages of gonadal maturation were more likely to have branchial nemerteans relative to those with ovaries in late stages of maturation, suggestive of nemertean migration from gills to egg mass once the host oviposits. This is the first report of C. conanobrieni in the Caribbean spiny lobster from the eastern Caribbean, which is approximately 1,300 miles from Florida and 1,000 miles from Colombia. This is also the first report of an undescribed nemertean worm in P. argus. The high prevalence of Carcinonemertes spp. in P. argus raises concern for the extent to which these egg predators may be impacting P. argus in Saint Kitts, an important fishery on the island.

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Inconclusive evidence of sexual reproduction of invasive Halophila stipulacea: a new field guide to encourage investigation of flower and fruit production throughout its invasive range

Botanica Marina ◽

10.1515/bot-2020-0046 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 63 (6) ◽

pp. 537-540

Author(s):

Fee O.H. Smulders ◽

Kelcie L. Chiquillo ◽

Demian A. Willette ◽

Paul H. Barber ◽

Marjolijn J.A. Christianen

Keyword(s):

Sexual Reproduction ◽

Clonal Growth ◽

Large Scale ◽

Fruit Production ◽

Morphological Evidence ◽

Invasive Range ◽

Reproductive Structures ◽

Halophila Stipulacea ◽

The Caribbean ◽

Low Rate

AbstractThe dioecious seagrass species Halophila stipulacea reproduces mainly through fast clonal growth, underlying its invasive behavior. Here, we provide morphological evidence to show that the first findings of fruits in the Caribbean were misidentified. Consequently, H. stipulacea reproduction is likely still only asexual in the Caribbean. Therefore, we introduce an identification key of H. stipulacea reproductive structures to encourage careful identification and quantification throughout its invasive range. Until large-scale seed production in invaded habitats is reported, the apparent low rate of sexual reproduction needs to be considered in current studies investigating the invasion capacity of this species.

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The shrimp genus Salmoneus Holthuis, 1955 (Crustacea, Decapoda, Alpheidae) in the tropical western Atlantic, with description of five new species

Zootaxa ◽

10.11646/zootaxa.2372.1.18 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 2372 (1) ◽

pp. 177-205 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

ARTHUR ANKER

Keyword(s):

Caribbean Sea ◽

Coarse Sand ◽

Shallow Waters ◽

Coral Rubble ◽

Western Atlantic ◽

Turks And Caicos Islands ◽

New Localities ◽

Soft Bottoms ◽

The Caribbean ◽

Alpheid Shrimp

The present study examines the diversity of the alpheid shrimp genus Salmoneus Holthuis, 1955 in the western Atlantic. Five species are described from the shallow waters of the Caribbean Sea: Salmoneus hispaniolensis sp. nov., from the southern coast of the Dominican Republic; S. camaroncito sp. nov. from Panama and Honduras; S. armatus sp. nov. from Panama; S. degravei sp. nov. from Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, and Tobago; and S. wehrtmanni sp. nov. from Panama, Honduras, Mexico (Yucatan) and Tobago. In addition, S. ortmanni (Rankin, 1898) is reported from new localities in Panama and Costa Rica; S. carvachoi Anker, 2007 from Mexico (Yucatan) and the Brazilian states of Pernambuco and Paraíba; S. cavicolus Felder & Manning, 1986 from Turks and Caicos Islands; and S. setosus Manning & Chace, 1990 from Mexico (Yucatan). Most specimens were collected at shallow depths (0.5–2 m), on soft bottoms ranging from mudsilt to coarse sand mixed rubble, under rocks or coral rubble; S. degravei sp. nov. appears to be associated with burrows of the callianassid ghost shrimp, Neocallichirus grandimana (Gibbes, 1850).

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Phylogeny and historical biogeography of the cave-adapted shrimp genus Typhlatya (Atyidae) in the Caribbean Sea and western Atlantic

Journal of Biogeography ◽

10.1111/j.1365-2699.2007.01767.x ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 0 (0) ◽

pp. 071009214220003-??? ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Rebecca L. Hunter ◽

Michael Scott Webb ◽

Thomas M. Iliffe ◽

Jaime R. Alvarado Bremer

Keyword(s):

Caribbean Sea ◽

Historical Biogeography ◽

Western Atlantic ◽

The Caribbean

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Exploring how non-native seagrass species could provide essential ecosystems services: a perspective on the highly invasive seagrass Halophila stipulacea in the Caribbean Sea

Biological Invasions ◽

10.1007/s10530-019-01924-y ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 21 (5) ◽

pp. 1461-1472 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Inés G. Viana ◽

Rapti Siriwardane-de Zoysa ◽

Demian A. Willette ◽

Lucy G. Gillis

Keyword(s):

Caribbean Sea ◽

Seagrass Species ◽

Halophila Stipulacea ◽

The Caribbean

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Uroptychus nitidus (A. Milne-Edwards, 1880) and related species (Crustacea: Decapoda: Anomura: Chirostylidae) from the western Atlantic

Zootaxa ◽

10.11646/zootaxa.4221.3.1 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 4221 (3) ◽

pp. 251

Author(s):

KEIJI BABA ◽

MARY K. WICKSTEN

Keyword(s):

Related Species ◽

Caribbean Sea ◽

Smithsonian Institution ◽

Western Atlantic ◽

Straits Of Florida ◽

Number Of Species ◽

Comparative Zoology ◽

The Caribbean ◽

Squat Lobsters

Eight species of squat lobsters of the genus Uroptychus are reported from the western Atlantic based on the collections of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard, the Smithsonian Institution and Texas A&M University. Uroptychus nitidus (A. Milne-Edwards, 1880) is reviewed and redescribed, with a syntype taken at Blake Station 200 off Martinique designated as the lectotype. Uroptychus alphonsei n. sp. is named for U. nitidus variety C Chace, 1942, U. fenneri n. sp. for U. nitidus variety A Chace, 1942, and U. janiceae n. sp. for U. nitidus variety B Chace, 1942; U. lindae n. sp. is described on the basis of specimens collected by the Alaminos in the Caribbean Sea off northern Columbia; U. rafai n. sp. is described based on a sole specimen taken from the Straits of Florida; U. reedae n. sp. is described from among the syntypes of U. nitidus; and U. uncifer (A. Milne-Edwards, 1880) is redescribed to elaborate on its specific status, with the designation of lectotype from Blake Station 299 off the coast of Barbados. The number of species of Uroptychus from the western Atlantic now stands at 21. A key to these species is provided.

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A Cryptic Invasion in the Western Atlantic: Presence of the Fouling Barnacle Megabalanus zebra (Darwin, 1854) (Crustacea, Cirripedia) in the Caribbean Sea

Zootaxa ◽

10.11646/zootaxa.4237.1.7 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 4237 (1) ◽

pp. 131 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

FABIO BETTINI PITOMBO ◽

JUDITH GOBIN ◽

NIVIA MARIA NUNES ABREU ◽

ALANA JUTE

Keyword(s):

Atlantic Ocean ◽

Caribbean Sea ◽

Western Atlantic ◽

Ship Hulls ◽

Western Atlantic Ocean ◽

Cryptic Invasion ◽

Southern Caribbean ◽

Natural Range ◽

The Caribbean ◽

Delayed Recognition

The barnacle Megabalanus zebra is largely known from ship hulls, with little information on its biology, ecology, and natural range. We identify M. zebra here from the southern Caribbean, based upon specimens collected as early as 2002. Challenges associated with identifying megabalinine species have delayed recognition of this species as distinct from other Caribbean Megabalanus. Sequenced material of M. zebra from Curaçao did not match M. zebra GenBank sequences that could be verified by descriptions or vouchered material. The presence of young M. zebra on vessels that have not left the Caribbean, as well as on pier pilings and resident buoys, indicate that this species is established in the tropical Western Atlantic Ocean, but the timing of its invasion remains unknown.

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PRIMER REGISTRO DE ANORMALIDADES EN LA COLUMNA VERTEBRAL DE UN TIBURON CAPTURADO EN EL CARIBE COLOMBIANO

Bulletin of Marine and Coastal Research ◽

10.25268/bimc.invemar.1984.14.0.474 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 14 ◽

Author(s):

Iván Rey Carrasco ◽

Ricardo Alvarez León

Keyword(s):

Caribbean Sea ◽

Western Atlantic ◽

The Third ◽

The Caribbean

The S deformation of the backbone of a shark (Carcharhinidae: Carcharhinus) is reported for the irst time in the Caribbean Sea and this is apparently the third record of the anomaly in the genus in the western Atlantic.

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New host report for nematodes in a stranded short-snouted spinner dolphin Stenella clymene (Cetacea: Delphinidae) from the Mexican Caribbean coast

Helminthologia ◽

10.2478/s11687-010-0020-0 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 47 (2) ◽

pp. 136-138 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

R. Aguilar-Aguilar ◽

A. Delgado-Estrella ◽

R. Moreno-Navarrete

Keyword(s):

Atlantic Ocean ◽

Caribbean Sea ◽

Nematode Species ◽

Quintana Roo ◽

New Host ◽

Western Atlantic ◽

Mexican Caribbean ◽

Spinner Dolphin ◽

The Caribbean ◽

First Time

AbstractOne short-snouted spinner dolphin Stenella clymene individual stranded on the coast of Quintana Roo, Mexico, was examined for stomach and lung nematodes. During necropsy, a large number of nematodes of the species Skrjabinalius guevarai were found in the airways. Additionally, some larval Anisakis sp. were found in the stomach. Both nematode species are reported for the first time from this host. The present is the first helminthological study of the short-snouted spinner dolphin in Mexico and adjacent waters of the Caribbean Sea. S. guevarai is reported for the first time from the western Atlantic Ocean.

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