It is not known where the species natural range lies , but it has colonised many parts of the world 's oceans including the Indo - Pacific and Australasia as a biofouling agent on the hulls of ships .
It is not known where the species natural range lies but it may have originated in North America . 
 It has colonised many parts of the world 's oceans including the Indo - Pacific and Australasia as a biofouling agent on the hulls of ships .