The Southern Hemisphere unitary ascidian Corella eumyota was discovered in 2002 in France and is now widespread on the southern coast of England and in Ireland. It has also been reported from seabed surveys in Ría de Vigo, north-west Spain. Surveys of marinas in February 2008 and June-July 2009 identified additional localities in Ría de Vigo and revealed widespread occurrence of C. eumyota on the Atlantic coast of the Iberian Peninsula. The species was very abundant on some structures built less than two years before the surveys, indicating a capacity for very rapid colonization and population increase. This suggests that the species is a potential threat to biodiversity and aquaculture interests. Records of the non-native ascidians Styela clava, S. plicata, Perophora japonica, Botrylloides violaceus, and Didemnum vexillum are also reported. |
