[Coral-List] Tubastraea micranthus in Gulf of Mexico

[Ken Marks]

Paul Sammarco reported on /Tubastraea micranthus/ being discovered on 
oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico in his paper which he announced on this 
list back in August of 2010.

        Sammarco, P.W., S.A. Porter, and S.D. Cairns. 2010. A new coral
        species introduced into the Atlantic Ocean - /Tubastraea
        micranthus/(Ehrenberg 1834) (Cnidaria, Anthozoa, Scleractinia):
        An invasive threat? Aquatic Invasions 5 (2): 131-140.

http://www.aquaticinvasions.net/2010/AI_2010_5_2_Sammarco_etal.pdf


My question to the readers of this list is about the current status of 
this exotic species in the tropical western Atlantic. Has it been 
reported on additional oil rig platforms in the northern Gulf of Mexico? 
Have any sightings of this species been documented beyond the initially 
discovered invasion site? Does anybody have photos of this species /in 
situ/ outside of its naturally occurring range?


Thanks in advance for any replies.


-- 
Ken Marks
AGRRA Data Manager