First report of the invasive jellyfish Gonionemus vertens A. Agassiz, 1862 in the Berre Lagoon, southeast France

Abstract

Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) is an invasive and extremely damaging leaf-mining moth of South American origin. It is a serious pest of tomatoes. This species was first recorded outside of its native range in Spain (2006), and has subsequently spread into Asia and Africa. Here we report the first records of this species for the Republic of South Africa, where moths were first trapped in August and October 2016. The species was identified using both morphological and molecular approaches. Monitoring of the spread of tomato leaf miner in South Africa and the implementation of control measures are managed by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF), South Africa.

Distribution of the highly toxic clinging jellyfish Gonionemus sp. around the island of Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, USA

“…These observations suggested a cryptic invasion of a new, more toxic lineage (Govindarajan and Carman 2016). Similar recent sightings that possibly indicate new invasions have occurred elsewhere around the world, including in Argentina (Rodriguez et al 2014), the US mid-Atlantic region (Gaynor et al 2016), the French Mediterranean coast (Marchessaux et al 2017), and the Swedish west coast (Govindarajan et al 2019).…”

“…populations, a greater or lesser number of radial canals (e.g., Hargitt 1901;Perkins 1903;Rugh 1930;Marchessaux et al 2017) as well as variations in manubrium development (Rugh 1930) is sometimes observed. Overall, we saw radial canal abnormalities in 2% of the specimens we observed, compared to~5% in the former Woods Hole, MA population (Hargitt 1901) and~10% in a coastal Mediterranean population (Marchessaux et al 2017). The significance of this abnormality is unclear.…”

“…Similar variations have been observed in some scyphozoans (Gershwin 1999). In Gonionemus sp., radial canal variations may be a result of developmental process (Perkins 1903), but they are also speculated to be associated with pollution (Marchessaux et al 2017).…”

Peer Review #2 of "The highly toxic and cryptogenic clinging jellyfish Gonionemus sp. (Hydrozoa, Limnomedusae) on the Swedish west coast (v0.1)"

“…(Hydrozoa, Limnomedusae) due to outbreaks in scattered temperate coastal areas worldwide, where the jellyfish are either previously unrecorded, or where they have not been observed for decades (Rodriguez et al, 2014;Govindarajan & Carman, 2016;Gaynor et al, 2016;Govindarajan et al, 2017;Marchessaux et al, 2017). These hydromedusae can have a potent sting that causes severe pain and other symptoms to humans (Pigulevsky & Michaleff, 1969;Otsuru et al, 1974;Yakovlev & Vaskovsky, 1993;Govindarajan & Carman, 2016;Marchessaux et al, 2017). As well, they can be lethal to their predators (Carman et al, 2017).…”

“…It appears likely that the current Gonionemus outbreaks are facilitated by anthropogenic transport (e.g. Govindarajan & Carman, 2016;Marchessaux et al, 2017). The adult Gonionemus medusae which reach approximately 3 cm in diameter, have adhesive structures positioned towards the distal ends of their tentacles (Edwards, 1977), which they use to cling to the eelgrass such as Zostera marina (Perkins, 1902;Uchida, 1976).…”