Invasion
Invasion Description
1st Record: Harbor Island, San Diego/CA/San Diego Bay (1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, Lambert and Lambert 1998; Lambert and Lambert 2003);
Geographic Extent
Harbor Island, San Diego/CA/San Diego Bay (1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, Lambert and Lambert 1998; Lambert and Lambert 2003); Shelter Island, San Diego/CA/San Diego Bay (1996, 1997, 2000), Lambert and Lambert 2003); Fiddler's Cove, San Diego/CA/San Diego Bay (1995, 1996, 1998, 2000), Lambert and Lambert 2003); J St., San Diego/CA/San Diego Bay (1997, Lambert and Lambert 2003); Sunroad Marina/San Diego/San Diego Bay (2003, deRivera et al. 2005); Chula Vista Marina, /San Diego/San Diego Bay (2003, de Rivera et al. 2005); CA/San Diego Bay (2001, Fairey et al. 2002); Shelter Island Police Docks, San Diego Bay (2020, Nichols et al. 2023)
Vectors
| Level | Vector |
|---|---|
| Alternate | Hull Fouling |
| Alternate | None |
Regional Impacts
| Ecological Impact | Competition | |
| Ascidia zara has largely replaced the native Ascidia ceratodes in San Diego Bay (Lambert and Lambert 2003;). Ritter & Forsyth (1917) reported that Ascidia ceratodes and Pyura haustor, both native, were the most numerous solitary ascidians in South California in 1917. In 1995-2000, A. ceratodes was rare having been replaced by A. zara. | ||