Molecular analysis and new records of the invasive polychaete Boccardia proboscidea (Annelida: Spionidae)

Abstract

The spionid polychaete Boccardia proboscidea Hartman, 1940 is a tube-dweller and shell/stone-borer widely occurring in temperate waters across the world and considered invasive in many areas. It was originally described from California, USA, and later reported from Pacific Canada, the Asian Pacific, Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, South Africa, and northern Europe. The Bayesian inference analysis of sequence data of three gene fragments (836 bp in total) of the mitochondrial 16S rDNA, nuclear 28S rDNA, and Histone 3 has shown that individuals from the Pacific coasts of Canada and the USA, Argentina, Australia, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and Mediterranean France were genetically very similar (maximal average p-distance value, 0.49%, was between 16S rDNA sequences). We consider these individuals to be conspecific and report the earliest records of B. proboscidea from the UK and a possible first Mediterranean record in the Gulf of Lion. The high 16S haplotype diversity of B. proboscidea detected in the north-eastern Pacific suggests a native distribution for the species in the northern Pacific and subsequent introductions through human activities to other parts of the world. The histories of these introductions are reviewed and the hypotheses about times and places of introductions are updated.

Pseudopolydora (Annelida: Spionidae) from the Arabian Gulf, Kuwait

“…Simon et al (2019) for the first time successfully used methylene green staining to delineate species of Pseudopolydora. They showed that staining patterns anterior to chaetiger 6 supported the division of the examined specimens into five species, although "all species had similar patterns in dorsal staining posterior to chaetiger 6" (Simon et al 2019: 19).…”

The risks of shell‐boring polychaetes to shellfish aquaculture in Washington, USA: A mini‐review to inform mitigation actions

“…B. proboscidea has become a pest to abalone farms in South Africa since 2004 when it was first observed burrowing into cultured abalone (Simon et al., 2009). The introduced B. proboscidea presumably originated from the North American Pacific Coast where it is found in the wild benthos (Hartman, 1940, 1941; Jaubet et al., 2018; Simon et al., 2009), although the species is now widely distributed throughout the world (Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, South Africa, Asia, and Europe) (Radashevsky et al., 2019). The presumed origins of introduced mud worms are, however, often based on circumstantial evidence such as documented movement of shellfish stock and the first described locations of mud worm infestations.…”

<p class="ZootaxaTitle"><strong>New insights in the biogeographical distributions of two Spionidae (Annelida) from the NE Atlantic and Mediterranean French coasts</strong></p>

“…they inhabit both fresh and marine waters with silty, sandy and rocky bottoms, from shallow to deep waters, and from clean to polluted environments (blake et al 2017(blake et al , Martinez & adarraga 2019. In the bay of biscay and Mediterranean waters, new species are regularly recorded as progress is made in the systematics and biogeography of Spionidae (aguirrezabalaga & Ceberio 2005;Meißner 2005; Çinar et al 2015;lavesque et al 2015;radashevsky et al 2016;Surugiu 2016;bogantes et al 2018;Delgado-blas et al 2018;Delgado-blas et al 2019;radashevsky et al 2019).…”