The new potential invader Linopherus canariensis (Polychaeta: Amphinomidae) in a Mediterranean coastal lake: colonization dynamics and morphological remarks.
The newly introduced polychaete Linopherus canariensis Langerhans, 1881 was found in the Lake of Faro (NE Sicily), during a study comparing the macrobenthos in artificial modules with a neighboring sandy bottom assemblage. Of a total of 4465 specimens, almost 6% showed morphological variation related to branchial turfs and mean body size. The sandy bottom exhibited an average density of 41.86 ind L⁻¹ and a wet biomass of 30.35 mg L⁻¹, whereas the artificial substratum reached levels of 205.29 ind L⁻¹ and 318.44 mg L⁻¹. The highest estimated immigration rate was 3.7 ind L⁻¹d⁻¹ (5.8 mg L⁻¹ d⁻¹). In the artificial microhabitat, 0.4% of the population showed mid-anterior fragmentation, with anterior- (2%), mid- (< 1%) and posterior- (1%) regenerating lineages, which contributed significantly to the dispersion ability of this species. L. canariensis was a selective micro-deposit feeder, even under conditions of reduced sediments. Linopherus was found to be a new potential invader of stressed environments that is probably tied to the import of oysters.
Dipartimento di Biologia Animale ed Ecologia Marina, Università di Messina, Viale Stagno d'Alcontres, Messina, Italy. cosentinoa@unime.it
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D025041:Animal Migration; D000818:Animals; D017753:Ecosystem; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D058865:Introduced Species; D010802:Phylogeny; D011077:Polychaeta / Q000254:growth & development*; D011156:Population Density; D011157:Population Dynamics; D012802:Sicily