Host Range of the Coral-Associated Worm Snail Petaloconchus sp. (Gastropoda: Vermetidae), a Newly Discovered Cryptogenic Pest Species in the Southern Caribbean

Abstract

The presence of associated endofauna can have an impact on the health of corals. During fieldwork on the southern Caribbean island of Curaçao in 2021, the presence of an unknown coral-dwelling worm snail was discovered, which appeared to cause damage to its hosts. A study of photo archives revealed that the species was already present during earlier surveys at Curaçao since 2014 and also in the southern Caribbean island of Bonaire in 2019. It was not found in St. Eustatius, an island in the eastern Caribbean, during an expedition in 2015. The vermetid snail was preliminarily identified as Petaloconchus sp. Its habitat choice resembles that of P. keenae, a West Pacific coral symbiont. The Caribbean species was observed in 21 host coral species, more than reported for any other vermetid. Because Petaloconchus sp. is a habitat generalist, it is possible that it was introduced from an area with another host-coral fauna. The unknown vermetid is considered to be cryptogenic until future studies reveal its actual identity and its native range.

Morphological Modifications and Injuries of Corals Caused by Symbiotic Feather Duster Worms (Sabellidae) in the Caribbean

“…According to a recent review paper on polychaete toxins, no relevant information appears to be available on the negative effect of sabellid mucus on other organisms [104]. In contrast, coral-dwelling worm snails, which occupy the same ecological niche as the feather duster worms of the present study [20], are well known for their venomous mucus and the damage this may inflict on the host corals [105,106].…”

“…These relations may vary because, in some studies, coral-associated species are reported as beneficial to their host by offering protection against predators and diseases [9][10][11][12][13] or cleaning services [14]. In other hosts, associated species are shown to be harmful by causing coral injuries or by obstructing the host's growth [15][16][17][18][19][20].…”

Stony Corals and Their Associated Fauna Residing in Marine Lakes under Extreme Environmental Conditions

“…Boring sponges may also occur in marine lakes and have here only been recorded from limestone rock but not yet from corals [70,71], as those in open-sea reefs [71][72][73][74]. Other large, striking coral-associated fauna, such as worm snails [75][76][77], barnacles, and gall crabs [49,78,79], were also not observed in the marine lakes of Raja Ampat, and should therefore receive more attention in future studies.…”

Symbiotic communities associated with nursery-reared and natural corals: are they similar?

“…All symbionts interact with their host corals, receiving reliable shelter, food, a place of reproduction, and rearing offspring (Knudsen, 1967;Stella et al, 2011). Some of them have a negative impact on the host by causing coral injuries (Hoeksema et al, 2019;Hoeksema et al, 2022a;Hoeksema et al, 2022b) or acting as parasites (Rotjan and Lewis, 2008;Potkamp et al, 2017), predators (Robertson, 1970;Moerland et al, 2016), destructors (Clark and Morton, 1999;Smith, 2011), or disease vectors (Sussman et al, 2003;Montano et al, 2022). In contrast, other generally ectosymbiotic decapods have established mutually beneficial relationships with corals, providing them with various services, such as protecting host from attacks by predatory starfish and mollusks (Glynn, 1980;DeVantier et al, 1986;Pratchett, 2001;Rouzéet al, 2014), aerating corals by high-frequency fin motions (Goldshmid et al, 2004), providing nutrients necessary for the reproduction of symbiotic zooxanthellae and accelerating coral growth (Liberman et al, 1995;Mokady et al, 1998), and removing sediment, bacterial lesions, and fouling algae from coral colonies (Stachowicz and Hay, 1999;Stewart et al, 2006).…”