Aquatic Sciences Meeting, Albuquerque 2001

CS16 Invasive Species: Benthic and Pelagic Organisms

Date: Friday, February 16, 2001, Time: 8:30:00 AM

Location: Dona Ana

Graham, W, M, Dauphin Island Sea Lab, Dauphin Island, Alabama, USA, mgraham@disl.org

Martin, D, L, Dauphin Island Sea Lab, Dauphin Island, Alabama, USA, dmartin@disl.org

Perry, H, M, Gulf Coast Research Lab, Univ. Southern Mississippi, Ocean Springs, Mississippi, USA, Harriet.Perry@usm.edu

Felder, D, L, University of Louisiana, Lafayette, Louisiana, USA, dlf4517@louisiana.edu

ECOLOGICAL AND ECONOMIC IMPLICATIONS OF A NEW TROPICAL JELLYFISH IN THE NORTHERN GULF OF MEXICO

Large numbers of a tropical jellyfish identified as Phyllorhiza punctata were recorded for the first time in the Gulf of Mexico in the summer of 2000. While this population appears to have been transported naturally into the Gulf of Mexico from the Caribbean, there is evidence supporting the existence of cryptic populations in the Gulf of Mexico. From its suspected native habitat in the tropical Indo-Pacific, the species has invaded the Mediterranean and the Atlantic Basin, though timing of these invasions is debatable. Compared to both Caribbean and Pacific populations, the Gulf of Mexico P. punctata exhibit striking differences including complete lack of zooxanthellae and a considerable increase in diameter and weight. At one point an aggregation of 150 km2 contained approximately 6 million individuals. Carbon turnover and predation on fish eggs (primarily the anchovy) and small calanoid copepods (primarily Acartia tonsa) was nearly 100%. The impact of P. punctata is not completely known, but includes clogging of shrimp nets. A network of scientists, fishers, and coastal citizens has been created, in part, to monitor future occurrence of P. punctata.

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Aquatic Sciences Meeting, Albuquerque 2001

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