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Mediterranean invasive species factsheet

Similar species shipping from the temperate south-western Atlantic. It
Oculina patagonica resembles the native scleractian has now been recorded in Italy, Spain, France, Turkey,
coral Cladocora caespitosa. The calcareous colonies Lebanon, Israel, Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria.
of C. caespitosa are, however, globular,
homogeneous and sometimes more than 50 cm in Ecological impacts
diameter. The increase of this opportunistic species may affect
the stability of algal communities as the dominant
Colonies of O. patagonica are more low-growing and trophic group on shallow rocky Mediterranean
encrusting and have connective tissue between the substrates. It overgrows calcareous structures such as
polyps that makes the shape of the skeleton readily serpulid worm tubes, vermetid shells and barnacles,
apparent. and can completely eliminate algae and other
soft-bodied attached organisms. It also out-competes
the indigenous Cladocora caespitosa, which is
overgrown when the two species come into contact.

Economic impacts
Unknown.

Management options
Prevention: Unknown. Eradication: Unknown
Cladocora caespitosa. Photo: J.A. Fayos
Further reading
Brief history of its introduction and Sartoretto S., et al., 2008. The alien coral Oculina patagonica
pathways De Angelis, 1908 (Cnidaria, Scleractinia) in Algeria and
Tunisia. Aquatic Invasions Vol 3, Issue 2, 173-180.
The origin of this species is uncertain. It is perhaps
Coma R., et al., 2011. Sea Urchins Predation Facilitates
from South America: northern Argentina and southern Coral Invasion in a Marine Reserve. PLoS ONE 6(7):
Brazil. Previously unknown in the Mediterranean, e22017. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0022017.
specimens were tentatively identified as Oculina Fine M. , Zibrowius H., Loya Y., 2001. Oculina patagonica:
patagonica in 1908 and regarded as a species a non-lessepsian scleractinian coral invading the
accidentally brought into the Mediterranean by Mediterranean Sea. Marine Biology 138, 1195-1203.

septa
Tentacles
costae
corallite
Long column wall

Connective tissue
Coral skeleton of C. caespitosa
Coral skeleton of O. patagonica
Encrusting colonies
Drawings: Juan Varela
Upstanding colonies

Oculina patagonica Cladocora caespitosa

54 Monitoring Marine Invasive Species in Mediterranean MPAs: A strategy and practical guide for managers