Invasion
Invasion Description
CA/San Francisco Bay (1988, Meehan et al. 1989) Introduction of Limecoa petalum to San Francisco Bay could have occurred as early as the 1850s in solid ballast, or in the late 1800s-early 1900s with Eastern Oysters (Crassostrea virginica). However, the molecular detection of its occurrence did not occur until 1988 (Meehan et al. 1989; Carlton and Cohen 1995).
Geographic Extent
'upstream to Collinsville'/CA/San Francisco Bay to Sacramento San Joaquin Delta (Meehan et al. 1989; Cohen and Carlton 1995); CA/Grizzly Bay (Peterson and Vayssieres, 2010, abundant in dry years, pre Corbula invasion); Sherman Island/CA/Sacramento San Joaquin Delta (Hopkins 1986); Port Sonoma/CA/San Pablo Bay (2004, Cohen et al. 2005); China Camp/CA/San Pablo Bay (2005, Robinson et al. 2011); San Leandro Marina/CA/South San Francisco Bay (2004, Cohen et al. 2005); San Loreno/CA/South San Francisco Bay (Brusati and Grosholz 2006); CA/Coyote Creek, South San Francisco Bay (Hopkins 1986); Alameda/CA/San Francisco Bay (Brusati and Grosholz 2006); Morro Bay/CA/Morro Bay (2011, California Department of Fish and Wildlife 2014, unknown establishment, identification should be confirmed)
Vectors
| Level | Vector |
|---|---|
| Alternate | Oyster Accidental |
| Alternate | Dry Ballast |
| Alternate | Ballast Water |
Regional Impacts
| Ecological Impact | Herbivory | |
| Limecola petalum, historically a very abundant bivalve in San Francisco Bay (Nichols and Thompson 1985a; Nichols and Thompson 1985b), is capable both of deposit-feeding in sediment and suspension-feeding in the water column. Since 1987, it has been outnumbered and outweighed at many locations by the non-native clam Corbula amurensis, but still plays an important role in the food web of the bay (Poulton et al. 2004). | ||
| Ecological Impact | Food/Prey | |
| Limecola petalum, historically a very abundant bivalve in San Francisco Bay (Nichols and Thompson 1985a; Nichols and Thompson 1985b), has been an important food item for crabs, fishes, and waterfowl (Cohen and Carlton 1995; Poulton et al. 2004). Since 1987, it has been outnumbered and outweighed at many locations by the non-native clam Corbula amurensis, but still plays an important role in the food web of the bay (Poulton et al. 2004). | ||
| Ecological Impact | Habitat Change | |
| Gemma gemma (Amethyst Gem Clam) appears to be negatively correlated with Limecola petalum. Pseudofeces of L. petalum may make the sediment unfavorable for G. gemma (Thompson 1982). | ||
| Ecological Impact | Competition | |
| Gemma gemma (Amethyst Gem Clam) appears to be negatively correlated with Limecola petalum. This could be due, in part, to feeding competition (Thompson 1982). | ||