Overview

GalNEMO provides information on introduced marine and estuarine invertebrates and fishes with established populations in the Galapagos. The database contains a brief overview of each species, including its taxonomy, occurrence records, distribution, and history of spread. GalNEMO also provides summaries of introduced species by taxonomic group and time.

The creation of GalNEMO draws upon years of research and literature review, and remains an ongoing project. Records are updated as new species are reported and new research is available.

Species records include:

Photographic images and descriptions
History of introduction and spread
Mechanisms (vectors) of introduction; how species may move from one place to another
Information on the biology, ecology, and effects of introduction (impacts)
Global distribution maps of native and introduced range(s)
References to available literature for species and invasion information

How to search the data

You can search the database by clicking here. Individual species records can be found by using common or scientific names. Use wildcard characters around the search input (%) if only part of the name is known. For example %poly% will return all species with "poly" in the name, plus the taxonomic group "polycheates". Species can also be searched by taxonomic group or from the 'All Taxa' page.

Species status definitions

Species status is the combination of two conditions: Invasion Status and Population Status.

Invasion Status\ Invasion status refers to the geographical limit range of a species; whether a species is considered native, non-native, or its native origin is uncertain or unknown (cryptogenic) in a particular geographic area. It does not relate to how many organisms are present in a given area.

Native\ A species that is considered native, endemic or indigenous to a particular region.

Non-native\ A species that is not native or is non-indigenous to a particular region; it is found outside its native or historical range.

Cryptogenic\ A species whose historical geographic origin is uncertain/unknown and therefore its status is unclear for a given region.

Population Status\ Population status refers to the presence or absence of a non-native organism in a certain number of specimens, or the maintenance of some form of population within its non-native region.

Eradicated\ A non-native population that was eliminated by human intervention.

Established A non-native species determined to have a sustained population within its introduced region. This includes multiple observations of an organism and/or evidence of its reproduction (aka presence of larvae or juveniles, eggs or gametes), and/or evidence of its survival over time. Maintaining populations can also include human mediated stocking of organisms, such as for fisheries.

Extinct\ A previously established population that died off on its own and now is not found within the geographic bounds of a region.

Failed\ A species whose presence was either a known introduction into a new region, or had been observed at some point in time, but was unable to sustain its presence through survival or reproduction, and therefore was never established.

Unknown\ A species whose status for a given region is not known at present, usually due to lack of information such as no recorded information within the past 20--30 years, or for more recent introductions, too few records to determine its status. A species may have been collected or observed but it is unclear whether that species is established yet.

Background Information

Gal-NEMO is a joint effort by the Smithsonian Institution's Environmental Research Center (SERC) and Charles Darwin Foundation to document the distribution of nonindigenous species in the Galapagos' coastal and estuarine waters. It was supported by the Smithsonian Institution. The baseline inventory was supplemented by existing data, including historical surveys and literature sources. To keep the data as accessible as possible records from the Galapagos are merged into the National Estuarine and Marine Exotic Species Information System (NEMESIS).

Cite GalNEMO

Fofonoff PW, Ruiz GM, Steves B, Keith I, Carlton JT. 2022. Galapagos Non-native Estuarine and Marine Organisms (GalNEMO) System. https://invasions.si.edu/nemesis/Galapagos. Access Date:

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