Hydroides dianthus is a tube worm up to 40 mm in length. It has a long history of dispersal in North America, Mediterranean and Europe, including the Black Sea (Boltachova et al., 2011). In the last twenty years the species has spread to Asia and Brazil (Sun et al., 2017). The species was recently found in Nova Scotia, Canada (Sun et al., 2017). Hydroides dianthus is now shown to be a species complex consisting of two phylogenetic lineages (Sun et al., 2017).
Hydroides dianthus has not been found in Australia. It occurs naturally along on open coasts, lagoons as well as in modified habitats such as marinas and ports in temperate to tropical waters. To date, Hydroides dianthus has not been recorded in Australia, however, it is a high risk as it is a notorious biofouler and invader (Kupriyanova et al., 2016). H. dianthus has been reported from localities across a broad temperature range that extends from temperate to tropical waters (Zibrowius and Thorp, 1989).
The adult stage is the most likely stage to be encountered. Adult Hydroides dianthus make a calcareous tube that is attached to almost any hard substrate, and usually lies flat along the surface of the substrate. Because it is made of calcium carbonate the tube is usually whitish but can become discoloured due to silt or impurities. These tube worms are often found in large aggregations. Examination of animals under a dissecting microscope by an expert is needed to confirm the identification.
Dense aggregates are formed by Hydroides species on underwater structures such as aquaculture nets, seawater intake pipes (Qiu and Qian, 1997) and ship hulls and buoys (Wang and Huang, 1993). These aggregates add weight to these structures, impede water flow and can block pipes and can impose a substantial financial burden on marine aquaculture, navigation, shipping industries and power plants. An introduction of non-native populations of Hydroides could impose high costs to aquaculture industries as well as to local authorities investing in eradication and monitoring. In the Mediterranean, aggregations of H. dianthus build small (less than 1 m thickness) reefs (Bianchi and Morri, 2001). In North America, the species can smother juvenile oysters by overgrowing them (Eno et al., 1997). As a successful fouler, H. dianthus can modify ecosystem dynamics and species assemblages through competition for space and food. The animals can contribute to jellyfish blooms as demonstrated by Dong (2018). Dense colonies of the jellyfish Aurelia coerulea (Cnidaria, Scyphozoa) polyps occur mainly on reefs formed by aggregations of H. dianthus. These reefs provide a modified, complex habitat suitable for the settlement of A. coerulea polyps, which can then produce numbers of free swimming jellyfish (medusa form).
Type locality is the coast of Massachusetts, USA (Verrill, 1873). Its distribution covers the east coast of the USA where it ranges from Massachusetts to Florida and Gulf of Mexico. However, its true native origin is unclear, as recent molecular evidence suggests it may have a Mediterranean native range (Sun et al., 2017).
In addition to its range in North America H. dianthus has been recorded from:
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