Invasion History
First Galapagos Record: 2016General Invasion History:
The tube-dwelling fanworm Pseudobranchiomma schizogenica was first collected in 2011 from La Paz in the Gulf of California and formally described (Tovar-Hernandez and Dean 2014). However, the occurrence of a new, prominent species in a well-studied area is suggestive of an introduced species. Apparently conspecific Pseudobranchiomma cf. schizogenica have been collected in Hawaii and Australia (Capa and Murray 2016). The native region of this sabellid worm is unknown.
Invasion History in the Galapagos:
In April 2016, Pseudobranchiomma schizogenica was collected on SERC fouling plates, in Puerto Ayora and Franklin’s Bay, Isla Santa Cruz (Keppel et al. 2019). Hull fouling is the likeliest vector of introduction.
Invasion history elsewhere in the world:
Invasion history elsewhere in the world is not summarized for this species at this time.
Description
Pseudobranchiomma schizogenica is a tube-dwelling polychaete of the family Sabellidae. Sabellid tubes are constructed of sand, silt, or detritus cemented by mucus, and freely extending crowns of fan-like radioles capture particles from the plankton (Barnes 1983). In the genus Pseudobranchiomma the tube is composed of muddy sediment, embedded in a mucous matrix, attached to a solid surface, so these worms comprise part of the fouling community (Capa and Murray 2016). Pseudobranchiomma schizogenica is notable for its dominant form of reproduction, architomy, a form of fission followed by regeneration of the divided body parts (Tovar-Hernandez and Dean 2014). Pseudobranchiomma schizogenica was described from the Gulf of California (Mexico). This species, or very similar species (P. cf. schizogenica), are known From Australia, Hawaii, and the Galapagos (Capa and Murray (2016).
Taxonomy
Taxonomic Tree
| Kingdom: | Animalia | |
| Phylum: | Annelida | |
| Class: | Polychaeta | |
| Subclass: | Palpata | |
| Order: | Canalipalpata | |
| Suborder: | Sabellida | |
| Family: | Sabellidae | |
| Genus: | Pseudobranchiomma | |
| Species: | schizogenica |
Synonyms
Potentially Misidentified Species
Ecology
General:
Pseudobranchiomma schizogenica can reproduce sexually, but its predominant form of reproduction is the form of fission known as architomy, involving splitting from the posterior end, followed by regeneration of the oral and posterior and oral regions of the scissiparous worms (Tovar-Hernandez et al. 2014). At least 6 of 17 species in the genus Pseudobranchiomma reproduce by fission.
Food:
Phytoplankton, detritus
Trophic Status:
Suspension Feeder
SusFedHabitats
| General Habitat | Marinas & Docks | None |
| General Habitat | Coral reef | None |
| Salinity Range | Polyhaline | 18-30 PSU |
| Tidal Range | Subtidal | None |
| Vertical Habitat | Epibenthic | None |
Life History
Tolerances and Life History Parameters
| Minimum Length (mm) | 4 | Tovar-Hernandez and Dean 2014 |
| Maximum Length (mm) | 23 | Tovar-Hernandez and Dean 2014 |
| Broad Temperature Range | None | Tropical |
| Broad Salinity Range | None | Polyhaline-Euhaline |
General Impacts
Imapcts are unknown.
Regional Distribution Map
| Bioregion | Region Name | Year | Invasion Status | Population Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SEP-Z | 2016 | Def | Estab |
Occurrence Map
| OCC_ID | Author | Year | Date | Locality | Status | Latitude | Longitude |
|---|
References
Capa, María; Murray, Anna (2016) Combined morphological and molecular data unveils relationships of Pseudobranchiomma (Sabellidae, Annelida) and reveals higher diversity of this intriguing group of fan worms in Australia, including potentially introduced species, ZooKeys 622: 1-36Capa, Maria; Pons, Joan; Hutchings, Pat (2013) Cryptic diversity, intraspecific phenetic plasticity and recent geographical translocations in Branchiomma (Sabellidae, Annelida), Zoologica Scripta 42(6): 637-655
Keppel, Erica; , Keith, Inti; Ruiz, Gregory M.; Carlton, James T. (2019) New records of native and non-indigenous polychaetes (Annelida: Polychaeta) in the Galapagos Islands, Aquatic Invasions 14(1): 59-84
Tovar-Hernandez, Maria Ana; Dean, Harlan (2014) A new gregarious sabellid worm from the Gulf of California reproducing by spontaneous fission (Polychaeta, Sabellidae), Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 94(5): 935–946.