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.
Taxonomy
| Kingdom | Phylum | Class | Order | Family | Genus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Animalia | Crustacea | Malacostraca | Amphipoda | Corophiidae | Apoorophium |
Synonyms
Invasion History
Chesapeake Bay Status
| First Record | Population | Range | Introduction | Residency | Source Region | Native Region | Vectors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Established | Unknown | Cryptogenic | Regular Resident | Eastern Atlantic | Eastern Atlantic | Shipping(Ballast Water,Fouling Community) |
History of Spread
Apocorophium acutum is an epifaunal amphipod which constructs tubes on hard surfaces. It was described from the Mediterranean (Algeria) in 1908, and subsequently found on the Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts of France and in Egypt (Poisson and Lequex 1926), and in southern England (Crawford 1937), the Suez Canal, South Africa (Shoemaker 1947), and New Zealand (Hurley 1954). The outlying locations are certainly introductions by shipping, but the original range of this amphipod is uncertain. In England and elsewhere, this species appears to be spottily distributed, and often associated with harbors, pilings, breakwaters, pontoons, etc. (Crawford 1937; Hurley 1954; Lincoln 1979; Watling and Maurer 1972).
The first western Atlantic record of A. acutumappears to have been a specimen collected in Long Island Sound in 1874 (Shoemaker 1934). It was subsequently found to range from Cape Cod to Florida (Bousfield 1973). It was also collected at Rio de Janeiro Brazil, in 1925 (Shoemaker 1934). We consider its status in the Western Atlantic, in general, and Chesapeake Bay, in particular to be cryptogenic, because its apparent dispersal by shipping preceded its recognition as a species, and because of its absence in earlier local surveys (Cowles 1930; Feeley and Wass 1971; Shoemaker 1934; Shoemaker 1947).
The establishment of this species in Chesapeake Bay is uncertain, since we have only collections from one site. However, this species has been collected from Delaware Bay to the north and NC waters to the south, so we consider it probably established in the Chesapeake Bay region.
Atlantic United States records are summarized below:
North of Cape Cod - (Ipswich MA, 1968) (United States National Museum of Natural History collections).
Long Island Sound to Cape Cod - Long Island Sound (1874), Woods Hole MA (1929).
Delaware Bay - Cape May NJ (1929) (Shoemaker 1934). Lewes DE, inner breakwater, only location for this species in a Delaware Bay survey. 'This is an anchorage area where large ships stop to pick upriver pilots' (Watling and Maurer 1972).
Chesapeake Bay - A. acutum was not reported by Feeley and Wass (1971). One specimen was found on our fouling plates at the Coast Guard Basin, Norfolk VA Harbor, in the winter of 1995 (Ruiz et al. unpublished data).
Cape Hatteras South - 'Most common estuarine Corophium in North Carolina, often very abundant in fouling communities' (Fox and Bynum 1975). United States National Museum of Natural History specimens from Skull Creek SC (Fish Commission steamer Fish Hawk, undated), and Crystal River FL (1983).
History References - Bousfield 1973; Crawford 1937; Fox and Bynum 1975; Hurley 1954; Lincoln 1979; Poisson and Lequex 1926; Shoemaker 1934; Shoemaker 1947; Watling and Maurer 1972
Invasion Comments
Vector into Chesapeake Bay - 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) | ||||
| Salinity (‰) | 38.0 | |||
| Oxygen | well-oxygenated | |||
| pH | ||||
| Salinity Range | poly-eu |
Age and Growth
| Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Adult Size (mm) | ||
| Typical Adult Size (mm) | 2.5 | 3.0 |
| Maximum Adult Size (mm) | 3.0 | 4.0 |
| Maximum Longevity (yrs) | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| Typical Longevity (yrs | 1.0 | 1.0 |
Reproduction
| Start | Peak | End | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reproductive Season | |||
| Typical Number of Young Per Reproductive Event |
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| 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
Apocorophium acutum has no significant economic impact in the Chesapeake region.
Economic Impacts Outside of Chesapeake Bay
Apocorophium acutum, where abundant, is probably an important food resource for littoral fishes and invertebrates. However, it has no direct economic importance, except as a component, with other corophiids of the marine fouling community.
Ecological Impacts on Chesapeake Native Species
Apocorophium acutum is considered unlikely to have ecological impacts in the Chesapeake Bay region, because of its low abundance. Elsewhere in its range, it could be a competitor with similar native amphipods. Like other epifaunal corophiids, its tubes may significanlty modify surfaces, affecting other fouling biota.
Ecological Impacts on Other Chesapeake Non-Native Species
Impacts of Apocorophium acutum on introduced biota are unlikely in Chesapeake Bay. In regions where it is more abundant, A. acutum is likely to interact with other introduced and cryptogenic epifaunal amphipods.
References
Bellan-Santini, Denise; Karaman, Gordon; Krapp-Schickel, Gertraud; Ledoyer, Michel; Myers, Alan A.; Ruffo, Sandro; Schiecke, Ulrich (1982) The Amphipoda of the Mediterranean: Part 1. Gammaridea (Acanthonotozomatidae to Gammaridae), Memoires de l'Institut Oceanographique (Monaco) 13: 1-364Bousfield, E. L.; Hoover, P. M. (1997) The amphipod superfamily Corophioidea on the Pacific coast of North America. Part V. Family Corophiidae: Corophiinae, new subfamily. Systematics and distributional ecology., Amphipacifica 2: 67-139
Bousfield, E.L. (1973) Shallow-water gammaridean Amphipoda of New England., , Ithaca, NY. Pp.
Cowles, R.P. (1930) A biological study of the offshore waters of Chesapeake Bay, United States Bureau of Fisheries Bulletin 46: 277-381
Crawford, G. I. (1937) A review of the amphipod genus Corophium, with notes on the British species., Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 21: 589-630
Feeley, James B.; Wass, Marvin L. (1971) The distribution and ecology of the Gammaridea (Crustacea: Amphipoda) of the lower Chesapeake estuaries., Special Papers in Marine Science 2: 1-58
Fox, Richard S.; Bynum, Kenneth H. (1975) The amphipod crustaceans of North Carolina estuarine waters, Chesapeake Science 16: 223-237
Grabe, Stephen A. (1996) Composition and seasonality of nocturnal peracarid zooplankton from coastal New Hampshire (USA) waters, 1978-1980., Journal of Plankton Research 18: 881-894
Hurley, D. E. (1954) Studies of the New Zealand Amphipodan fauna. No. 7. The family Corophiidae, including a new species of Paracorophium, Transactions of the Royal Society of New Zealand 82: 431-460
Lincoln, Roger J. (1979) British Marine Amphipoda: Gammaridea., In: (Eds.) . , London. Pp.
Poisson, R.; Legeux, M. L. (1926) Notes sur les crustaces amphipodes, Bulletin de la Societe Zoologique de France 52: 314-325
Shoemaker, Clarence R. (1934a) The amphipod genus Corophium on the east coast of America, Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 47: 23-32
Shoemaker, Clarence R. (1947) Further notes on the amphipod genus Corophium, from the east coast of North America, Journal of the Washington Academy of Sciences 37: 47-63
Watling, Les; Maurer, Don (1972) Marine shallow water amphipods of the Delaware Bay area, U.S.A., Crustaceana : 251-266