While monitoring for invasive species this week with the MIMIC program, I came across a species of shrimp I have not seen in my 4 years of monitoring at this site. The species is Palaemon elegans, the European Rock Shrimp, and is quite different in appearance from our native species of "estuarine" shrimp, Crangon septemspinosa (sand shrimp) and Palaemonetes pugio (grass shrimp). I found 2 adult gravid females in a tide pool on a rocky point surrounded by sand beaches, and many juveniles in the same pool. It was first sighted in New England last summer in Salem Sound (found by Salem Sound Coast Watch volunteers) and we believe this is only the second confirmed sighting of the shrimp in the Gulf of Maine.
Looks like we got a new addition to the intertidal…
MIMIC is a network of trained volunteers, scientists, and state and federal agency workers who monitor marine invasive species throughout the northeast United States. The collaborative provides an opportunity for the general public to actively participate in an invasive species early detection network, identify new invaders before they spread out of control, and help improve our understanding of the behavior of established invaders.
Associated People Michele Dionne Jeremy Miller Jennifer Dijkstra
Last Friday a science team marched to Wells Harbor and began a rapid assessment of marine invertebrates on and around the dock. The taxonomic specialists from MIT, Sea Grant, and the Massachusetts Coastal Zone Management Program were joined by Reserve research director Michele Dionne and associate Jeremy Miller, who facilitated the Wells Harbor survey.
Showing blog posts tagged marine invertebrates: 1–3 of 3
