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The recent geographical expansion of Caprella californica (Caprellidea: Caprellidae) around the coastline of Australia

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Abstract

The amphipod Caprella californica is native to California, but is known from the Pacific coast of North America, Mexico, Chile, Japan, Hong Kong and South Africa. C. californica is able to raft on kelp (Morris et al. 1980), and has been recorded on man-made structures such as rafts, settlement ropes and biofouling prone assemblages on ship hulls. Of interest is the recent rapid expansion of Caprella californica in Australian waters from its first recorded sighting in Sydney Harbour in 2002, to several recorded sightings over the last 4 years at Cockburn Sound, Western Australia, Hobsons Bay, Victoria, and the Port of Cairns, Queensland.

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Acknowledgments

The author would like to thank Anna Murray from The Australian Museum, for confirmation of C. californica. The author would like to thank Jim Dimas from DSTO for collecting samples from the raft at Hobsons Bay, and Joanne Wann from Fleet Base West, Wade Hoskins from DSTO Trinity Inlet for the retrieval of settlement ropes and the Bowson Port Services in Cairns. The author would also like to acknowledge the work done by URS and the divers involved in the collection of biofouling samples from Navy vessels.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Maritime Platforms Division, Department of Defence, Defence Science and Technology Organisation, Fishermans Bend Victoria, P.O. Box 4331, Melbourne, VIC, 3001, Australia

    Luciana Montelli

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  1. Luciana Montelli
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Correspondence to Luciana Montelli.

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Montelli, L. The recent geographical expansion of Caprella californica (Caprellidea: Caprellidae) around the coastline of Australia. Biol Invasions 12, 725–728 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-009-9484-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-009-9484-6

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