Ficopomatus uschakovi (Pillai, 1960)

Arteaga-Florez, Catalina, Fernandez-Rodriguez, Vanessa & Londono-Mesa, Mario H., 2014, First record of the polychaete Ficopomatus uschakovi (Pillai, 1960) (Annelida, Serpulidae) in the Colombian Caribbean, South America, ZooKeys 371, pp. 1-11 : 3-5

Ficopomatus uschakovi (Pillai, 1960) Figure 2 A–J

Neopomatus uschakovi Pillai, 1960: 28-32, fig. 10H, 11 A–H, 12 A–H, plate I, fig. 1, 2; Hartman 1965: 80; Pillai 1965: 172: 1971: 118-123, 127, fig. 9G, 10; Hartmann-Schröder 1971: 7-27. fig. 2, 3, 5, 7b-d, 11-14; Zibrowius 1973: 64.

Mercierella enigmatica , (not Fauvel 1923, Mesnil and Fauvel 1939): Hove and Weerdenburg 1978: 109-110, presented several examples of incorrect use of this name.

Neopomatus uschakovi var. lingayanensis, Pillai 1965: 170-172, fig. 23 A–I.

Neopomatus similis , Pillai 1960: 32-33, fig. 12 I–M, plate II, fig. 1; Hartman 1965: 80.

Neopomatus similis var. rugosus, Pillai 1960: 33-35, plate II, fig. 2; Hartman 1965: 80.

Ficopomatus uschakovi , Hove and Weerdenburg 1978: 109-113, fig. 2 a–d, 3a, f–k, 4 j–n, r, x–z, 5d; Bastida-Zavala 2009: 530, fig. 1K; Bastida-Zavala and García-Madrigal 2012: 48-52, fig. 1 A–E, 2 A–I.

Type locality.

Estuary of the Panadura River, Sri Lanka, Indian Ocean.

Material studied.

CIMUA POLY SERP 0031B (1), Punta Yarumal (8°6'10"N, 76°44'36"W), El Uno Bay; Sta. 28, Root 3; August 8, 2009; col. C. Arteaga-Flórez. CIMUA POLY SERP 0032 (1), Punta Yarumal, (8°6'34"N, 76°44'22"W), El Uno Bay, Sta. 29, Root 5, August 8, 2009, col. C. Arteaga-Flórez. CIMUA POLY SERP 0033 (1), El Faro (8°6'36"N, 76°44'50"W), El Uno Bay; Sta. 30, Root 5; August 8, 2009; col. C. Arteaga-Flórez. CIMUA POLY SERP 0034 (5), Ciénaga de las Mujeres (8°6'55"N, 76°44'51"W), El Uno Bay; Sta. 31, Root 1; August 8, 2009, col. C. Arteaga-Flórez. CIMUA POLY SERP 0035 (12), Ciénaga de las Mujeres (8°6'56"N, 76°44'56"W), El Uno Bay; Sta. 32, Root 5; August 8, 2009; col. C. Arteaga-Flórez.

Description.

Complete specimen: Irregularly curved calcareous tubes, forming agregations. Thorax colour, brown; tori colour dark brown; abdomen colour beige; dark brown medial line along the dorsum. Length, 5.0 mm; width, 0.6 mm, with 7 thoracic chaetigers and 33 abdominal chaetigers. Branchial crown colour beige, divided into two groups of radioles: six radioles on right side, and seven radioles on left side; each radiole with six transverse bands in a ring-like arrangement with wide dark brown color pattern; most basal ring wider and darker than the rest; ventral base of branchial crown black. Inter-radiolar membrane absent. Operculum spherical with radial symmetry (Fig. 2B, C, E, F), and with a sub-convex distal plate; four rows of transparent spines directed outward, with spines of the interior row approximately one-half the length of spines in the other rows; peduncle colour, beige with dark brown groove. Eyes absent. Collar with entire margin; thoracic membranes fused along the dorsum; six thoracic neuropodial tori. Chaetae from collar serrated, with one longitudinal line of teeth from the base to the apex (Fig. 2I, J), thorax with capillary chaetae (Fig. 2H), and abdomen with geniculate chaetae, proximal half serrated (Fig. 2G), and distal half smooth. Thoracic uncini saw-shaped with 6-7 teeth (Fig. 2K). Rounded pygidium with a midline incision.

Variations.

The specimens vary in length from 3 mm to 7.5 mm, in width from 0.5 mm to 0.8 mm. The number of chaetigers varies from 36 to 45. The number of transparent rows of spines from the operculum varies from 1 to 4. The number of transversal rings in the crown varies from 4 to 6.

Remarks.

Ficopomatus uschakovi was present in samples from the opening of El Uno Bay, in sympatry with Ficopomatus miamiensis , although Ficopomatus uschakovi was more abundant inside of El Uno Bay. Of these two serpulid species, only Ficopomatus uschakovi was found within the inner bay, which may indicate that this species has replaced Ficopomatus miamiensis in that region. Morphologically, Ficopomatus uschakovi differs from Ficopomatus miamiensis by the presence of a spherical operculum with 1-4 transparent spines in a radial arrangement, and dorsal fusion of the thoracic membranes. These characters represent important diagnostic features for recognizing Ficopomatus uschakovi , according to Hove and Weerdenburg (1978). Of the remaining taxonomic characters, the presence of seven thoracic chaetigers, and toothed collar chaetae, are generic characters. Distinctively, Ficopomatus uschakovi builds calcareous tubes with longitudinal keels, and well-formed rings, whereas Ficopomatus miamiensis builds smoother calcareous tubes that exhibit only very diffuse growth rings ( Hove and Weerdenburg 1978).

Hove and Weerdenburg (1978) comment that Ficopomatus uschakovi has been commonly misidentified as Ficopomatus enigmaticus , because both species are able to live in brackish water. However, Hartmann-Schröder (1971) and Pillai (1971) clarified this confusion, emphasizing on the geographical separation of these species; Ficopomatus enigmaticus occurs in subtropical regions of Europe, while Ficopomatus uschakovi , originally recorded in the Indo-West Pacific region, was recently found in the Caribbean Sea and the Tropical Eastern Pacific. Nevertheless, according to Hove and Weerdenburg (1978), the most important features for splitting these two species are in terms of the morphology. While Ficopomatus uschakovi has an operculum with a sub-convex distal plate, Ficopomatus enigmaticus has a concave distal plate. Also, Ficopomatus enigmaticus sometimes has, dorsally, incomplete and irregular rows of spines, and may have one to three short radial accessories spines, while Ficopomatus uschakovi lack accessory spines and has complete and regular rows of spines in the operculum.

According to Hove and Weerdenburg (1978), Ficopomatus uschakovi has a distribution in the southern hemisphere, from India, through the Indian Ocean, to the Philippines and northern Australia. However, it has been recorded also from the Caribbean region, in Venezuela ( Liñero-Arana and Díaz-Díaz 2012) and north-eastern Brazil ( de Assis et al. 2008); and from the tropical Eastern Pacific, in Mexico ( Bastida-Zavala and García-Madrigal 2012).

We consider Ficopomatus uschakovi as an exotic species in the Colombian Caribbean. It is likely that this species may have been transported to the Gulf of Urabá from the Indo-Pacific attached to hulls of ships crossing from the Pacific Ocean to Caribbean Sea through Panama Canal, or from the Eastern coast of Africa to the Caribbean. Once in the Gulf, the species migrated to El Uno Bay, which is very close to the place where the ships are charged, aided by the tidal currents. Also, in support that Ficopomatus uschakovi is an exotic species: during 2009 the species was found only in El Uno Bay, southern Gulf of Urabá; but, during 2012, this species was found also to the north of El Uno Bay, where it was not found before. This means that the distribution of the species has spread along the eastern coast of the Gulf in a South-North direction. This study provides the first record of Ficopomatus uschakovi in Colombia. However, many localities of the northern Colombian Caribbean lack information on the distribution of Ficopomatus uschakovi , which limits our understanding of its distribution in the southern Caribbean. Further distributional data will be presented in a forthcoming paper on the biogeography of the species.

Finally, specimens of Ficopomatus uschakovi were found on mangrove roots in association with specimens of other species belonging to the families Nereididae ( Neanthes succinea , Stenoninereis tecolutlensis and Namalycastis sp. 1), Sabellidae ( Demonax lacunosus ), and Spionidae ( Boccardiella sp.). Future research should include formal descriptions of these other species, and an assessment of their respective distribution patterns. Physical-chemical conditions found within the Bay during the sampling period are provided in Table 1.

Distribution.

Indian Ocean from the Eastern coast of Africa to Australia; Eastern Pacific in Southern Mexico; Western Atlantic, in the Colombian, Venezuelan and Brazilian Caribbean coasts. Eastern Atlantic, in the Gulf of Guinea.