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Invasive Species
Links to other invasive species sites:
The following is a generic list of
invasive species. We are currently working on narrowing down a top
ten invasive species list to be vigilant for in Alabama/Mississippi
waters. We will post the top ten list in the near future.
Animals
Common Name: Nutria
Scientific Name: Myocastor coypus
Origin: South America
Habitat: Wetlands
Potential Impacts: Herbivores that cause extensive damage to coastal
wetlands due to their feeding activity.
Distribution: Southern U.S.
Distinguishing Feature: Looks similar to a beaver with a rat-like tail.
Jellyfish
Common Name: Australian
Jellyfish
Scientific Name: Phyllorhiza punctata
Origin: Australia
Habitat:
Potential Impacts: They feed on juvenile shrimp, fish and crab.
Distribution: Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico
Distinguishing Feature: Grow up to 2 feet in diameter.
Mollusks
Common Name: Common
Mussel
Scientific Name: Mytilus edulis
Origin:
Habitat: Occurs from high intertidal to the shallow subtidal areas.
Potential Impacts:
Distribution: Very common around the British Isles and the estuaries of
south-west England, north wales, and west Scotland.
Distinguishing Feature: The shell is smooth with a sculpturing of
concentric lines.
Common Name: Veined
Rapa Whelk
Scientific Name: Rapana venosa
Origin: Sea of Japan
Habitat: Estuarine waters
Potential Impacts: They are predatory snails that eat a variety of
molluscs.
Distribution: Chesapeake Bay
Distinguishing Feature: They have a heavy short-spired shell with a
large inflated body whorl and
a deep umbilicus.
Common Name: Asian Clam
Scientific Name: Corbicula fluminea
Origin: suspect to have been brought from China by immigrants.
Habitat: Found in fresh waters and some estuarine populations have been
reported.
Potential Impacts: Biofouler in power plant and industrial water
systems. Competes with native species for food and space. Appear to
adapt better to polluted environments than native bivalves.
Distribution: Throughout the U.S. including all 5 Gulf states and
northern Mexico. Estuarine populations have been reported in San
Francisco and Chesapeake Bay.
Distinguishing Feature: The shell is ovate and deep at the hinge. The
exterior is normally a yellow-green to brown in color with thick,
centric rings. The inside of the shell is layered with polished, light
purple nacre.
Common Name: Golden
Mussel
Scientific Name: Limnoperna fortunei
Origin: China
Habitat: Estuaries and Harbors. Can survive in marine ballast water.
Potential Impacts: It is a filter feeder and may alter plankton stocks,
nutrient cycling.
Distribution: Brazil, Argentina
Distinguishing Feature:
Common Name: Brown
Mussel
Scientific Name: Perna perna
Origin: Tropical and sub-tropical regions of the Atlantic.
Habitat: Salinity tolerance of 19-44ppt. and temperature tolerance of
18-30 degrees C.
Potential Impacts: Biofouler
Distribution: Western Gulf of Mexico. Port Aransas to Brazoa Santiago
Pass, Texas.
Distinguishing Feature: Brown in color. Elongate, low-shelled bivalve.
Common Name: Green
Mussel
Scientific Name: Perna viridis
Origin: Indo-Pacific region around the continent of Asia.
Habitat: Estuarine waters with salinity ranges from 27-33ppt.
Potential Impacts: Biofouler
Distribution: South Florida from Tampa Bay to Charlotte Harbor
Distinguishing Feature: It can reach 6 in. Green in color.
Common Name: Zebra
Mussel
Scientific Name: Dreissenia polymorpha
Origin: Caspian Sea
Habitat: Fresh-water, usually at depths of 2-7 meters. Have been found
in brackish waters with salinity of 1-2 ppm.
Potential Impacts: Biofouling and interfering with the native population
of mussels.
Distribution: The Great Lakes, Illinois and Hudson rivers. Mississippi,
Alabama, Arkansas and many others.
Distinguishing Feature: about the size a thumb nail and zebra striped.
Crustaceans
Common Name: Ivory
Barnacle
Scientific Name: Balanus eburneus
Origin: Massachusetts to the West Indies and Brazil.
Habitat:
Potential Impacts: Hull fouling and fouling oysters in BonSecour Bay,
Alabama.
Distribution: North Sea, Black Sea, Caspian Sea and from India , Japan,
West Africa, and the Pacific side of the Panama Canal.
Distinguishing Feature:
Common Name: Striped
Barnacle
Scientific Name: Balanus amphitrite
Origin: Southwestern Pacific and Indian Oceans
Habitat: Warm and temperate Seas
Potential Impacts: Biofouler of ships and harbors.
Distribution: From the west coast of Florida to Massachusetts in North
America.
Distinguishing Feature: Shell has vertical purple stripes. 12-13 teeth
on the labrum.
Common Name: European
Green Crab
Scientific Name: Carcinus maenas
|Origin: Atlantic coast of Europe and
Northern Africa.
Habitat: They can live in a variety of habitats, and can tolerate wide
ranges of salinity.
Potential Impacts: Feeds on many types of bivalve mollusks, polychaetes,
and small crustaceans, and can out compete native crabs for food.
Distribution: Western coast of the U.S.
Distinguishing Feature: adults are generally dark green with yellow
markings. The underside is
often bright red or yellow. Juveniles can change color to match their
surroundings.
Common Name: Red Blue
Crab
Scientific Name: Callinectes bocourti
Origin: Venezuela
Habitat:
Potential Impacts:
Distribution:
Distinguishing Feature:
Common Name:
Scientific Name: Callinectes maracaiboensis
Origin:
Habitat:
Potential Impacts:
Distribution:
Distinguishing Feature:
Common Name: Serrated
Swimming Crab
Scientific Name: Scylla serrata
Origin: Indo-Pacific, Australia and New Zealand.
Habitat: Muddy bottoms on brackish water along the shoreline.
Potential Impacts: It is active and aggressive and known to carry
parasites.
Distribution: Unknown.
Distinguishing Characteristics: It is either entirely grayish green or
purplish brown in color.
Common Name:
Portunid Crab.
Scientific Name: Charybdis hellerii
Origin:
Habitat: prefers soft bottom, although it is also found on rocky bottom
and among coral.
Potential Impacts: Biological , Economical.
Distribution: Indian River. Possibly south Florida and the Gulf of
Mexico.
Distinguishing Feature: Overall dark green except for light purple area
on upper, inner surface of palm and dark purple on dorsal surfaces.
Fish
Common Name: Rio Grande
Cichlid
Scientific Name: Cichlasoma cyanoguttatum
Origin: Rio Grande River
Habitat: Warm water
Potential Impacts:
Distribution: Texas
Distinguishing Feature: Cream and turquoise colored spots.
Common Name: Redbelly
Tilapia
Scientific Name: Tilapia zilli
Origin: West Africa. Israel and the Jordan Valley.
Habitat: Occurs mostly in freshwater. Can tolerate brackish water. Very
sensitive to cold water.
Potential Impacts: A voracious herbivore, which constitutes a threat to
native aquatic plants and the organisms that depend on them.
Distribution: San Antonio River and some occurrences in Florida.
Distinguishing Feature: 8 or 9 thin cross bars along its flanks. Also,
it has jaw teeth, which are stout, firmly anchored and bicusbid.
Common Name: Blue
Tilapia
Scientific Name: Oreochromis aureus
Origin: Africa and Middle East
Habitat:
Potential Impacts: They compete with native species for spawning areas,
food, and space.
Distribution:
Distinguishing Feature:
Common Name: Walking Catfish
Scientific Name: Clarias
Origin: Southeastern Asia
Habitat: Fresh water
Potential Impacts: It is an aggressive predator feeding
opportunistically on what is available.
Distribution: Not yet found in Alabama
Distinguishing Feature:
Common Name: Grass Carp
Scientific Name: Ctenopharyngodon idella
Origin: Asia
Habitat: Fresh water
Potential Impacts: They generally eat native aquatic plants, roots
first, devouring native plant populations and stirring up dirt in the
water, making hunting food difficult for game fish like bass.
Distribution: Alabama
Distinguishing Feature:
Common Name: Red Shiner
Scientific Name: Cyprinalla lutrensis
Origin: Mississippi River basin
Habitat: Fresh water
Potential Impacts: They reproduce quickly and are aggressive predators.
Distribution:
Distinguishing Feature:
Common Name: Common
Carp
Scientific Name: Cyprinus carpio
Origin: Eurasia
Habitat: Fresh water
Potential Impacts: They eat native aquatic plants, roots first thereby
devouring native plant populations and stirring up mud in the water,
making hunting food difficult for game fish like bass.
Distribution:
Distinguishing Feature:
Common Name: Brown
Trout
Scientific Name: Salmo trutta
Origin: Europe, Asia, and Africa
Habitat: Fresh water
Potential Impacts: They have reduced native populations through predation, displacement,
and food competition.
Botany
Common Name: Eurasian
Watermilfoil
Scientific Name: Myriophyllum spicatum
Origin: Eurasia and Africa
Habitat: Fresh to brackish water
Potential Impacts: It can form large, floating mats of vegetation,
preventing light pentration for native aquatic plants and impeding water
traffic.
Distribution: Chesapeake Bay, the tidal Potomac River, and several
Tennessee Valley reservoirs.
Distinguishing Feature: Stems are long, slender, branching, hairless and
become leafless toward the base. It forms leaflets that appear feathery.
It produces small, yellow, 4 parted flowers on a spike that projects 2-4
in. above the water surface.
Common Name: Hydrilla
Scientific Name: Hydrilla verticillata
Origin: Australia, Asia, and central Africa
Habitat: Lakes, ponds, rivers, canals, and drainage ditches. It is
tolerant of a wide range of environments.
Potential Impacts: It can reduce plant diversity by outcompeting native
aquatic plants.
Distribution: Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, N.Carolina,
S.Carolina, Virginia, Louisiana, Texas etc.
Distinguishing Feature: It is submersed with heavily branching, erect
stems.
Common Name: Water
Hyacinth
Scientific Name: Eichhornia crassipes
Origin: Tropical South America
Habitat: Prefer to grow in nutrient enriched waters.
They grow in a variety of wetland types.
Potential Impacts: It forms dense mats that interfere with navigation,
recreation, irrigation, and power generation. They out compete native
submersed and floating leaved plants.
Distribution: In U.S., California and southern states.
Distinguishing Feature: Water lettuce is often mistaken for water
hyacinth. Hyacinth has large showy flowers and oval, shiny green leaves.
Common Name: Water
Lettuce
Scientific Name: Pistia stratttiotes
Origin: South America
Habitat: Not as clod tolerant as water hyacinth
Potential Impacts: It forms mats of vegetation that cover waterways.
Distribution: Southeastern U.S. and New Jersey, New York, Texas,
Arizona, California.
Distinguishing Feature: It resembles an open head of lettuce.
Common Name: Brazilian
Elodea
Scientific Name: Egeria densa
Origin: Southeastern Brazil
Habitat: Submersed freshwater. Both still and flowing waters.
Potential Impacts: It forms dense mats that choke out native aquatics.
Distribution: All over the U.S. including Washington, Florida,
California.
Distinguishing Feature: It looks like a larger, more robust version of
its native relative waterweed.
Common Name: Hygrophila
Scientific Name: Hygrophila polysperma
Origin: East Indies
Habitat: Mostly submersed, usually rooted in substrate.
Potential Impacts: This rooted plant blocks waterways and easily
reproduces through fragments.
Distribution: Florida, Texas
Distinguishing Feature: Its fruit is a narrow capsule, splitting
lengthwise to release tiny round seeds.
Common Name: Purple
Loosestrife
Scientific Name: Lythrum salicaria
Origin: Europe
Habitat: Estuaries and wetlands
Potential Impacts: One mature plant can produce more than 2 million
seeds annually. It can result in the suppression of the resident plant
community and the eventual alteration of the wetland’s structure and
function.
Distribution: Every state except Florida
Distinguishing Feature: Square, woody stem and opposite or whorled
leaves
Common Name: Parrot
Feather
Scientific Name: Myriophyllum aquaticum
Origin: Amazon River
Habitat:
Potential Impacts: It blocks waterways, deny sunlight to submerged
plants and out compete marsh plants for resources.
Distribution: Southeastern U.S. including Mobile Delta
Distinguishing Feature:
Common Name: Water
Cress
Scientific Name: Nasturtium officinale
Origin: Europe
Habitat: Semi-Aquatic
Potential Impacts: Displaces native vegetation
Distribution:
Distinguishing Feature: White flowers and narrow elongate fruits
Common Name: Sacred Lotus
Scientific Name: Nelumbo nucifera
Origin: Asia
Habitat:
Potential Impacts: It can block waterways and sunlight to submerged
vegetation.
Distribution: Alabama
Distinguishing Feature: It is a rooted plant with floating leaves
Common Name: Torpedo
Grass
Scientific Name: Panicum repens
Origin: Australia
Habitat: Canals, ditches, shorelines, and often extending into the
water.
Potential Impacts: Grows in dense patches, displacing native wetland and
shoreline vegetation
Distribution: Alabama, Florida
Distinguishing Feature: Its runner tips are sharp pointed and torpedo
shaped.
Common Name: Spinyleaf
Naiad
Scientific Name: Najas marina
Origin:
Habitat: Known to invade fresh and brackish marshes
Potential Impacts:
Distribution:
Distinguishing Feature:
Common Name: Alligator
Weed
Scientific Name: Althernanthera philoxeroides
igin: South America
Habitat: Wetland areas
Potential Impacts: It leaves large mats of floating stems in waterways.
Distribution: Louisiana, Alabama
Distinguishing Feature:
Common Name: Limnophila
or Asian Marshweed
Scientific Name: Limnophila sessiliflora
Origin: India and Southeast Asia
Habitat: wetlands
Potential Impacts:
Distribution: Florida, Georgia, and Texas
Distinguishing Feature:
Common Name: Curlyleaf
Pondweed
Scientific Name: Potamogeton crispus
Origin: Europe
Habitat:
Potential Impacts: Forms dense mats of vegetation on the water’s
surface
Distribution:
Distinguishing Feature:
Common Name: Giant
Salvinia
Scientific Name: Salvinia molesta
Origin: Brazil
Habitat:
Potential Impacts: Plants quickly cover the surface of a water body,
blocking sunlight and passage through the channel.
Distribution: Commonly distributed throughout the U.S.
Distinguishing Feature:
Common Name: Water Aloe
Scientific Name: Stratiotes aloides
Origin: Europe
Habitat:
Potential Impacts:
Distribution:
Distinguishing Feature:
Common Name: Wild Taro
Scientific Name: Colocasia esculaenta
Origin: Asia
Habitat: wetlands
Potential Impacts: The tubers, by which it reproduces, contain poison
Distribution: Southeastern U.S.
Distinguishing Feature:
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