Alien Species Alert: Rapana venosa (veined whelk)

Prepared by the Working Group on Introductions and Transfers of Marine Organisms (WGITMO).

The large Asian gastropod mollusc Rapana venosa Valenciennes 1846 (Neogastropoda, Muricidae) is native to the Sea of Japan, Yellow Sea, Bohai Sea, and the East China Sea to Taiwan. This species has been introduced to the Black Sea with subsequent range expansion to the Adriatic Sea and Aegean Sea, the Chesapeake Bay on the East Coast of the United States, and the Rio de la Plata between Uruguay and Argentina. Reproductive populations are or appear to be present in all three receptor regions. In addition, there are a limited number of reports of the species from the Brittany coastline of France, Washington State (USA), and two collections from the North Sea and New Zealand. The life history of this species makes it a viable candidate for continuing range expansion and new invasions facilitated by ballast water vectors. This review describes the current status of knowledge of the species in its home range and introduced populations.