Nereis panamensis

Invasion History

First CocoNEMO Record: 2008

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General Invasion History:

Nereis panamensis is distributed in the Caribbean Sea (Galeta Island) (WoRMS Editorial Board, 2023) and Western Atlantic in the Gulf of Mexico and from Panama to Cuba (San Martin, 1993) and along the Brazilian coasts near Rocas Atoll, Rio Grande do Norte State (Santos 2007). It is a dominant species in the Gulf of Mexico (De Leon Gonzales 2022). Dean et al. (2012) found the nereid in 2008 on Punta Ulloa, Cocos Island in the Panama Pacific for the first time. Ship hull fouling or ballast water transport through the Panama Canal are possible vehicles for introduction.

Invasion History in CocoNEMO:

While studying whether Cocos Island communities had endemic polycheate species or if they were connected to the mainland versus Galapagos Islands, Dean et al. (2012) found the nereid in 2008 on Punta Ulloa, Cocos Island in the Panama Pacific for the first time.

Invasion history elsewhere in the world:

Description

Nereis panamensis was described in 1977 by Fauchald and were 12 mm long and 1.1 mm wide, with a total of 52 chaetigers. The specimens are light yellow with scattered brown dots. The anterior margin of the pentagonal prostomium is slightly bifid. As for the family characters, this species has 2 pair of eyes, and what helps in the identification is the paragnats patter and the shape of the chaetae in the parapods. Three of the four pairs of tentacular cirri reach just beyond the peristomium; the longest dorsoposterior pair reaches setiger five; all tentacular cirri are slender and digitate. Paragnaths are present on all areas except I and V. Area II, III have three cones each in a transverse row; area IV has eight cones in two rows, five in the posterior, and three in the anterior row. Area VI has five cones in a transverse row, and areas VII and VIII have six large cones in a single row.

Notopodial setae include homogomph spinigers and falcigers; falcigers are present only in median and posterior setigers. Each homogomph falciger has a thick shaft and a short, bifid or trifid appendage; the third tooth is very small and may be worn off or absent in some hooks. Neuropodial fascicles contain heterogomph spinigers and falcigers in both supra- and subacicular positions. Each neuropodial falciger has a short, slightly curved appendage with transverse rows of teeth along the cutting margin.

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Taxonomy

Ecology

General:

The species was found in coralline zone on intertidal dead coral reef. It is a dominant species in Gulf of Mexico (De Leon Gonzales, 2022)

Food:

Invertebrates, detritus

Consumers:

Fishes, Crabs

Competitors:

Other polychaetes

Trophic Status:

Omnivore

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Habitats

General Habitat	Mangroves	None
General Habitat	Grass Bed	None
General Habitat	Coral reef	None
Salinity Range	Polyhaline	18-30 PSU
Salinity Range	Euhaline	30-40 PSU
Tidal Range	Subtidal	None
Tidal Range	Low Intertidal	None
Vertical Habitat	Epibenthic	None

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Life History

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Tolerances and Life History Parameters

General Impacts

Impacts are unknown.

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References

Dean, Harlan K., Sibaja-Cordero, Jeffrey A., and Cortés, Jorge (2012) Polychaetes (Annelida: Polychaeta) of Cocos Island National Park, Pacific Costa Rica., Pacific Science 66(3): 347-386
https://doi.org/10.2984/66.3.8

Fauchauld, Kristian (1977) Polychaetes from Intertidal Areas in Panama, with a Review of Previous Shallow-Water Records., Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology 221(0): 1-81

Santos, Cinthya S. G. (2007) Nereididae from Rocas Atoll (North-East, Brazil)., Arq. Mus. Nac., Rio de Janeiro 65(3): 369-380

U.S. National Museum of Natural History 2002-2021 Invertebrate Zoology Collections Database. http://collections.nmnh.si.edu/search/iz/



WoRMS Editorial Board 2022-2024 World Register of Marine Species. https://www.marinespecies.org


https://doi.org/10.14284/170

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