Invasive polychaete Boccardia proboscidea Hartman 1940 (Polychaeta: Spionidae) in sewage-impacted areas of the SW Atlantic coasts: morphological and reproductive patterns.

JAUBET MARÍA LOURDES; GRISELDA VALERIA GARAFFO; EDUARDO ALBERTO VALLARINO; ELÍAS RODOLFO

MARINE ECOLOGY-PUBBLICAZIONI DELLA STAZIONE ZOOLOGICA DI NAPOLI I

WILEY-BLACKWELL PUBLISHING, INC

Lugar: Londres; Año: 2015 vol. 36 p. 611 - 622

0173-9565

Boccardia proboscidea is an alien polychaete species that has been introduced to the southwestern Atlantic Ocean. This polychaete species has invaded the intertidal benthic habitats rocky shores. Boccardia proboscidea builds reefs formed by thousands of individuals per square meter with unprecedented densities (up to 1,500,000 ind.m-2) in organically impacted sites. This phenomenon was first recorded in Argentina in 2008. This is the first comprehensive study on the morphology, habitat and reproductive biology of B. proboscidea associated with the sewage-induced abrasion platforms in the Argentinean coasts. Adult morphology of B. proboscidea from Mar del Plata is described and a comparison with material from other locations was made. Results showed that B.proboscidea from Mar del Plata, Argentina share the diagnostic features as those of the individuals from the original description (California). Moreover, the results also indicated that the reproduction of this species involves a poecilogonous development (production of more than one type of offspring with both kinds of larvae) and implicates adelphophagy (eggs nurse ingesting). Patterns of larval development varied both within a single brood and among broods of different females. Reproductive strategy of B. proboscidea and its constant and continuous reproduction could explain the possible mechanism that led to the development of reefs together with the continuous supply of organic matter.