Ficopomatus uschakovi ( Pillai, 1960 )

Bastida-Zavala, J. Rolando, McCANN, Linda D., Keppel, Erica & Ruiz, Gregory M., 2017, The fouling serpulids (Polychaeta: Serpulidae) from United States coastal waters: an overview, European Journal of Taxonomy 344, pp. 1-76 : 21-22

Ficopomatus uschakovi ( Pillai, 1960)

Figs 2 L–O, 3

Neopomatus uschakovi Pillai, 1960: 28–32 , figs 10, 11A–H, pl. I, figs 1–2 (type locality: Panadura River estuary, Madu Ganga estuary, Balapitiya and Ratgama Lake, Dodanduwa, Sri Lanka).

Ficopomatus enigmaticus (non Fauvel 1933) – Lakshmana Rao 1969: 16–17, pl. 13, figs a–g (Visakhapatnam and Cochin, India; harbours).

Ficopomatus uschakovi – ten Hove & Weerdenburg 1978: 109 –112, figs 2a–d, 3a, f–k, 4j–n, r, x–z, jj–mm, yy, 5d (revision of the genus and specimens from Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia, Philippines, Solomon Islands, Australia, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, and Netherlands; in freshwater creek and brackish lagoon, on pebble, coconut petiole, and barnacles). — de Assis et al. 2008: 51 –58, fig. 2A–G (Sossego Creek, eastern Brazil; brackish water). — Bastida-Zavala & García-Madrigal 2012: 48 –52, figs 1A–E, 2A–I (La Encrucijada Lagoon, Chiapas, southern Mexican Pacific; brackish water, 20–35‰, intertidal to 1 m; on mangrove root and gastropod shell). — Liñero-Arana & Díaz-Díaz 2012: 234 –237, fig. 1a–j (Gulf of Paria, Venezuela; brackish water). — Arteaga-Flórez et al. 2014: 1 –11, fig. 2A–F (Gulf of Urabá, Colombian Caribbean; brackish water). — Bastida-Zavala et al. 2016: 410 –411, figs 3, 10G (La Encrucijada Lagoon, Chiapas, southern Mexican Pacific; on wooden trunk, salinity = 19.39‰).

Material examined

73 specimens: JX (2) Aug. 2001, BB (26) Aug. 2004, GB (32) Sep. 2002, CC (13) Sep. 2002.

Additional material

33 specimens: UMAR-Poly 113, 20 specimens (La Encrucijada Biosphere Reserve, Zacapulco, Chiapas, southern Mexican Pacific; brackish water, intertidal to 0.5 m, on mangrove root and gastropod shell, 21 Sep. 2011, col. R. Bastida-Zavala); LACMNH N10947 , 11 specimens (Panadara River estuary, Ceylon, brackish water, 9 Oct. 1961, coll. G. Pillai); USNM 186523, 2 specimens (Pascagoula River, Mississippi, 2.5 m, 11 Nov. 1997, coll. J. McLelland).

Diagnosis

This species is gregarious and can form small colonies. Tube white to pinkish, sometimes covered by a dark film of microalgae; with small peristomes and three longitudinal ridges; without transverse ridges or alveoli ( Fig. 2L ). Opercular peduncle smooth, white or, sometimes, proximal section of operculum with black or brownish spots. Operculum spherical, with a horny plate and 1–4 rows of yellowish or colorless single spines, curving outwards ( Fig. 2 M–N); sometimes external row of larger spines forms

an incomplete circle on operculum. Thoracic membrane fused dorsally ( Fig. 2O ). Special collar chaetae coarsely serrated.

Measurements: Total length = 5.6 mm (n = 9, r: 3.5–9.1, SD = 2.2); thorax length = 1.6 mm (n = 11, r: 1.1–2.5, SD = 0.4), thorax width = 0.6 mm (n = 11, r: 0.3–0.8, SD = 0.1); peduncle and operculum length = 1.3 mm (n = 10, r: 0.7–2.4, SD = 0.6); operculum length = 0.4 mm (n = 11, r: 0.2–0.6, SD = 0.1); operculum diameter = 0.5 mm (n = 11, r: 0.3–0.6, SD = 0.1).

Taxonomic remarks

J. McLelland, on November 1997, collected the first specimens in the United States (USNM 1866523), from Pascagoula River, Mississippi, on settlement plates suspended near the bottom within the salt wedge (11.8–19.2‰), at 2.5 m depth. Hartmann-Schröder (1971) recorded Ficopomatus uschakovi from the Gulf of Guinea, although Rullier (1955) recorded the species earlier, as F. enigmaticus , from Abidjan, the Ivory Coast. Ten Hove & Weerdenburg (1978) revised material from Lagos, Nigeria, and Abidjan, Ivory Coast, and concluded that only F. uschakovi is established in tropical western Africa; they found many specimens attached to pieces of wood. Moreover, several tubes and dried opercula were collected from wood cast ashore on beaches in the Netherlands in 1974; however, ten Hove & Weerdenburg (1978) do not consider this as real evidence of invasion, due to the brisk local trade in tropical wood. Excluding this last incidental record, there are no additional records in Europe. Being a tropical species, it probably can not survive winter temperatures in western Europe.

Styan et al. (2017) recorded a population in Southeast Australia they determined to be Ficopomatus cf. uschakovi , with an operculum similar to that of the nominal species; however, the thoracic membranes are not fused, one of the distinguishing characteristic of F. uschakovi sensu stricto, so it is possible that it is a new or cryptic species.

Juvenile specimens of F. uschakovi , F. miamiensis and F. enigmaticus can easily be confused because the operculum lacks spines ( ten Hove & Weerdenburg 1978). In general, the characteristic spines of F. uschakovi and F. enigmaticus ( Fig. 2G, 2 M–N) were always observed in specimens examined in this work, decreasing the possibility of incorrect identifications. In some cases, assemblages of F. uschakovi with F. enigmaticus , or F. miamiensis , and even with Hydroides dianthus , were observed.

Ecology

Intertidal to sublittoral (2.5 m). In tropical freshwater creeks and brackish water lagoons, on mangrove roots, pebbles, coconut petioles, barnacles, gastropod shells and artificial substrates ( ten Hove & Weerdenburg 1978; Bastida-Zavala & García-Madrigal 2012).

Distribution

Indo-Pacific and western Africa ( Nigeria and Ivory Coast). Recently recorded from Brazil, Venezuela, Colombian Caribbean and Chiapas, southern Mexican Pacific ( de Assis et al. 2008; Bastida-Zavala & García-Madrigal 2012; Liñero-Arana & Díaz-Díaz 2012; Arteaga-Flórez et al. 2014). In this work, Ficopomatus uschakovi was found abundantly on fouling plates from Biscayne Bay, Florida and Galveston Bay, Texas and occasionally from Jacksonville, Florida and Corpus Christi, Texas ( Fig. 3 ). Ficopomatus uschakovi is recorded formally for the first time from Texas (Galveston Bay and Corpus Christi), Pascagoula River, Mississippi, and eastern Florida (Biscayne Bay and Jacksonville). The nearest record in the western Atlantic is the Gulf of Urabá, Colombian Caribbean ( Arteaga-Flórez et al. 2014), 2000 km to the south of Biscayne Bay, Florida.

Figures

Fig. 2. Serpulids from United States fouling plates. Crucigera websteri. A. Operculum, juvenile from Humboldt Bay, California. B. Operculum, adult from San Pedro, California (LACMNH-N8819). – C. zygophora. C. Operculum, juvenile from Alaska (SERC). D. Operculum, adult from Canoe Bay, Alaska (LACMNH-N2128). – Ficopomatus enigmaticus. E. Tubes from Lake Merritt, California (LACMNH-N5141). F. Body, from Chesapeake Bay, Virginia (SERC-59327). G. Operculum, from Chesapeake Bay, Virginia (SERC-60530R). H. Colonies in Long Beach, California (photo by Bruno Pernet).– F. miamiensis. I. Tubes, from Chetumal Bay, Mexican Caribbean (ECOSUR). J–K. Operculum, from Galveston Bay, Texas (SERC-88344RF). – F. uschakovi. L. Tube, from Corpus Christi, Texas (SERC-88883). M. Thorax and operculum, from Galveston Bay, Texas (SERC-86995). N. Operculum, from La Encrucijada, Chiapas (UMAR-Poly 113). O. Thorax and operculum, from Corpus Christi, Texas (SERC-88883).

Fig. 3. Distribution of serpulids (Crucigera and Ficopomatus spp.) from United States fouling plates (closed symbols) and literature records (open symbols).