Invasion
Invasion Description
1st Record: Fort Jefferson, Dry Tortugas/FL/Gulf of Mexico (1908, Osburn 1914)
Geographic Extent
FL/Haulover Canal, Indian River Lagoon (Winston 1982); Sebastian/FL/Sebastian Grass Flats, Indian River Lagoon (Winston 1982); Walton Rocks Beach, Walton/FL/Indian River Lagoon (Winston 1982); Miami/FL/Biscayne Bay (Weiss 1948; Ruiz et al. unpublished data); Clearwater/FL/Gulf of Mexico (1959, USNM 51424, US National Museum of Natural History 2012); FL/Appalachee Bay (Joseph and Nichy 1955, cited by Winston 1977); Marsh Point/MS/Biloxi Bay (1999, Pederson and Peterson 2002); TX/Galveston Bay (Gossett et al. 2004); TX/Corpus Christi Bay (USNM 11817, National Museum of Natural History 2012); Ensenada De Cajon, Cape San Antonio/Cuba/Caribbean Sea (1914, USNM 6329, US National Museum of Natural History 2012, 21.913611 / Longitude: -84.896667)
Vectors
| Level | Vector |
|---|---|
| Probable | Hull Fouling |
Regional Impacts
| Economic Impact | Fisheries | |
| Amathia verticillata causes major problems by clogging shrimp-fishing gear in Galveston Bay, Texas (Gossett et al. 2004). | ||
| Ecological Impact | Habitat Change | |
| Drifting mats of detached Amathia verticillata form an important habitat for a wide variety of invertebrate taxa on muddy bottoms of Biloxi Bay, Gulf of Mexico (Pederson and Peterson 2002). | ||