Pacific oyster

  • Posted by Beth Siddons
  • On April 23, 2018
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Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas) Native to Japan and SE Asia, Pacific oysters were deliberately introduced to the UK in the 1960s for farming. It was presumed that temperatures in British waters would not be suitable for them to reproduce, but escapees have established feral populations in SE and SW England and Wales. There are extensive […]
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Slipper limpet

  • Posted by Beth Siddons
  • On April 23, 2018
  • 0 Comments
Slipper limpet (Crepidula fornicata) The slipper limpet arrived in S England in the late 19th Century and is now well established on the southern coasts of England and Wales and spreading northward. It can smother seabed species, alter seabed habitat structure dramatically and compete for food and space with other filter-feeding species including mussels and […]
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Orange-tipped sea squirt

  • Posted by Beth Siddons
  • On April 23, 2018
  • 0 Comments
Orange-tipped sea squirt (Corella eumyota) The orange-tipped sea squirt is native to the S hemisphere and was probably introduced here via aquaculture. It spread rapidly around the UK after its discovery on the S coast in 2004. It is a solitary sea squirt, 2-4 cm long, which often attaches to hard substrates such as cobbles, […]
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Orange cloak sea squirt

  • Posted by Beth Siddons
  • On April 23, 2018
  • 0 Comments
Orange cloak sea squirt (Botrylloides violaceus) Native to Japan, this sea squirt forms firm gelatinous sheets or cushions up to 15 cm across and each colony has a single colour: bright orange, violet, brick red, pink or yellow. It is well established in harbours and marinas throughout the UK. It is present at high densities in […]
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Wakame

  • Posted by Beth Siddons
  • On April 23, 2018
  • 0 Comments
Wakame (Undaria pinnatifida) Wakame is a brown kelp native to the NW Pacific. It is very fast growing with fronds reaching 1-3m, the blade has a distinct midrib and, when reproductive the stipe has a characteristic frill. U. pinnatifida is tolerant of a wide range of temperatures and salinities and grows well in estuarine conditions. […]
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Wireweed

  • Posted by Beth Siddons
  • On April 23, 2018
  • 0 Comments
Wireweed (Sargassum muticum) Wireweed is a distinctive large olive-brown seaweed originating from Japan, it is believed that it was introduced to the UK with imports of Pacific oysters. It is often over 1m long and its lateral branches hang like washing from a line when held out of the water. It is distributed widely around […]
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Devil’s tongue weed

  • Posted by Beth Siddons
  • On April 23, 2018
  • 0 Comments
Devil’s tongue weed (Grateloupia turuturu) Devil’s tongue weed is a large red alga from the NW Pacific, with broad slippery blades and a very small holdfast. Although it has been present in the UK since 1969, in recent years it seems to be spreading more aggressively. It is common in Plymouth marinas and is regularly […]
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Tufty-buff bryozoan

  • Posted by Beth Siddons
  • On April 23, 2018
  • 0 Comments
Tufty-buff bryozoan (Tricellaria inopinata) T.inopinata is an opportunistic erect bryozoan, capable of enduring a wide range of temperatures and salinities, as well as high organic content. It settles on a wide range of anthropogenic and natural surfaces. It was observed in Poole Harbour in 1998 and by 2009 was present in Scotland. It is a […]
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Red ripple bryozoan

  • Posted by Beth Siddons
  • On April 23, 2018
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Red ripple bryozoan (Watersipora subatra) Red ripple bryozoan is a S hemisphere species which successfully invaded ports throughout the world. It was first recorded in Plymouth in 2008, initially spreading rapidly along the S coast, but it seems to have reached its N limit at the Thames estuary. Watersipora subatra forms bright red-orange-black rigid, encrusting […]
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Orange ripple bryozoan

  • Posted by Beth Siddons
  • On April 23, 2018
  • 0 Comments
Orange ripple bryozoan (Schizoporella japonica) The Orange ripple bryozoan, originally from Japan, was first detected in the UK in Holyhead, north Wales, in 2010 and more recently in northern Scotland in 2011 and Plymouth in 2012 (although recently an earlier single occurrence of S. japonica in Plymouth from 2009 has been discovered). It is now […]
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