IDEA   23902
INSTITUTO DE DIVERSIDAD Y ECOLOGIA ANIMAL
Unidad Ejecutora - UE
congresos y reuniones científicas
Título:
First register of the invasive ascidian Asterocarpa humilis in the SW Atlantic
Autor/es:
ALURRALDE, GASTON; TAVERNA, ANABELA; GIMENEZ, DIEGO; MAGGIONI, TAMARA; TATIAN, MARCOS
Lugar:
Buenos Aires
Reunión:
Congreso; MFIS Marine & Freshwater Invasive Species. Ecology, Impact and Management; 2016
Institución organizadora:
REABIC
Resumen:
The ascidian Asterocarpa humilis (Heller, 1878), (Tunicata, Chordata), native to New Zealand, has expanded its original range of distribution. It is considered exotic in remote areas such as Chile, South Africa and more recently, Great Britain and France. Until now it had not been observed in Argentina. A similar species (considered synonym of it by Kott, 1985), Cnemidocarpa robinsoni (Hartmeyer, 1916) is native to the Juan Fernández archipelago. That species was reported in the Southwest Atlantic (Diehl 1977), but its status in the area remains uncertain. The examination of morphological characteristics in abundant specimens from different localities of Argentina (i.e., the number of oral tentacles, the amount and form of the gonads, the location of the gonoducts and the presence of larvae) showed similarities with those described for A. humilis the orientation of gonoducts and the presence of larvae, being the most relevant characterisitcs. The name Asterocarpa humilis has precedence over Cnemidocarpa robinsoni, so the latter should be discarded. The absence of true records prior to the description of Diehl and its current wide distribution, particularly in port areas, affirms the exotic status of A. humilis in the SW Atlantic