Polydora onagawaensis is a shell-boring spionid polychaete, especially known from cultured oysters and scallops. It was described from Pacific Oysters (Magallana (= Crassostrea) gigas) and Japanese Weathervane Scallop (Mizuhopecten (= Patinopecten) yessoensis) in the Bohai Sea, China. In 2018, it was morphologically and genetically identified from cultured Eastern Oysters in the Gulf of Maine. It has also been detected in a DNA sequence from Rhode Island, but the extent of its range in the Northwest Atlantic is unknown. Polydora onagawaensis has also been identified in cultured Pacific Oysters in Normandy, France. This polychaete creates burrows in bivalve shells, ending in compact, 'pimple-shaped' blisters, distinct from the larger mud-blisters of the more common cryptogenic shell-borer, P. websteri. Polydora onagawaensis is one of several species of shell-boring polychaetes which create mud-blisters inside the shell, reducing growth rates, meat-quality, and affecting the aesthetic appearance of the shell and the seafood-eating experience. |