Description
Bousfield and Hoover (1997) split the genus Corophium into 13 genera, 3 of which are represented in Chesapeake Bay. This division follows long-recognized divisions within the former genus (e.g. Shoemaker 1934; Crawford 1937), now treated as a subfamily (Corophinae), by Bousfield and Hoover.
Monocorophium insidiosum was described from England in 1937 (Crawford 1937), and subsequently recognized in North American Atlantic and Pacific waters (Shoemaker 1947).
Synonymy - Say (1817) described 'Podocerus cylindricus' from Egg Harbor NJ. The original type material was lost, but Smith and Verrill (1873) assigned the name 'Corophium cylindricum' to a common corophiid of southern New England, and this form was formally described by Holmes (1905). Subsequently, this name was very widely applied on the Atlantic Coast of the United States. However, it is not clear that Say's material was a corophiin (Shoemaker 1934). Bousfield and Hoover (1997) consider 'C. cylindricum' as a synonym of M. insidiosum, based on 'distributional overlap'. Shoemaker (1934) re-identified all available vouchered specimens of 'C. cylindricum' as 'C. acherusicum'. Since M. insidiosum was not described until 1937, it is possible that Shoemaker may have overlooked this species. In recent Chesapeake collections, M. acherusicum greatly outnumbers M. insidiosum. Therefore, we have assumed that early records of 'C. cylindricum' in Chesapeake Bay refer to M. acherusicum.
'Corophium bonelli' was a confusion with a very similar boreal species, now Monocorophium bonelli (Crawford 1937; Bousfield and Hoover 1997). A mixture of M. bonelli and M. insidiosum appear to have been identified as 'Corophium pseudoacherusicum,' which Shoemaker (1934) gave a range on both sides of the Atlantic, from Nova Scotia to Argentina (Shoemaker 1934; Crawford 1937; Shoemaker 1947).
Taxonomy
| Kingdom | Phylum | Class | Order | Family | Genus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Animalia | Crustacea | Malacostraca | Amphipoda | Corophiidae | Monocorophium |
Synonyms
Invasion History
Chesapeake Bay Status
| First Record | Population | Range | Introduction | Residency | Source Region | Native Region | Vectors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Established | Unknown | Cryptogenic | Regular Resident | Western Atlantic | Eastern Atlantic | Shipping(Fouling Community, Ballast Water), Natural Dispersal(Natural Dispersal) |
History of Spread
Monocorophiumn insidiosum an epifaunal tube-building amphipod, has a distributional history similar to that of M. acherusicum, and is also widely dispersed by shipping (Cohen and Carlton 1995; Bousfield and Hoover 1997). In the case of M. insidiosum, the history is complicated by taxonomic confusions with the very similar M. bonelli, distributed in boreal Atlantic waters of Europe and North America (Crawford 1937), and probably also with M. acherusicum (Shoemaker 1934; Bousfield and Hoover 1997). M. insidiosum was described from Plymouth, England in 1937 (Crawford 1937), and subsequently found to range from Denmark to the Mediterranean (France-Greece) (Lincoln 1979; Bellan-Santini 1982). It has been collected from Argentina [reported as C. pseudoacherusicum by Shoemaker (1934), re-identified byCrawford (1937)], Chile (Shoemaker 1947), Hawaii (Cohen and Carlton 1995), Japan (Bousfield and Hoover 1997), and the eastern Pacific. Specimens were collected on the Pacific coast as early as 1915 in WA (Cohen and Carlton 1995), and it now ranges from British Columbia to CA (Bousfield and Hoover 1997). This species has been collected from dock areas in England (Millbay Pontoon, West Wharf) (Crawford 1937) and buoys in the west Atlantic (Bousfield 1973).
In the western Atlantic, the date of first record is uncertain because of taxonomic confusion. Bousfield and Hoover (1997) consider Say's (1818) 'Podocerus cylindricus' and Smith and Verrill's 'Corophium cylindricum' (Smith and Verrill 1873) to be synonyms of M. insidiosum. [Note that Shoemaker (1934, 1947) considers C. cylindricum to be a synonym of M. acherusicum.]. Shoemaker (1947) cited specimens of M. cylindricum collected from Newburyport MA, and Long Island Sound (Amityville NY), but did not give the dates. The West Atlantic specimens he examined are no longer in the United States National Museum of Natural History Crustacea catalogs. Consequently, we give an East Pacific collection (WA, 1915; Cohen and Carlton 1995) as the earliest date for North America, but M. insidiosum were probably collected earlier from the West Atlantic. Chapman (2000) considers M. insidosum to be native to the Northwest Atlantic, and introduced to the coast of Europe, but we regard it as cryptogenic. The historical record makes it difficult to determine on which side of the Atlantic this species originated. Its apparently expanding range to the southward is suggestive of introduction, but this may be an artifact of the diffusion of taxonomic knowledge.
Western Atlantic records are summarized below:
Cape Cod, North - The northern limit of M. insidiosum's range was given as Newburyport MA (Shoemaker 1947), and later as Chaleur Bay (Quebec) and Cape Breton Island (Nova Scotia) southwards (Bousfield 1973).
Cape Cod to Delaware Bay - The southern limit of M. insidiosum's range was given as Long Island Sound (Shoemaker 1947; Bousfield 1973).
Delaware Bay - Monocorophium insidiosum was common on jetties near the mouth of the Bay at Lewes DE, present on sand beaches at Cape Henlopen, and 'present' to 'common' on oyster bars from Mahon River to Broadkill River DE (Watling and Maurer 1972).
Adjacent Coastal Waters North of Chesapeake Bay - Monocorophium insidiosum was abundant in Indian River and Rehoboth Bays, just north of our study area (Watling and Maurer 1972; Maurer 1977). It is probably present in MD-VA coastal bays north of the the mouth of Chesapeake Bay, but was not collected in this region by Feeley and Wass (1971).
Chesapeake Bay- Monocorophium insidiosum was not reported by Feeley and Wass (1971), or by Marsh (1973), who examined epifauna of Zostera marina (Eelgrass). The first Chesapeake record of this species was in lower Chesapeake Bay in 1978 by Dauer et al. (1984) on the eastern and western shores (Old Plantation Creek - Cherrystone Inlet and Lynn Haven - Broad Bays). A single specimen was found on a fouling plate at Cape Charles VA in 1995. Another specimen was collected in Scotts Creek, a branch of the Elizabeth River, Norfolk VA, collected in summer of 1996 (Ruiz et al. unpublished data).
Coastal Waters South of Chesapeake Bay - Monocorophium insidiosum was 'known only from the Beaufort-Morehead City area, often locally abundant. Large numbers found in concrete holding tanks at the Institute of Marine Sciences, Morehead City' (Fox and Bynum 1975). In the 1990s, it has been reported from the Indian River Lagoon on the Atlantic coast of FL and the Suwanee River estuary on the FL Gulf coast (Mason et al. 1994; Nelson 1995)
History Referencess - Bellan-Santini 1982; Bousfield 1973; Bousfield and Hoover 1997; Chapman 2000; Cohen and Carlton 1995; Crawford 1937; Feeley and Wass 1971; Fox and Bynum 1975; Lincoln 1979; Marsh 1973; Maurer 1977; Ruiz et al. unpublished data; Say 1818; Shoemaker 1934; Shoemaker 1947; Verrill and Smith 1873; United States National Museum of Natural History collections; Watling and Maurer 1972
Invasion Comments
Invasion Status - We consider this species cryptogenic in the Western Atlantic, because its possible dispersal by shipping into the western Atlantic probably occurred decades or centuries before the taxonomic recognition of the species. However, its absence in Feeley and Wass's (1971) and Marsh's (1973) surveys, and the localized nature of Fox and Bynum's (1975) NC records suggest a natural or anthropogenic range extension either southward along the coast, or into the Bay from coastal waters.
Vector(s) of Introduction- Ballast water is considered to be the likeliest vector into Chesapeake Bay, given the recent date of first record of this species in the Chesapeake. While anti-fouling paints may have reduced the probability of fouling as a vector, it remains a strong possibility.
Ecology
Environmental Tolerances
| For Survival | For Reproduction | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum | Maximum | Minimum | Maximum | |
| Temperature (ºC) | 27.0 | 27.0 | ||
| Salinity (‰) | 13.0 | 38.0 | ||
| Oxygen | well-oxygenated | |||
| pH | ||||
| Salinity Range | poly-eu |
Age and Growth
| Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Adult Size (mm) | 1.7 | 3.0 |
| Typical Adult Size (mm) | 4.2 | 4.9 |
| Maximum Adult Size (mm) | 4.6 | 5.3 |
| Maximum Longevity (yrs) | 0.6 | 0.6 |
| Typical Longevity (yrs | 0.3 | 0.4 |
Reproduction
| Start | Peak | End | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reproductive Season | |||
| Typical Number of Young Per Reproductive Event |
|||
| Sexuality Mode(s) | |||
| Mode(s) of Asexual Reproduction |
|||
| Fertilization Type(s) | |||
| More than One Reproduction Event per Year |
|||
| Reproductive Startegy | |||
| Egg/Seed Form |
Impacts
Economic Impacts in Chesapeake Bay
Monocorophium insidiosum is a common food of juvenile commercial fishes, but not different in this role from native species, to our knowledge.
Economic Impacts Outside of Chesapeake Bay
Where it is abundant, Monocorphium insidiosum, like M. acherusicum is probably an important prey of juvenile commercial fishes (Onbe 1966).
Barnard (1958) suggested that high densities of mat-forming fouling organisms such as corophiids (M. acherusicum; M. insidosum) and Polydora might deter the settlement of marine borers on wooden pilings.
References- Barnard 1958; Onbe 1966
Ecological Impacts on Chesapeake Native Species
The tube-dwelling amphipod Monocorophium insidiosum is locally common in coastal bays in Delaware, and probably also in MD and VA north of the mouth of the Chesapeake. It could have some impacts on native biota. However, the invasion status of the species is uncertain (cryptogenic), and if it is an invader, it could have simply displaced native corophiids.
Herbivory - Together with other tube-building, suspension-feeding amphipods, M. insidiosum could have a local effect on densities of phytoplankton and suspended detritus (Barnard 1958).
Competition - Competition among corophiin species in Chesapeake Bay has been suggested as a factor influencing their distributions (Feeley 1967). However, this has not been tested experimentally.
Habitat Change - Tubes of corophiids represent a considerable modification of surfaces, which could affect other fouling taxa. Construction of tubes on vegetation could affect the plants' photosynthesis, masses of tubes on hard surfaces could provide habitat for meiofauna and smaller infauna.
Food/Prey - Monocorophium insidiosum is a likely prey of juvenile fishes, as is M. acherusicum (Onbe 1966) and probably elsewhere.
References - Barnard 1958; Feeley 1967; Onbe 1966
Ecological Impacts on Other Chesapeake Non-Native Species
Monocorophium insidiosum is a potential competitor with the cryptogenic M. acherusicum, but interactions of the two species are apparently unstudied.
References
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Birklund, Jorgen (1977) Biomass, growth and production of the amphipod Corophium insidiosum Crawford, and preliminary notes on Corophium volutator (Pallas), Ophelia : 187-203
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