The marine sponge Hymeniacidon perlevis is a globally-distributed invasive species

Abstract

In Elkhorn Slough, a tidal estuary draining into Monterey Bay, California, the intertidal is occupied by a conspicuous orange sponge known by the name Hymeniacidon sinapium. This same species is found in the rocky intertidal zone of the outer coast of California, and is described herein from subtidal kelp forests of Southern California. Farther afield, morphologically and ecologically indistinguishable sponges are common in estuaries and intertidal areas in Asia, Europe, South America, and Africa. Here I use morphological, ecological, and genetic data to show that these sponges are all members of the same globally-distributed species, which should be known by the senior synonym H. perlevis. Though previous authors have remarked upon the morphological, ecological, and/or genetic similarity of various distant populations, the true scope of this sponge’s distribution appears to be unrecognized or unacknowledged in the literature. Limited larval dispersal, historically documented range expansion, and low genetic variation all support a hypothesis that this sponge has achieved its extraordinary range via human-mediated dispersal, making it the most widely-distributed invasive sponge known to date.Declarations Conflicts of interest/Competing interests: none to declareAvailability of data and material: All raw data is included as supplementary files; georeferenced collection data is available as a supplementary .xls file; genetic data are archived at Genbank; specimen vouchers are archived at the California Academy of Sciences and at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles; specimen photos will be made available as supplementary files, are also archived by the associated museums in GBIF, and are posted as georeferenced data on iNaturalist.org.Code availability: n/aCompeting Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest.View Full Text