Invasion History

First Non-native North American Tidal Record: 1916
First Non-native West Coast Tidal Record: 1916
First Non-native East/Gulf Coast Tidal Record:

General Invasion History:

The Scissor Date Mussel (Leiosolenus aristatus) was described from Senegal by Dillwyn in 1817 (Turner and Boss 1962). It has a fossil record in the Caribbean, and ranges from North Carolina to Venezuela. In the Eastern Atlantic, it has been found from the Algarve, Portugal to Angola, and in the Mediterranean, from Spain to Tunisia. It has been variously treated as native to the Caribbean, but introduced or cryptogenic in the Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean (Turner and Boss 1962; Gofas and Zenetos 2003; Pestana net al. 2019; Lopez-Soriano 2019). Leiosolenus aristatus has been observed as a recent, well-documented invader on Cape Verde Island (Lopes 2011) and in bays on the coast of Brazil (Simone and Goncalves 2006; Ignacio et al. 2010; Cavallari et al. 2012).   

Carlton et al. (2019) regard L. aristatus as widely introduced in the East Pacific, probably before the mid-19th century.  It now ranges from southern California (Los Angeles, La Jolla, establishment unknown) to Ecuador (Soot-Ryen 1955; Turner and Boss 1962). Genetic analysis of Pacific and Eastern Atlantic populations of L. aristatus is desirable. This bivalve was collected from Cocos Island, Costa Rica (Soot-Ryen 1955, cited v=by Hertlein 1963).

North American Invasion History:

Invasion History on the West Coast:

The Scissor Date Mussel (Leiosolenus aristatus) is known from scattered locations in California at La Jolla ((1916,ANSP 114118, Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 2021) and Los Angeles County ( White's Point ,Los Angeles County/CA/Pacific Ocean (1975, ANSP A473372, Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 2021). It is established in the Gulf of California, and the southern Pacific Coast of Mexico (Turner and Boss 1962).

Invasion History Elsewhere in the World:

Leiosolenus aristatus (Scissors Date Mussel) was described from Senegal, west Africa, but has a fossil record in the Caribbean (Turner and Boss 1962).  The early distribution of this species may have been influenced by the African-Caribbean slave trade.  This mussel bores into shells of bivalves and corals, and has great potential for transport in ship fouling  'Certainly, ships badly fouled with oysters are a perfect means of transport for these mollusks' (Turner and Boss 1962).  In Jalsico state, Mexico, it was studied as a commensal of a native Rock Oyster (Striostrea prismatica; Sanchez-Telumbre et al. 2021). It has been long established in the Eastern Pacific, with first records in the Galapagos in 1898, in Panama in 1944, and Cocos Island Costa Rica before 1955 (Soot-Ryen 1955, cited by Hertlein 1963).

Leiosolenus aristatus  is regarded as a recent invader in Brazil, where it was first reported in Sao Paulo and Santa Catarins states in 2005 (Simon and Gonçalves 2006; Cavallari et al. 2012). In 2019, it was found much further north in Bahia state (13° S; Cavallari et al. 2012). Leiosolenus aristatus is believed to have been introduced to Brazil from the Caribbean (Simon and Gonçalves 2006; Cavallari et al. 2012).

In the Eastern Pacific, Leiosolenus aristatus was an early introduction, established in the Galapagos Islands by 1898 (Carlton et al. 2019), and was found in Panama by 1944, Peru in the 1930s, and Cocos Island before 1955 (Soot-Ryan 1955; US National Museum of Natural History 2023).


Description

Leiosolenus aristatus (Scissors Date Mussel) is one of a subfamily (Lithophaginae) of mussels which use acid secretions to bore into shells, corals, and other calcareous material. The shells are narrow and elliptical and thin and fragile. The periostracum is largely covered with calcareous deposits. Curved calcareous projections extend posteriorly and cross, giving a scissor-like view when seen from above. The interior of the shell is purplish and iridescent. The shell can reach 52 mm in length. The synonyms Lithophaga aristata and Myoforceps aristatus are still widely used in the literature (Turner and Boss 1962; Simone and Gonçalves 2016).


Taxonomy

Taxonomic Tree

Kingdom:   Animalia
Phylum:   Mollusca
Class:   Bivalvia
Subclass:   Pteriomorphia
Order:   Mytiloida
Family:   Mytilidae
Species:   aristatus

Synonyms

Mytilus aristatus (Dullwyn, 1817)
Fistulanus ropan (Blainville, 1820)
Modiola caudigera (Lamarck, 1824)
Lithphagus caudigeus (Lamarck & Gibbs, 1848)
Lithodomus forficatus (Ravenel, 1861)
Myoforcepa aristatus (Fischer, 1886)
Lithophaga aristata (Caprenter, 1856)

Potentially Misidentified Species

Leiosolenus plumula
Native, southern California to Peru (Soot-Ryen 1955)

Ecology

General:

Reproduction has not been described in Leiosolenus aristatus, but sexes are probably separate as in other mussels, and larvae are probably planktonic larvae (e.g., Mytilus galloprovincialis, Geukensia demissa).
 

Food:

Phytoplankton, detritus

Consumers:

Competitors:

Trophic Status:

Suspension Feeder

Habitats

General HabitatOyster ReefNone
General HabitatMarinas & DocksNone
General HabitatCoral reefNone
General HabitatVessel HullNone
Salinity RangePolyhaline18-30 PSU
Salinity RangeEuhaline30-40 PSU
Tidal RangeSubtidalNone
Vertical HabitatEpibenthicNone

Life History

Leiosolenus aristatus is widely distributed in shallow warm-temperate to tropical marine waters. This mussel is a suspension-feeder but can have adverse impacts on shelled mollusks and corals by boring into shells and coral skeletons. Despite the former genus name Lithophaga, this mussel does not bore into non-living rock (Turner and Boss 1962). The mussels are known from oysters, scallops, chitons, conchs, whelks and limpets where they reside (Turner and Boss 1962; Simone and Gonçalves 2006; Alvarez-Cerrillo et al. 2011). 


Tolerances and Life History Parameters

Maximum Length (mm)52Turner and Boss 1962
Maximum Height (mm)16.5Turner and Boss 1962
Broad Temperature RangeNoneWarm-temperate-Tropical
Broad Salinity RangeNonePolyhaline-Euhalibe

General Impacts

This mussel bores into other molluscan shells and corals. In Brazil, the invasion of Leiosolenus aristatus has been promoted by the spread of the cup corals Tubastraea coccinea and T. tagusenisis, whose calcareous bases provide habitat. The increasing abundance of L. aristatus is considered a threat to native corals and reefs (Vinagre et al. 2017).


Regional Impacts

SEP-ZNoneEcological ImpactHabitat Change
The Scissors Date Mussel (Leiosolenus aristatus) wwa an abundant internal borer of live coral Porites lobata, together with the native L.laevigatusa (Reaka-Kudla et al. 1996).
NEP-VIINoneEconomic ImpactFisheries

The boring mussel Leiosolenus aristatus abundant in the shells of the native Rock Oyster (Striostrea prismatica), which supports an artisanal fishery (Sanchez-Telumbre et al. 2021).

SA-IINoneEcological ImpactHabitat Change
The invasive cup corals Tubastraea coccinea and T. tagusensis have provided increased habitat for the boring mussel Leiosolenus aristatus, posing a threat to native corals (Vinagre et al. 2017).

Regional Distribution Map

Bioregion Region Name Year Invasion Status Population Status
SEP-Z None 1902 Non-native Established
CAR-III None 0 Native Established
WA-II None 1817 Crypogenic Established
CAR-VI None 0 Native Established
CAR-VII Cape Hatteras to Mid-East Florida 0 Native Established
SEP-H None 1935 Non-native Established
CAR-III None 0 Native Established
NEP-VI Pt. Conception to Southern Baja California 1916 Non-native Failed
CAR-II None 0 Native Established
CAR-IV None 0 Native Established
WA-III None 0 Crypogenic Established
NEP-VIII None 0 Non-native Established
NEP-VII None 1934 Non-native Established
SA-II None 2005 Non-native Established
SA-III None 2011 Non-native Established
CAR-I Northern Yucatan, Gulf of Mexico, Florida Straits, to Middle Eastern Florida 0 Native Established
MED-II None 0 Crypogenic Established
MED-I None 0 Crypogenic Established
MED-III None 0 Crypogenic Established
P016 _CDA_P016 (San Diego) 1916 Non-native Unknown
P050 San Pedro Bay 1975 Non-native Unknown
WA-III None 1969 Crypogenic Established
NEA-V None 0 Crypogenic Established
CMAR1 Isla del Coco / Cocos Island 1955 Non-native Established
SEP-B None 1935 Non-native Established

Occurrence Map

OCC_ID Author Year Date Locality Status Latitude Longitude

References

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Vinagre, Catarina; Silva, Rodrigo; Mendonça, Vanessa; . Flore, Augusto A.V.; Baeta, Alexandra; Marques, João Carlos (2018) Food web organization following the invasion of habitat-modifying Tubastraea spp. corals appears to favour the invasive borer bivalve Leiosolenus aristatus, Ecological Indicators 85: 1204-

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