Description
Synonymy - The synonyms listed by Kuhne (1971) and Smith (1879), were not used in this century and have not appeared in the American literature.
Potentially Misdentified Species - Barnard (1959) suggested that records of Chelura terebrans from the Atlantic coast south of Cape Hatteras, FL, and the Gulf of Mexico could actually be C. insulae, a species known from the Caribbean. He was unable to obtain specimens to confirm this.
Taxonomy
| Kingdom | Phylum | Class | Order | Family | Genus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Animalia | Crustacea | Malacostraca | Amphipoda | Cheluridae | Chelura |
Synonyms
Invasion History
Chesapeake Bay Status
| First Record | Population | Range | Introduction | Residency | Source Region | Native Region | Vectors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | Unknown | Unknown | Cryptogenic | Regular Resident | Eastern Atlantic | Eastern Atlantic | Shipping(Fouling Community) |
History of Spread
Chelura terebrans is a wood-boring amphipod first described by Philippi from Trieste, Italy in 1839, and redescribed by Allman (1847) from Ireland. In the Eastern Atlantic, it ranges from Norway to Spain, and through the Mediterranean and Black Seas (Kuhne and Becker 1964). Chelura terebrans has been reported from the western Atlantic (see below), from South Africa, the eastern Pacific (WA to CA), Australia, and New Zealand. In the northern hemisphere, it is found from 18 N - 61 N, and in the southern hemisphere, 30-44 N. Its original range is uncertain, but it doubtless has been transported to many locations in the hulls of wooden ships (Kuhne and Becker 1964). It was first collected on the west coast of North America in 1949 in San Francisco and Los Angeles harbors (Barnard 1950). C. terebrans usually co-occurs with the wood-boring isopods of the genus Limnoria (Barnard 1955; Kuhne and Becker 1964), and is largely dependent on these borers for shelter and food, due to the Limnoria's superior wood-eating ability.
Chelura terebrans was first found in the Western Atlantic at Woods Hole MA by Smith (1879). 'I have repeatedly made careful search of Chelura at many different points along our eastern coast from New Jersey to Nova Scotia, and have examined many pieces of Teredo and Limnoria-bored timber from other parts of the coast, but until 1875, I was not able to discover an individual of the genus.' (Smith 1879). Western Atlantic records are summarized below from north to south:
Gulf of Maine - Chelura terebrans was found at Provincetown MA in 1879, and was abundant (Smith 1879). It was also found at Portland Harbor ME, Boston Harbor MA (1951-52) (Brown 1953; Wallour 1960) and earlier (Atwood 1935, cited by Kuhne and Becker 1964).
Vineyard Sound - Chelura terebrans was found at Woods Hole MA, in 1875, and was rare (Smith 1879), but was abundant at 1935-52 (Brown 1953; Wallour 1960). It occurred regularly at Cuttyhunk (Buzzards Bay) and Edgartown MA (Marthas Vineyard) (Brown 1953; Wallour 1960).
Narragansett Bay- Chelura terebrans occurred regularly at Newport (1950-58), on test boards installed in 1948, but was sporadic or not seen in other parts of the Bay (Tiverton, Providence, Quonset Point) (Brown 1953; Wallour 1960).
Block Island, Long Island Sounds - At Block Island, Chelura terebrans occurred in 1949-1958, and at Fishers Island NY, in 1948-1952 (Brown 1953; Wallour 1960), on test boards installed in 1948. C. terebrans apparently ocurred in this region (Mystic and Groton CT) before 1935 (Atwood 1935, cited by Kuhne and Becker 1964).
Chesapeake Bay- Chelura terebrans' range is given as 'south to Chesapeake Bay and northern Florida' (Bousfield 1973).
South of Chesapeake, Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean - Chelura terebrans has been reported from the 'South Atlantic coast' and Gulf of Mexico by Atwood (1922), and SC (no date) by Barnard (1959), Bermuda, and the Virgin Islands (Kuhne and Becker 1964). It is abundant in Bermuda but not found in numerous test board surveys conducted between VA and TX (e.g., Brown 1953; Wallour 1960). It is reported for northern FL by Bousfield (1973), but 'Repeated efforts by zoologists to collect chelurids in Florida, at the request of the writer, have resulted only in the collection of corophiid amphipods which bear a distant relationship to chelurids' (Barnard 1959).
Chesapeake Bay records- The population status of C. terebrans in the Chesapeake region is unknown, but it probably has been transported into the Bay with wooden boats. Chelura terebrans is reported to occur in Chesapeake Bay by Bousfield (1973). However, we have found no specific records so far. This species was not included in wood-borer, amphipod surveys, or general invertebrate lists by Brown (1953), Wallour (1960), Feeley, and Wass (1971), Wass (1972) for Chesapeake Bay. Because of this species' stenohalinity, it is probably limited to the lower Bay and adjacent ocean waters. C. terebrans almost exclusively co-occurs with Limnoria spp., which were rare in the Bay proper, but abundant at Cape Charles VA, 1957-1958 (Wallour 1960). We have not found reports of C. terebrans in adjacent estuaries to the north and south; e.g. Watling and Maurer (1972) for Delaware Bay, or Fox and Bynum (1975) for NC.
History References - Allman 1847; Atwood 1922; Barnard 1950; Barnard 1955; Barnard 1959; Brown 1953; Bousfield 1973; Feeley and Wass 1971; Fox and Bynum 1975; Kuhne and Becker 1964; Smith 1879; Wallour 1960; Wass 1972; Watling and Maurer 1972
Invasion Comments
Invasion Status - We considere Chelura terebrans to be a probable introduction to the Western Atlantic, which is supported by Smith's (1879) mention of an extensive unsuccessful search for this species in regions where C. terebrans was later found.
Population Status- We consider the establishment of Chelura terebrans to be uncertain ('population status unknown') because of the lack of recent, specific records from the Chesapeake region. This species is probably occasionally transported into the Bay by wooden boats and towed wooden structures.
Ecology
Environmental Tolerances
| For Survival | For Reproduction | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum | Maximum | Minimum | Maximum | |
| Temperature (ºC) | -2.0 | 26.0 | 14.0 | 26.0 |
| Salinity (‰) | 18.0 | 40.0 | 25.0 | 40.0 |
| Oxygen | hypoxic | |||
| pH | 6.0000000000 | 9.0000000000 | ||
| Salinity Range | poly-eu |
Age and Growth
| Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Adult Size (mm) | 3.5 | 3.5 |
| Typical Adult Size (mm) | 5.3 | 5.3 |
| Maximum Adult Size (mm) | 6.0 | 6.0 |
| Maximum Longevity (yrs) | 1.2 | 1.2 |
| Typical Longevity (yrs |
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 |
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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
The woodboring amphipod Chelura terebrans has no apparent economic impacts in the Chesapeake region, due to its scarcity.
Economic Impacts Outside of Chesapeake Bay
Chelura terebrans is regarded as major wood-boring pest, although it is usually only a significant borer in the presence of Limnoria spp., and its damage consists mostly of enlarging Limnoria's burrows and speeding the latter's destruction of wooden pilings (Barnard 1955; Becker 1971; Kuhne and Becker 1964). As destroyers of wooden structures, crustacean borers as a group are regarded as second in importance to shipworms (Atwood 1922; Brown 1953). In the NW Atlantic, substantial populations of C. terebrans were found between Boston and Fisher's Island NY (near New Haven CT), and in Bermuda Harbor (Brown 1953).
References - Atwood 1922; Barnard 1955; Becker 1971; Brown 1953; Kuhne and Becker 1964
Ecological Impacts on Chesapeake Native Species
The wood-boring amphipod Chelura terebrans is considered to have no significant impacts in the Chesapeake region because of the absence of confirmed, established populations in the area.
Elsewhere, C. terebrans, together with the isopods Limnoria spp. (gribbles) play an important role in the decomposition and recycling of wood. C. terebrans inefficient at excavating wood by itself. However, it can grow to maturity on fungus-infected wood in the absence of Limnoria (Kuhne and Becker 1964). Limnoria spp. burrow much more rapidly than C. terebrans , and C. terebrans normally depends on its tunnels for shelter, which it enlarges (Barnard 1959; Kuhne and Becker 1964). The relation between the isopods and amphipods is mutualistic in part, since C. terebrans cleans feces from the burrows and improves water circulation in Limnoria burrows, but high densities can interfere with Limnoria populations (Kuhne and Becker 1964). (Kuhne and Becker 1964).
References - Barnard 1959; Kuhne and Becker 1964
Ecological Impacts on Other Chesapeake Non-Native Species
Chelura terebrans may interact mutualistically and competitively with Limnoria spp. in the Chesapeake region (see 'Impacts on Residents'). Only the boreal L. lignorum, probably native, has been reported from the Bay but the cryptogenic L. tripunctata occurs also (Menzies 1972) Few studies of woodborers have been made in the Chesapeake Bay region since 1960. As a result, the species composition, abundance, and interactions of these animals are largely unknown.
References- Menzies 1972; Wallour 1960
References
Allman, George J. (1847) On Chelura terebrans Philippi, an amphipodous crustacean destructive to submarine timber-works, Annals and Magazine of Natural History 19: 361-370Atwood, W. G. (1922) Marine borers, Proceedings of the American Society of Civil Engineers 48: 1408-1424
Barnard, J. Laurens (1950) The occurrence of Chelura terebrans Philippi in Los Angeles and San Francisco Harbors, Bulletin of the Southern California Academy of Sciences 49: 90-96
Barnard, J. Laurens (1955) The wood boring habits of Chelura terebrans Philippi in Los Angeles harbor, In: (Eds.) Essays in the Natural Sciences in Honor of Captain Allan Hancock. , Los Angeles. Pp. 87-95
Barnard, J. Laurens (1959) Generic partition in the amphipod family Cheluridae, marine wood borers, Pacific Naturalist 1: 3-12
Becker, Gunther (1971) On the biology, physiology, and ecology of marine wood-boring crustaceans., In: Gareth Jones, E. B.//Eltringham, S. K.(Eds.) Marine borers, fungi, and fouling organisms of wood.. , Brussels. Pp. 303-326
Bourdillon, Andre (1958a) Biologie des crustaces marins xylophage, In: (Eds.) . , Paris. Pp.
Bourdillon, Andre (1958b) La dissemination des crustaces xylophages Limnoria tripunctata Menzies et Chelura terebrans Philippi, Annee Biologique 34: 437-463
Bousfield, E.L. (1973) Shallow-water gammaridean Amphipoda of New England., , Ithaca, NY. Pp.
Brown, Dorothy J. (1953) Sixth Progress Report on marine borer activity in test boards operated during 1952, Report No. 8511 , Duxbury, Massachusetts. Pp.
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.
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
Kuhne, Helmut (1971) The identification of wood-boring crustaceans., In: Gareth Jones, E. B., and Eltringham. S.K.(Eds.) Marine Borers, Fungi, and Fouling Organisms of Wood.. , Paris. Pp. 65-88
Kuhne, Helmut; Becker, Gunther (1964) Der holz-flohkrebs Chelura terebrans Philippi (Amphipoda, Cheluridae), Beihefte Zeitschrift Angewandte Zoologie 1: 1-141
Lincoln, Roger J. (1979) British Marine Amphipoda: Gammaridea., In: (Eds.) . , London. Pp.
Nair, N. Balakrishnan; Leivestad, Helge (1959) On the limiting factors in the distribution of two wood-boring crustaceans in Norway., Publications from the Biological Station, Espegrend 27: 1-12
Smith, Sidney I. (1879) Occurrence of Chelura terebrans, a crustacean destructive to the timber of submarine structures, on the coast of the United States., Proceedings of the United States National Museum 2: 232-235
Wallour, Dorothy Brown (1960) Thirteenth progress report on marine borer activity in test boards operated during 1959, , Duxbury, Massachusetts. Pp. 1-41
Watling, Les (1979) Zoogeographic affinities of northeastern North American gammaridean amphipoda, Bulletin of the Biological Society of Washington : 256-282
Watling, Les; Maurer, Don (1972) Marine shallow water amphipods of the Delaware Bay area, U.S.A., Crustaceana : 251-266