Description
Potentially Misidentified Species - These species of Tubificoides have been reported from Chesapeake Bay (Diaz 1977; Diaz 1989; Schaffner 1987; Brinkhurst 1986).
Taxonomy
| Kingdom | Phylum | Class | Order | Family | Genus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Animalia | Annelida | Oligochaeta | Haplotaxida | Tubificidae | Tubificoides |
Synonyms
Invasion History
Chesapeake Bay Status
| First Record | Population | Range | Introduction | Residency | Source Region | Native Region | Vectors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | Established | Unknown | Cryptogenic | Regular Resident | Eastern Atlantic | Eastern Atlantic | Shipping(Fouling Community, Ballast Water, Dry Ballast) |
History of Spread
The oligochaete Tubificoides heterochaetus was first described from Germany (as Limnodrilus heterochaetus) in 1926. It was subsequently found in coastal waters in Holland, England, and the estuary of the Danube (Black Sea) (Baker 1981; Brinkhurst 1963; Brinkhurst and Jamieson 1971).
In 1971, T. heterochaetus was collected in the James River VA, its first Chesapeake and Western Atlantic record (Diaz 1977). It was later found in Lake Calcasieu LA (1976) (Shirley and Loden 1982) and Cape Fear River, NC (1980) (Brinkhurst 1986; Brinkhurst and Baker 1979). Baker (1984) includes it on a list of species found in the ' Cape Cod' region, but this apparently refers to the whole Mid-Atlantic Bight, from Cape Cod to Cape Hatteras, and may be based on Diaz' James River collections. Curiously, this species has not been reported from Delaware Bay or the Rehoboth Bay-Indian River estuaries, although Brinkhurst and Baker (1979) and Brinkhurst (1986) list a number of previously known and new Tubificoides species from those bays.
The relatively recent discovery of T. heterochaetus, and perhaps also its spotty distribution, in the Western Atlantic is suggestive of introduction. However, studies of marine Oligochaeta in this region before the 1970's have been very limited, particularly on the Southeastern coast (Baker 1984; Diaz 1977; Diaz 1979; Shirley and Loden 1982). Cohen and Carlton (1995) list 3 species of Tubificoides as having been introduced to San Francisco Bay from the Western Atlantic.
Diaz (1977) found T. heterochaetus in the poly- (Ferry Point), meso-, and oligohaline (Fishing Point) regions of the James estuary in 1971-1972. It has subsequently been found in other benthic surveys in the James River (Schaffner et al. 1987). It is probably more widely distributed in the Chesapeake, but many studies list only 'Tubificoides spp.'
History References - Baker 1981; Baker 1984; Brinkhurst 1963; ; Brinkhurst 1986; Brinkhurst and Baker 1979; Brinkhurst and Jamieson 1971; Cohen and Carlton 1995; Diaz 1977; Schaffner et al. 1987; Shirley and Loden 1982
Invasion Comments
Vector(s) of Introduction- Oligochaetes are common in accumulated sediment on fouling plates (Ruiz et al. unpublished data). Other possible mechanisms include transport in ballast water (when sediment is stirred up by ship passage in shallow harbors), or being transported in damp ballast (Cohen and Carlton 1995).
Invasion Status - We consider Tubificoides heterochaetus ot be cryptogenic because of the paucity of oligochaete studies in the region, as indicated by the shortage of early Northwest Atlantic citations in works of Diaz (1977, 1979), Baker (1984), and Shirley and Loden (1982).
Ecology
Environmental Tolerances
| For Survival | For Reproduction | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum | Maximum | Minimum | Maximum | |
| Temperature (ºC) | ||||
| Salinity (‰) | 0.0 | 0.0 | ||
| Oxygen | hypoxic | |||
| pH | ||||
| Salinity Range | fresh-poly |
Age and Growth
| Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Adult Size (mm) | 7.0 | 7.0 |
| Typical Adult Size (mm) | 8.0 | 8.0 |
| Maximum Adult Size (mm) | 9.0 | 9.0 |
| Maximum Longevity (yrs) | ||
| Typical Longevity (yrs |
Reproduction
| Start | Peak | End | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reproductive Season | |||
| Typical Number of Young Per Reproductive Event |
|||
| Sexuality Mode(s) | |||
| Mode(s) of Asexual Reproduction |
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| Fertilization Type(s) | |||
| More than One Reproduction Event per Year |
|||
| Reproductive Startegy | |||
| Egg/Seed Form |
Impacts
Economic Impacts in Chesapeake Bay
Although estuarine oligochaetes, as a group, are probably an important part of estuarine foodwebs, and an important food for some commercial fishes (Diaz 1979), specific economic impacts of Tubifcoides heterochaetus in the Chesapeake Bay region are unknown.
References- Diaz 1979
Economic Impacts Outside of Chesapeake Bay
Specific economic impacts of the oligochaete Tubifcoides heterochaetus are unknown either in the eastern or western North Atlantic.
Ecological Impacts on Chesapeake Native Species
The oligochaete Tubificoides heterochaetus is a local dominant in the James River (Diaz 1977; Diaz et al. 1989), but effects of its possible introduction are unknown. Marine oligochaetes as a group affect sediment organic composition and oxygenation, and are a potentially important food resource (Diaz 1979), but specific effects of T. heterochaetus on native biota are unknown.
References- Diaz 1977; Diaz 1979; Diaz et al. 1989
Ecological Impacts on Other Chesapeake Non-Native Species
Impacts of the oligochaete Tubificoides heterochaetus on introduced biota in the Chesapeake Bay are unknown. It is a potential food for such introduced benthivorous fishes as Cyprinus carpio (Common Carp), Ictalurus spp. (Catfishes ), and others (Diaz 1979). Its range also overlaps with the introduced bivalves Rangia cuneata (Wedge Clam) and Corbicula fluminea (Asian Freshwater Clam) (Diaz 1977).
References- Diaz 1977; Diaz 1979
References
Baker, H. R. (1981) A redescription of Tubificoides heterochaetus (Michalesen) (Oligochaeta: Tubificidae), Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 94: 564-568Baker, H. R. (1984) Diversity and zoogeography of marine Tubificidae (Annelida, Oligiochaeta) with notes on variation in widespread species, Hydrobiologia 115: 191-196
Brinkhurst, R. O. (1963) Notes on the biology and marine species of Tubificidae (Annelida, Oligochaeta), Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 43: 709-715
Brinkhurst, R. O. (1986) Taxonomy of the genus Tubificoides Lastockin (Oligochaeta, Tubificidae): species with bifid setae, Canadian Journal of Zoology 64: 1270-1279
Brinkhurst, R. O.; Baker, H. R. (1979) A review of the marine Tubificidae (Oligochaeta) of North America, Canadian Journal of Zoology 57: 1553-1569
Brinkhurst, R. O.; Jamieson, B. G. M. (1971) Aquatic Oligochaeta of the World, In: (Eds.) . , Edinburgh. Pp.
Brinkhurst, Ralph O.; Gelder, Stuart R. (1991) Annelida: Oligochaeta and Branchiobdellida, In: Thorp, James H.//Covich, Alan P.(Eds.) Ecology and Classification of North American Freshwater Invertebrates. , San Diego. Pp. 401-435
Cohen, Andrew N.; Carlton, James T. (1995) Nonindigenous aquatic species in a United States estuary: a case study of the biological invasions of the San Francisco Bay and Delta, , Washington DC, Silver Spring MD.. Pp.
Diaz, Robert J. (1977) The effects of pollution on benthic communities of the tidal James River, Virginia, , Charlottesville. Pp.
Diaz, Robert J. (1979) Ecology of tidal freshwater and estuarine Tubificidae (Oligochaeta)., In: Brinkhurst, Ralph O., and Cook, David G.(Eds.) Aquatic Oligochaete Biology. , New York. Pp. 310-330
Diaz, Robert J. (1989) Pollution and tidal benthic communities of the James River estuary, Hydrobiologia 180: 195-211
Schaffner, Linda C.; Diaz, Robert J.; Olsen, Curtis R.; Larsen, Ingvar, L. (1987) Faunal characteristics and sediment accumulation processes in the James River estuary, Virginia, Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 25: 211-226
Shirley, Thomas C.; Loden, Michael S. (1982) The Tubificidae (Annelida, Oligochaeta) of a Lousiana estuary: ecology and systematic, with the description of a new species., Estuaries 5: 47-56