Microdeutopus gryllotalpa

Invasion History

First Non-native North American Tidal Record: 1872
First Non-native West Coast Tidal Record: 1985
First Non-native East/Gulf Coast Tidal Record: 1872

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General Invasion History:

Microdeutopus gryllotalpa is native to the Eastern Atlantic, where it occurs from the Western Baltic and southern Norway to Atlantic Spain and the Mediterranean Sea (Myer 1969; Lincoln 1979; Bellan-Santini et al. 1993). It occurs from the intertidal zone to 155 m, and often occurs in moderately brackish lagoons at salinities as low as 15 PSU (Bousfield 1973). Based on its limited range and association with manmade structures and eutrophic habitats, it appears to have been introduced to the Northwest Atlantic, from Casco Bay, Maine to Chesapeake Bay (Verrill and Smith 1873; Bousfield 1973; Chapman 2000; Wells et al. 2014; Ruiz et al., unpublished data). In the Pacific, it has been found in Humboldt Bay, California since the 1980s (Boyd et al. 2002).

North American Invasion History:

Invasion History on the West Coast:

Microdeutopus gryllotalpa is introduced on the West Coast, where it is currently only known from Humboldt Bay, California (1st collected in the 1980s - Boyd et al. 2002; Chapman 2007). It is known from sloughs and saltmarshes at the northern and southern ends of the Bay (Boyd et al. 2002).

Invasion History on the East Coast:

On the East Coast, M. gryllotalpa was first reported in Vineyard Sound, Massachusetts by Verrill and Smith (1872, as M. minax) where it ‘sometimes occurs in great abundance on eelgrass in brackish ponds' (Verrill and Smith 1872). It has been reported from Massachusetts Bay (MIT Sea Grant 2003) to the Indian River estuary, Delaware, south of Delaware Bay (Watling and Maurer 1972). It was not reported in earlier surveys of amphipods in Chesapeake Bay (Cowles 1930; Feeley and Wass 1971; Marsh 1972; Wass 1972), but was found in fouling plates in lower Chesapeake Bay in 1994 (Ruiz et al., unpublished data). John Chapman (Chapman 2000; personal communication 2008) and James Carlton (personal communication 2008) consider this species introduced in the Northwest Atlantic, based on its limited range on the East Coast, compared to its much wider European range, its absence from high latitudes, its potential for transport on ship hulls, and its preference for nutrient-rich, disturbed environments (Bousfield 1973). Potentially, it could have been a much earlier introduction to North America, but we have insufficient records to document early spread along the East Coast.

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Description

Microdeutopus gryllotalpa has a somewhat slender and shallow body. In the male, Coxa Plate 1 is produced anteriorly into a point, which ends behind and below the antennal sinus. In both sexes, Coxa Plate 5 has two lobes and the anterior one projects slightly deeper. Antenna 1 is about half the body length and has a flagellum of up to 22 segments, with a minute accessory flagellum. Antenna 2 has a flagellum of 6-9 segments, shorter than peduncle segment 5.

The gnathopods are sexually dimorphic in this family. Gnathopod 1 is greatly enlarged in males and much larger than Gnathopod 2. Segment 2 of Gnathopod 1 is expanded distally, while segment 5 (carpus, 'hand') is greatly expanded in the male, and is about as long as deep, with 2-4 teeth on the posterior distal margin. The propodus (segment 6) is short, with a sinuous posterior edge. The dactyl (segment 7), when folded, reaches the angle of the palm of the carpus. In the male, Gnathopod 2 has its basis (segment 2) greatly expanded, with the anterior margin convex. In both sexes, segments 5 and 6 are elongated. In the female, Gnathopods 1 and 2 are roughly equal in length. In the female's Gnathopod 1, the propodite is longer than the carpus. In females, the carpus is only moderately expanded. 

The rami of Uropod 3 are about equal in length to the peduncle. The outer rami are slightly longer; and the apices have groups of 3 spines across tips, with paired and solitary spines on margins. The terminal setae on the telson are long. Males reach 8 mm and females reach 10 mm in size. The color is greenish-white with small brown patches on the dorsal surface. Description based on: Myers 1969, Bousfield 1973, Lincoln 1979, and Bellan-Santini et al. 1993.

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Taxonomy

Ecology

General:

Microdeutopus gryllotalpa is a tube-dwelling amphipod, living in vegetation and fouling communities in estuaries in coastal waters (Bousfield 1973; Lincoln 1979). Gammarid amphipods have separate sexes, brooded embryos, and direct development.  Females in a population near Cadiz, Spain matured at 3.5-4.5 mm (Drake and Arias 1995). In M. gryllotalpa, mating takes place in the female's tube (Borowsky 1989). Females in a Greek lagoon carried 1-8 eggs in a brood, and young were born at ~1 mm length (Karakiri and Nicolaidu 1987). Breeding was year-round in Spanish and Greek populations (minimum temperature 8C) (Karakiri and Nicolaidu 1987; Drake and Arias 1995), but is likely to be seasonal in regions with colder winters.

Microdeutopus gryllotalpa tolerates a wide range of temperature (-1.8 to 27C) and salinity (15-65 PSU) (Bousfield 1973; Karakiri and Nicolaidu 1987; Drake and Arias 1995). This amphipod occurs from the intertidal zone to 150 m depth (Bousfield 1973; Lincoln 1979). The U-shaped tubes, constructed from bits of debris, glued with secretions from the animal's glands, provide some protection from desiccation in the intertidal zone, and probably from predators (Borowsky 1989). Habitats include rocky areas, algae, seagrasses (Zostera and Ruppia), oyster and mussel beds, salt marshes and fouling communities on docks and floats (Bousfield 1973; Lincoln 1979; Boyd et al. 2002). Microdeutopus gryllotalpa feeds on macroalgae, especially filamentous green algae (e.g. Cladophora and Ulva sp.), detritus, and to lesser extent on seagrasses (Zostera sp.) (Hauxwell et al. 1998; Jephson et al. 2008).

Food:

Phytoplankton, detritus

Trophic Status:

Suspension Feeder

SusFed

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Habitats

General Habitat	Grass Bed	None
General Habitat	Coarse Woody Debris	None
General Habitat	Salt-brackish marsh	None
General Habitat	Unstructured Bottom	None
General Habitat	Oyster Reef	None
General Habitat	Marinas & Docks	None
Salinity Range	Mesohaline	5-18 PSU
Salinity Range	Polyhaline	18-30 PSU
Salinity Range	Euhaline	30-40 PSU
Salinity Range	Hyperhaline	40+ PSU
Tidal Range	Subtidal	None
Tidal Range	Low Intertidal	None
Vertical Habitat	Epibenthic	None

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Tolerances and Life History Parameters

Minimum Temperature (ºC)	-1.8	Based on geographical range and personal observations (Paul Fofonoff, Narragansett Bay and Rhode Island salt ponds, with winter ice cover)
Maximum Temperature (ºC)	27	Field, Mazama Lagoon, Greece (Karakiri and Nicolaidu 1987)
Minimum Salinity (‰)	15	Bousfield 1973
Maximum Salinity (‰)	65	Field, San Francisco de Asis lagoon, Cadiz, Spain (Drake and Arias 1995).
Minimum Length (mm)	3.5	Females start breeding at 3.5 mm in summer, 4.5 mm in winter, near Cadiz, Spain (Drake and Arias 1995).
Maximum Length (mm)	10	Females (Males reach 8 mm, Bousfield 1973)
Broad Temperature Range	None	Cold temperate-Warm temperate
Broad Salinity Range	None	Mesohaline-Euhaline

General Impacts

Microdeutopus gryllotalpa is an abundant amphipod in algae and seagrass communities on the coast of the Northeast US (Bousfield 1973). It has potential impacts on Eelgrass (Zostera marina) and Widgeongrass (Ruppia maritima) by covering the leaves with its tubes, but also consuming epiphytic algae (Bousfield 1973; Jephson et al. 2008). This amphipod is also a likely food for fishes.

Ecological Impacts

Herbivory- Microdeutopus gryllotalpa is the most abundant grazer of macroalgae in Waquoit Bay, Massachusetts, making up an average of over 50% of the grazer community. In experiments, it was capable of grazing at 5X the growth rate of algae in low-nutrient conditions, but at only 1/10 of the growth rate under high nutrient conditions (Hauxwell et al. 1998).

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Regional Impacts

NA-ET3	Cape Cod to Cape Hatteras		Ecological Impact	Herbivory
Microdeutopus gryllotalpa is the most abundant grazer of macroalgae in Waquoit Bay, Massachusetts, making up on average over 50% of the grazer community. In experiments, it was capable of grazing at 5X the growth rate of algae in low-nutrient conditions, but at only 1/10 of the growth rate under high nutrient conditions (Hauxwell et al. 1998).
N195	_CDA_N195 (Cape Cod)		Ecological Impact	Herbivory
Microdeutopus gryllotalpa is the most abundant grazer of macroalgae in Waquoit Bay, Massachusetts, making up on average over 50% of the grazer community. In experiments, it was capable of grazing at 5X the growth rate of algae in low-nutrient conditions, but at only 1/10 of the growth rate under high nutrient conditions (Hauxwell et al. 1998).
MA	Massachusetts		Ecological Impact	Herbivory
Microdeutopus gryllotalpa is the most abundant grazer of macroalgae in Waquoit Bay, Massachusetts, making up on average over 50% of the grazer community. In experiments, it was capable of grazing at 5X the growth rate of algae in low-nutrient conditions, but at only 1/10 of the growth rate under high nutrient conditions (Hauxwell et al. 1998).

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