Description
Synonymy - This worm has been referred to under many names, and variously lumped with, or separated from, similar worms found on the shores of different seas. C.J. Glasby, (New Zealand Institute of Water and Atmosphere Sciences, 1997 personal communication; Glasby 1999) has identified Northwest Atlantic specimens (MA,VA) as Namanereis littoralis 'species group', and considers this separate from N. pontica, from the Mediterranean and Black Seas. Hartman (1959) lumped these and many similar forms, including N. hummelincki (West Indies), N. cataractum (Indo-Pacific), as N. acuticeps. These are now regarded as morphologically distinct (Gibbs and Saiz Salinas 1996; Glasby 1997 personal communication; Galsby 1999). Pettibone (1963) excluded the most distinct forms, but did include N. pontica, N. augeneri, and N. littoralis, with others, as 'Lycastopsis pontica'.
Potentially Misidentified Species - The high intertidal habitat and coiled posture of this worm (Pettibone 1963) make it unique in the local fauna.
Taxonomy
| Kingdom | Phylum | Class | Order | Family | Genus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Animalia | Annelida | Polychaeta | Aciculata | Nereidae | Namanereis |
Synonyms
Invasion History
Chesapeake Bay Status
| First Record | Population | Range | Introduction | Residency | Source Region | Native Region | Vectors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1942 | Established | Unknown | Cryptogenic | Regular Resident | Unknown-Marine | Unknown-Marine | Shipping(Dry Ballast) |
History of Spread
The high intertidal polychaetes known as Namanereis or 'Lycastopsis' represent a widely distributed species group found on tropical and warm-temperate shores in much of the world. The first description of this species group was from Chile (as Lycastis quadraticeps) in 1865. Later records under this name were from New Zealand (1909; 1954) southwest Africa (1922) (Hartman 1959). Worms given the name Namanereis littoralis were first described from Brazil in 1871, this name was also assigned provisionally, as 'Namanereis littoralis species group' to specimens from the NW Atlantic (Wood Hole MA, Norfolk VA) (Glasby 1997) and Bilbao, Spain (1991) by C.J. Glasby (Gibbs and Saiz Salinas 1996; Glasby 1999). Specimens from the Caribbean have been called Lycastopsis beumeri (Cuba, 1922), and L. tecutlensis (Veracruz, Mexcio, 1946), but were also placed in the N. littoralis species group. Lycastopsis pontica' were collected from Tomales, Newport, and Mission Bays CA in 1947 (Carlton 1979; Hartman 1959; Pettibone 1963), but have been identified by Glasby (1997) as Namaneris littoralis species group. In the North Pacific, 'Namanereis augeneri', described from Japan in 1937, is a synonym of N. littoralis species group (Gasby 1999).
Namanereis sp. from the Black Sea were first described in 1872 (as Lycastis pontica) and later found in the Mediterranean (1950, as L. p. mediterranea) (Hartman 1959; Pettibone 1963).
The known range of Namanereis littoralis species group (as interpeted by Glasby) includes the western Atlantic (MA-Uruguay), the Northeast Pacific (CA, Oahu), the Northeast Pacific (Russia, Japan), and the Indo-Pacific (Australia) (Glasby 1997; Glasby 1999). Several of the occurrences of Namanereis littoralis species group are suggestive of introductions. Its apparently highly localized distribution and recent discovery in well collected areas Western Europe (Bilbao, Spain Gibbs and Saiz Salinas 1996), the CA coast (Carlton 1979), Woods Hole MA (Pettibone 1963) are consistent with this. On the other hand, its high intertidal habitat may have caused Lycastopsis to be overlooked by polychaete specialists, it co-occurs with terrestrial isopods under damp seaweeds (Carlton 1979). The likeliest mode of introduction for Namaneris littoralis species group is dry ballast, which implies early introductions, probably before 1900, which makes its recent discoveries somewhat puzzling.
On the temperate Atlantic coast of North America, the earliest museum specimen was collected in Chesapeake Bay by Ferguson in 1942 in Norfolk VA (Los Angeles County Natural History Museum, Glasby 1997). Ferguson and Jones (1949) later reported this worm from from Lynnhaven Inlet, Virginia Beach VA. Namaneris littoralis species group was collected from several locations around Woods Hole MA in 1953 (Eel Pond, Gansett, United States National Museum of Natural History spcimens) (Glasby 1997 personal communication). Pettibone (1963) mentions these collections (without dates) under the name 'Lycastopsis pontica'. It is striking that this worm was not mentioned in the very thorough regional surveys of Smith and Verrill (1873) or Sumner et al. (1913), in which some fauna of the upper intertidal and supratidal zones were examined. Namaneris littoralis species group is also missing in regional polychaete surveys for NC (Hartman 1946; Gardiner 1976). Gosner (1978) gives the range for this species (as Lycastopsis pontica, Spring worm) as Cape Cod to Brazil, but we have been unable to find records for other Atlantic coast locations.
We do not have any more recent records for the Chesapeake Bay region.
History References - Carlton 1979; Ferguson and Jones 1949; Gardiner 1976; Gibbs and Saiz Salinas 1996; Glasby 1997 personal communication; Glasby 1999; Gosner 1978; Hartman 1946; Hartman 1959; Pettibone 1963; Verrill and Smith 1873; Sumner et al. 1913; Wass 1972
Invasion Comments
Invasion Status - We consider Namanereis littoralis species group to be a cryptogenic form in the Northwest Atlantic. Its habitat on the upper shore is conducive to transport in dry ballast, but also could be overlooked by polychaete specialists looking for more aquatic species.
Ecology
Environmental Tolerances
| For Survival | For Reproduction | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum | Maximum | Minimum | Maximum | |
| Temperature (ºC) | 27.0 | |||
| Salinity (‰) | 1.0 | 35.0 | 7.0 | 30.0 |
| Oxygen | ||||
| pH | ||||
| Salinity Range | poly-eu |
Age and Growth
| Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Adult Size (mm) | ||
| Typical Adult Size (mm) | ||
| Maximum Adult Size (mm) | 57.0 | 57.0 |
| 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
Namanereis littoralis species complex (Spring Worm), because of its presumed rarity and inconspicuousness is unlikely to have economic impacts in the Chesapeake region.
Economic Impacts Outside of Chesapeake Bay
Namanereis littoralis, because of its presumed rarity and inconspicuousness is unlikely to have economic impacts over its native and introduced geographical range (Gibbs and Saiz Salinas 1996; Pettibone 1963).
Ecological Impacts on Chesapeake Native Species
Namanereis littoralis species group (Spring Worm), because of its apparent rarity, is assumed to have had no significant impact on native biota in the Chesapeake Bay region.
Ecological Impacts on Other Chesapeake Non-Native Species
Namanereis littoralis (Spring Worm), because of its apparent rarity, is assumed to have had no significant impact on exotic or cryptogenic biota in the Chesapeake Bay region.
References
Carlton, James T. (1979) History, biogeography, and ecology of the introduced marine and estuarine invertebrates of the Pacific Coast of North America, , Davis. Pp. 1-904Ferguson, F. F.; Jones, E. R. (1949) A survey of the shoreline fauna of the Norfolk Peninsula., American Midland Naturalist : 436-446
Gardiner, Stephen L. (1975) Errant polychaete annelids from North Carolina, Journal of the Elisha Mitchell Scientific Society 91: 77-220
Gibbs, P. E.; Saiz Salinas, J. I. (1996) The occurrence of the estuarine polychaete Lycastopsis littoralis (Namanereidinae, Nerididae) in the Ria de Bilbao, northern Spain, Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 76: 617-623
Glasby, C. J. (1999) The Namanereidinae (Polychaeta: Nereididae)., Records of the Australian Museum Supplement 25: 1-129
Gosner, Kenneth L. (1971) Guide to identification of marne and estuarine invertebrates., In: (Eds.) . , New York. Pp.
Gosner, Kenneth L. (1978) A field guide to the Atlantic seashore., In: (Eds.) . , Boston. Pp.
Hartman, O. (1951) The littoral marine annelids of the Gulf of Mexico, Publications of the Institute of Marine Science 2: 7-124
Hartman, Olga (1945) Marine annelids of North Carolina, Duke University Marine Station Bulletin 2: 1-53
Hartman, Olga (1959) Capitellidae and Nereidae (marine annelids) from the Gulf of Florida, with a review of freshwater Nereidae, Bulletin of Marine Science of the Gulf and Caribbean 9: 153-168
Khlebovich, V. V.; Komendantov, A. Yu.; Yakovishina, L. A. (1983) Osmotic regulation of Lycastopsis augeneri and Tylorrhynchus heterochaetus (Polychaeta, Nereidae) in waters of different salinity, Zoologicheskij Zhurnal 62: 796-798
Komendantov, A. Yu.; Yezhova, E. E. (1990) Salinity dependence of reproduction and development in Lycastopsis augeneri Okuda (Polychaeta, Nereidae), Trudy Zoologicheskaya Instituta 218: 130-139
Pettibone, Marian H. (1963) Marine polychaete worms of the New England region. 1. Aphroditidae through Trochochaetidae., Bulletin of the United States National Museum 227: 1-356
Sumner, Francis B.; Osburn, Raymond C.; Cole, Leon J.; Davis, Bradley M. (1913b) A biological survey of the waters of Woods Hole and vicinity Part II. Section III. A catalogue of the marine fauna Part II. Section IV. A catalogue of the marine flora, Bulletin of the Bureau of Fisheries 31: 539-860
Verrill, A.E.; Smith, S.I. (1873) VIII. Report upon the invertebrate animals of Vineyard Sound and the adjacent waters, with an account of the physical characters of the region., 1 , . Pp. 1-757
Wass, Melvin L. (1972) A checklist of the biota of lower Chesapeake Bay, Special Scientific Report, Virginia Institute of Marine Science 65: 1-290