A to Z of Invasive Marine Species - Page 2

One of the reasons why this D. villosus has colonised so many different countries and habitats is due to its high tolerance levels.

This species is widespread in tropical areas, which means that its suspected point of origin is not conclusive.

A. armata was introduced into Europe by the importation of oysters. The harpoon weed was first detected in Algeria, 1923 and probably spread to Britain via rafting or floating. Here in the UK, the weed was first recorded in 1949 in the Bristol Channel, on the island of Lundy in the asexual phase.

It is an invasive species of seaweed in the family Codiaceae and originally from Japan.

The tubeworm needs a hard substrate to attach to, due to this high densities of the Australian tubeworm can form reef like structures reaching dimensions of 4 meters in width and more than 2 meters in height.

As it has a thin and streamlined shell it can burrow in wet sand (and swim) very quickly with the help of its strong foot. It gets its common name because the shell looks like a straight razor and it can be very sharp.

Acorn barnacles are found in one of the severest conditions on the coast – rock faces on exposed beaches. On top of this, most tend to live high on the upper shore where they are uncovered for long periods of time by the tide.

C. mutica belongs to a peculiar group of marine amphipod crustaceans. The head has two pairs of antennae and the body has multiple segments (pereonites), most with a pair of limbs (pereopods). Caprellids have long, thin bodies, and greatly reduced abdomens.

Each colony of Botrylloides violaceus consists of many small individuals called zooids, that are arranged in elongated clusters called systems, within a firm matrix.