SHELL‐BORING WORMS (SPIONIDAE: Polychaeta ) INFECTING CULTIVATED BIVALVE MOLLUSCS IN AUSTRALIA

ABSTRACT The New South Wales rock oyster ( Saccostrea cucullata ), the edible mussel ( Mytilus edulis ), the introduced Pacific oyster ( Crassostrea gigas ) and the scallop ( Placopecten meridionalis ) are cultivated in Australia. Their shells harbor four species of spionid polychaetes: Polydora web...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Proceedings of the World Mariculture Society
Main Author: Skeel, M. E.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Wiley 1979
Subjects:
Agronomy and Crop Science
Aquatic Science
Pacific
Wales Rock
Crassostrea gigas
Pacific oyster
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1749-7345.1979.tb00048.x
https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fj.1749-7345.1979.tb00048.x
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1749-7345.1979.tb00048.x
Description
Summary:ABSTRACT The New South Wales rock oyster ( Saccostrea cucullata ), the edible mussel ( Mytilus edulis ), the introduced Pacific oyster ( Crassostrea gigas ) and the scallop ( Placopecten meridionalis ) are cultivated in Australia. Their shells harbor four species of spionid polychaetes: Polydora websteri, Polydora haswelli, Polydora hoplura and Boccardia chilensis. P. websteri is found in all four molluscs and causes the most damage, especially to the New South Wales rock oyster, by forming irritating and often fatal mud blisters between the shell and mantle. All four mudworm species have internal fertilization and rear their young in egg sacks within the blister. In some species, a few eggs develop in each sack, the larvae feed on the remaining eggs and a few well‐developed larvae are released. In others, all eggs develop within each sack, there is no extra food for the larvae and many immature larvae are soon released. The survival values of these reproductive strategies are discussed.

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