Hostname: page-component-74656f9884-8r8nv Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2026-11-08T23:59:27.217Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Two new location records in the Algarve, Portugal for the non-indigenous barnacle Austrominius modestus

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 November 2013

Ruth M. O'Riordan  and
Neil F. Ramsay
Ruth M. O'Riordan*
Affiliation:
School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences and Aquaculture and Fisheries Development Centre, University College Cork, Distillery Fields, North Mall, Cork, Ireland
Neil F. Ramsay
Affiliation:
School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences and Aquaculture and Fisheries Development Centre, University College Cork, Distillery Fields, North Mall, Cork, Ireland
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: R. O'Riordan, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, and Aquaculture and Fisheries Development Centre, University College Cork, Distillery Fields, North Mall, Cork, Ireland email: r.oriordan@ucc.ie

Abstract

Two sites in southern Portugal that had previously been surveyed in 1998 for the presence of the non-indigenous barnacle Austrominius modestus, were re-examined in March/April 2011 and 2012. Austrominius had increased in abundance at the site where it had previously been found, from being occasional to frequent. At the second site this species had been absent when surveyed in 1998 and in 2011, but a few individuals were found in 2012. At a third site, which was examined in April 2013 only, the species was found to be occasional. It would be worth examining more sites further along the southern Algarve coast, as well as in the Mediterranean, to establish whether this species has spread to other new locations.

Keywords

Austrominius modestusnon-indigenous barnacleAlgarvePortugal

Information

Type
Research Article
Information
Marine Biodiversity Records , Volume 6 , 2013 , e123
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2013 

INTRODUCTION

Austrominius modestus (Darwin, Reference Darwin1854), formerly known as Elminius modestus Darwin, Reference Darwin1854, is an Australasian species of barnacle, which was accidentally introduced to Britain in the 1940s, whence it spread to continental Europe and Ireland. On coasts of continental Europe, its current invasive range is from Denmark (where it is thought to be close to its northern continental limit; Jensen & Knudsen, Reference Jensen and Knudsen2005) to southern Portugal (Southward, Reference Southward2008; Buckeridge & Newman, Reference Buckeridge and Newman2010), as well at two sites in the Mediterranean: Thau Lagoon, Marseilles (Zibrowius, personal communication, cited in O'Riordan & Ramsay, Reference O'Riordan and Ramsay1999); and in the lagoon of Venice (Casellato et al., Reference Casellato, Masiero, Sichirollo and Soresi2007; www1, http://www.cabi.org/isc/?compid=5&dsid=109096&loadmodule=datasheet&page=481&site=144-last accessed 22 October 2013). The authors are unaware of any records of this species occurring on the North African coast, where the native intertidal chthamalid barnacles Chthamalus montagui Southward, Reference Southward1976 and Chthamalus stellatus (Poli, Reference Poli1795) occur, with which Austrominius may compete.

Field surveys carried out between 2001 and 2007 showed that A. modestus had increased in abundance at a number of locations in Europe where it had previously been surveyed (e.g. see Lawson et al., Reference Lawson, Davenport and Whitaker2004; Simkanin et al., Reference Simkanin, Power, Myers, McGrath, Southward, Mieszkowska, Leaper and O'Riordan2005; O'Riordan et al., Reference O'Riordan, Culloty, Davenport and McAllen2009; Gomes-Filho et al., Reference Gomes-Filho, Hawkins, Aquino-Souza and Thompson2010; Witte et al., Reference Witte, Buschbaum, van Beusekom and Reise2010), including in a marine nature reserve, where it had started to dominate the intertidal (Lawson et al., Reference Lawson, Davenport and Whitaker2004). Witte et al. (Reference Witte, Buschbaum, van Beusekom and Reise2010) suggested that, towards the northern limits of its invasive range in Europe, climatic warming may have allowed an exponential population growth of this species, in effect the awakening of an ecological ‘sleeper’. However, the cold winters of 2009–2010 and 2010–2011 appeared to have adversely affected A. modestus, relative to other intertidal native barnacles on some shores (O'Riordan et al., in preparation). Crisp (Reference Crisp1964a, Reference Crisp and Crispb) and Harms & Anger (Reference Harms, Anger and Ros1989) suggested that A. modestus may suffer high mortality during cold winters, while it has been suggested that successive extreme years may limit the spread of certain non-indigenous species (Firth et al., Reference Firth, Knights and Bell2011; Urian et al., Reference Urian, Hate and Gilg2011). In comparison to A. modestus, Wethey et al. (Reference Wethey, Woodin, Hilbish, Jones, Lima and Brannock2011) reported an expansion of the range of the native arcto-boreal barnacle Semibalanus balanoides (Linnaeus, Reference Linnaeus1767) in both France and Iberia, due to enhanced recruitment, following the 2009–2010 severely cold winter, while two Lusitanian barnacle species, Chthamalus stellatus (Poli, Reference Poli1795) and Chthamalus montagui Southward, Reference Southward1976, showed recruitment failure at their northern limit in continental Europe.

In spring 1998, O'Riordan & Ramsay (Reference O'Riordan and Ramsay1999) had recorded the then most southerly limit of A. modestus in continental Europe, at Praia de Faro, in the Algarve, Portugal. At that time at Praia de Faro, the species was found to be ‘occasional’ (very local and must be searched for, very rarely close enough to breed; density 0.01-1 per 10 cm × 10 cm). The objective of the present re-surveys was to assess the current abundance at that site and also to examine two other sites, one where it had previously been recorded as absent and another site which had not been checked previously. The authors believe that it is worthwhile to monitor the distribution and abundance of this non-indigenous species, in the context of the variable climate being experienced in this last decade in Europe, which may have implications for the balance of native and non-indigenous species on intertidal shores.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Two shores on the southern coast of Portugal were examined for the presence of the non-indigenous barnacle Austrominius modestus on 31 March 2011 (Praia de Faro; GPS: 37°00′28.2″N 07°59′39.8″W) and 1 April 2011 (Praia da Oura, near Albufeira: GPS: 37°05′4.8″N 08°13′0.9″W) and 29 March 2012 (both shores). At the first site, Praia de Faro, which is located in a coastal lagoon and is estuarine, the bridge pillars, mussels and rocks were examined. The second site, Praia da Oura, is oceanic and consists of rocky outcrops amongst a predominantly sandy shore and was examined since it has been the location of an undergraduate field course for the last 18 years. This shore is exposed enough to have the presence of honeycomb worms Sabellaria species in the intertidal. A third site (Alvor Harbour GPS: 37°07′40.6″N 08°35′45.5″W) was examined on 14 April 2013 only. At this site the walls of the pier, two slipways, pillars supporting two jetty walkways, as well mussels and rocks were examined. Abundance at the three sites was assessed, during low water (at a height of ~1 m above chart datum), utilizing the abundance scale (see Table 1) used previously by O'Riordan & Ramsay (Reference O'Riordan and Ramsay1999). In the field, a small number of individuals were examined for the presence of embryo masses and the isopod parasite Hemioniscus balani.

Table 1.

Scale for scoring the abundance of Austrominius modestus, modified from Crisp (Reference Crisp1958).

RESULTS

Praia de Faro

On 31 March 2011, Austrominius modestus was scored as frequent at Praia de Faro, where it was found on the bridge pillars, mussels and stones, where two other species of barnacle were recorded: Chthamalus montagui; and Amphibalanus amphitrite (Darwin, Reference Darwin1854). Six out of 20 Austrominius modestus examined had fertilized embryos and young metamorphs and attached cyprids (confirmed based on length and carapace shape (Al-Yahya, Reference Al-Yahya1991; Southward, Reference Southward2008), by examination under a microscope in the laboratory) were found. When the same site was examined on 29 March 2012, Austrominius's abundance according to the SACFOR scale was still frequent (adults 1–10 per 10 cm × 10 cm), but it had increased in abundance within this category. Three out of five animals examined contained fertilized embryos. No isopod parasites were found on either date.

Praia da Oura, near Albufeira

On 1 April 2011, no A. modestus were found on the rocky outcrops at Praia da Oura. On 29 March 2012, within the 30 min search time, four A. modestus were found attached to a loose rock, amongst the rocky outcrops, so they were recorded as rare. Two of the four were close enough to breed, but were not sacrificed to check for fertilized embryos or parasites. The dominant intertidal barnacle species recorded on this shore in 2012 was C. montagui.

Alvor Harbour

On 14 April 2013 A. modestus was scored as occasional at Alvor Harbour, being found mostly on the jetty pillars, but also on some rocks on the lower shore. Chthamalus montagui and Amphibalanus amphitrite were also present. A third balanid species also occurred. Its external appearance resembled Amphibalanus improvisus (Darwin, Reference Darwin1854), but its identity would need to be confirmed in the laboratory.

DISCUSSION

The first published record of the Australasian species of barnacle Austrominius modestus in Europe was in 1945, in Chichester Harbour, UK (Bishop, Reference Bishop1947). During the subsequent 20 years it spread around the UK, to mainland Europe, as well as to Ireland, by a combination of marginal (e.g. by larval dispersal) and remote dispersal, by vectors such as shipping, movement of species associated with aquaculture etc. (Crisp, Reference Crisp1958; www1, http://www.cabi.org/isc/?compid=5&dsid=109096&loadmodule=datasheet&page=481&site=144-last accessed 22 October 2013). The rate of secondary spread was estimated as 20–70 km per year (Bishop & Crisp, Reference Bishop and Crisp1958; Geller, Reference Geller1994). The remarkable fecundity of A. modestus, its extended settlement period, short generation time, and the fact that it is euryhaline and eurythermal, were thought to be responsible for its rapid colonization of new shores in the UK and Europe (Crisp & Chipperfield, Reference Crisp and Chipperfield1948; Crisp & Davies, Reference Crisp and Davies1955; Barnes & Barnes, Reference Barnes, Barnes and Barnes1966; O'Riordan & Murphy, Reference O'Riordan and Murphy2000; Allen et al., Reference Allen, Power, O'Riordan, Myers and McGrath2006). However, one of the factors that limited the spread of this species is that it is an obligatory cross-fertilizing hermaphrodite (Crisp, Reference Crisp1958). Crisp (Reference Crisp1958) pointed out that the density of the initial population is of critical importance. Unless introduced cyprids, or those produced in the lifetime of the introduced individuals, can settle at such a density that a sufficient number are within 5 cm of each other, the colony will never establish itself, i.e. a critical breeding density is needed.

Previous surveys of the Portuguese coast (see O'Riordan & Ramsay, Reference O'Riordan and Ramsay1999 and references therein, as well as Cruz & Castro, Reference Cruz and Castro2011) have found Austrominius occurring mostly in habours, ports and estuaries. The present survey found that at the coastal lagoon site at Praia de Faro, where this species had been first recorded in 1998, this species had increased in abundance, over the 13 years to 2011, but only from occasional to frequent. Cruz & Castro (Reference Cruz and Castro2011) also sampled this shore in their 2010/2011 survey, as part of the 24 shores that they surveyed for this barnacle during the INSPECT project. At Praia de Faro they recorded A. modestus as frequent (attached to rocks) or occasional (attached to mussels). This species is well established at this site, as evidenced by its increase in abundance in 2012, albeit still being scored as frequent. One limiting factor at this site may be the abundance of other barnacle species, which may be competing for space.

The first record of this species at Praia da Oura in 2012 is interesting, as it is an oceanic shore, but considering that only four specimens were found, albeit two of them being close enough to breed, it is unlikely to become established, unless new colonizers arrive. Although this shore was formally surveyed in 1998, 2011 and 2012 only, it has been checked in most years in March/April between these dates and no A. modestus had previously been recorded, despite searching the shore for many hours on each occasion. Cruz & Castro (Reference Cruz and Castro2011) did not survey oceanic shoes on the Algarve coast, but have found A. modestus on oceanic shores on the western Portuguese continental coast (J. Castro & T. Cruz, personal communications).

The third site examined in the present survey, at Alvor, had not previously been examined by the authors, but the presence of A. modestus was not surprising, considering its harbour location and the proximity of the estuary.

It would be of interest to continue monitoring these shores, but also shores further south towards the Mediterranean, as well as the two Mediterranean populations (Thau Lagoon, Marseilles, France and in the lagoon of Venice, Italy) and shores nearby them. Although currently Faro is the most southerly published confirmed record of its occurrence in the northern hemisphere, it would be worth investigating whether this eurythermal species occurs and can survive further south towards the strait of Gibraltar or on the North African coast.

References

REFERENCES

Allen, B.M., Power, A.M., O'Riordan, R.M., Myers, A.A. and McGrath, D. (2006) Increases in the abundance of the invasive barnacle Elminius modestus Darwin in Ireland. Biology and Environment: Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy 106B, 91–97.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Al-Yahya, H.A.H. (1991) Studies on cirripede larvae with special reference to external features of cyprids from five families . PhD thesis. Swansea, University of Wales, UK.Google Scholar
Barnes, H. and Barnes, M. (1966) Ecological and zoogeographical observations on some of the common intertidal cirripedes of the coasts of the western European mainland in June–September, 1963. In Barnes, H. (ed.) Some contemporary studies in marine science. London: Allen & Unwin, pp. 83–105.Google Scholar
Bishop, M.W.H. (1947) Establishment of an immigrant barnacle in British coastal waters. Nature, London 159, 501–502.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bishop, M.W.H. and Crisp, D.J. (1958) The distribution of Elminius modestus Darwin in France. Proceedings of the Zoological Society, London 131, 109–134.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Buckeridge, J.S. and Newman, W.A. (2010) A review of the subfamily Elminiinae (Cirripedia: Thoracica: Austrobalanidae), including a new genus, Protelminius nov., from the Oligocene of New Zealand. Zootaxa 2349, 39–54.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Casellato, S., Masiero, L., Sichirollo, E. and Soresi, S. (2007) Hidden secrets of the Northern Adriatic: ‘Tegnúe’, peculiar reefs. Central European Journal of Biology 2, 122–136.Google Scholar
Crisp, D.J. (1958) The spread of Elminius modestus Darwin in north-west Europe. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 37, 483–520.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Crisp, D.J. (1964a) The effects of the severe winter of 1962–1963 on marine life in Britain. Journal of Animal Ecology 33, 165–210.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Crisp, D.J. (1964b) North-west Ireland. In Crisp, D.J. (ed.) The effects of the severe winter of 1962–1963 on marine life in Britain. Journal of Animal Ecology 33, 197–198.Google Scholar
Crisp, D.J. and Chipperfield, P.N. (1948) Occurrence of Elminius modestus (Darwin) in British waters. Nature, London 161, 64.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Crisp, D.J. and Davies, P.A. (1955) Observations in vivo on the breeding of Elminius modestus grown on glass slides. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 34, 357–380.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cruz, T. and Castro, J.J. (2011) Distribution, abundance and size of the barnacle Austrominius modestus in its southern limit in continental Europe (Portugal). In Book of abstracts of the 9th International Temperate Reefs Symposium, Plymouth, 2011 (http://www.itrs2011.org/), p. 151.Google Scholar
Darwin, C. (1854) A monograph on the sub-class Cirripedia, Volume 2. Balanidae. London: The Ray Society.Google Scholar
Firth, L.B., Knights, A.M. and Bell, S.S. (2011) Air temperature and winter mortality: implications for the persistence of the invasive mussel, Perna viridis, in the intertidal zone of the southeastern United States. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 400, 250–256.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Geller, J.B. (1994) Marine biological invasions as models of dispersal: tracking secondary spread and introgressive gene flow. California Cooperative Oceanic Fisheries Investigations (CalCOFI) Report 35, 68–72.Google Scholar
Gomes-Filho, J.G.F., Hawkins, S.J., Aquino-Souza, R. and Thompson, R.C. (2010) Distribution of barnacles and dominance of the introduced species Elminius modestus along two estuaries in South-West England. Marine Biodiversity Records e58. doi:10.1017/S1755267210000461.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Harms, J. and Anger, K. (1989) Settlement of the barnacle Elminius modestus on test panels at Helgoland (North Sea): a ten year study. In Ros, J.D. (ed.) Topics in Marine Biology. Scientia Marina 53, 417–421.Google Scholar
Jensen, K.R. and Knudsen, J. (2005) A summary of alien marine benthic invertebrates in Danish waters. Oceanological and Hydrobiological Studies 34 (Supplement 1), 137–162.Google Scholar
Lawson, J., Davenport, J. and Whitaker, A. (2004) Barnacle distribution in Lough Hyne Marine Nature Reserve: a new baseline and an account of invasion by the Australasian species Elminius modestus Darwin. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 60, 729–735.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Linnaeus, C. (1767) Systema naturae. 12th edition. Stockholm: Laurentii Salvii.Google Scholar
O'Riordan, R.M. and Murphy, O. (2000) Variation in the reproductive cycles of the Australasian barnacle Elminius modestus Darwin in Ireland. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 80, 607–616.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
O'Riordan, R.M. and Ramsay, N.F. (1999) The current distribution and abundance of the Australasian barnacle Elminius modestus Darwin in Portugal. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 79, 937–939.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
O'Riordan, R.M., Culloty, S., Davenport, J. and McAllen, R. (2009) Increases in the abundance of the invasive barnacle Austrominius modestus on the Isle of Cumbrae, Scotland. Marine Biodiversity Records e91. doi: 10.1017/S1755267209001079.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Poli, G.S. (1795) Testacea Utriusque Siciliae. Parma.Google Scholar
Simkanin, C., Power, A.M., Myers, A., McGrath, D., Southward, A., Mieszkowska, N., Leaper, R. and O'Riordan, R. (2005) Using historical data to detect temporal changes in the abundances of intertidal species on Irish shores. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 85, 1329–1340.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Southward, A.J. (1976) Taxonomic status and distribution of Chthamalus stellatus (Cirripedia) in north-east Atlantic region—with a key to common intertidal barnacles of Britain. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 56, 1007–1028.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Southward, A.J. (2008) Barnacles. Synopses of the British Fauna (New Series). No. 57. Published for The Linnean Society of London and The Estuarine and Coastal Sciences Association by Field Studies Council, 140 pp.Google Scholar
Urian, A.G., Hate, J.D. and Gilg, M.R. (2011) Thermal constraints for range expansion of the invasive green mussel, Perna viridis, in the southeastern United States. Journal of Experimental Zoology 315, 12–21.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wethey, D.S., Woodin, S.A., Hilbish, T.J., Jones, S.J., Lima, F.P. and Brannock, P.M. (2011) Response of intertidal populations to climate: effects of extreme events versus long term change. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 400, 132–144.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Witte, S., Buschbaum, C., van Beusekom, J.E.E. and Reise, K. (2010) Does climatic warming explain why an introduced barnacle finally takes over after a lag of more than 50 years. Biological Invasions 12, 3579–3589.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Figure 0

Table 1. Scale for scoring the abundance of Austrominius modestus, modified from Crisp (1958).