Taxonomy
Ficopomatus enigmaticus
Distribution
Status
Conservation status
Not Assessed
First reported in the wild
1971
Invasiveness
Invasive species - risk of Medium Impact
Irish status
Established
Introduction pathways - 1
Transport Stowaway
Introduction pathways subclass - 1
Ship/boat hull fouling
Invasive score
14
NAPRA Ireland risk assessed
No
Species Biology
Identification
Serpulid polychaete that forms white calcareous tubes, 1.85-2mm in diameter and 20-40mm in length (Shumka et al., 2014). In Argentina it forms circular reefs up to 4m in diameter and up to 0.5 m in height (Obenat & Pezzani, 1994) but in South African colonies may form dense aggregations, on walls but typically are up to 50 cm across (Mead et al., 2011).
Ecology
As a filter feeding reef building polychaete it has the potential to act as an ecosystem engineer but the exact mechanisms will depend on the form and level of invasion. For example, in the Zandvlei system on the Cape Peninsula, South Africa, F. enigmaticus is estimated to remove up to 130 kg of suspended material per hour, "effectively filtering the entire water volume every 26 hours" (Mead et al., 2011). Similarly in an Argentinean lagoon, F. enigmaticus removes material from the water column and deposits it as organic matter in the sediment, with a 45% decrease in phytoplankton biomass and a 50% decrease in turbidity (Bruschetti et al., 2011). Where the form dense reefs they provide a refuge for crab species lowering the density of the free-living soft-bottom polychaetes (Schwindt et al., 2001) and may facilitate the spread of digenean parasites (Etchegoin et al., 2012).
Habitat
Marine
Reproduction
Annual iteroparous (multiple reproductive cycles), 1 to 2 batches of small eggs per female during each cycle producing planktotrophic larva which then settle as sedentary suspension-feeders (Obenat & Pezzani, 1994). Two periods of spawning and recruitment were observed at a lagoon in Argentina, in November-December and April-May, when water temperature is above 18°C (Obenat & Pezzani, 1994), though water temperature was not considered a cue for spawning, though oogenesis (egg production and growth) may be impeded below these temperatures (Obenat & Pezzani, 1994). As these temperatures are rarely realised in Ireland, similar to Britain one spawning would be more likely, which begins in June, with peak activity coinciding with the period of high water temperature in August and early September (Dixon, 1981).
Pathway and vector description
Probably introduced as a fouling organism on the hull of ferry's from the UK, possibly originating from Swansea (Kilty & Guiry,1973).
Mechanism of impact
Competition, Predation, Bio-fouling, Other
Broad environment
Marine
Habitat description
Generally found in lagoons and estuaries or areas with an influx of freshwater (Dixon, 1981; Obenat & Pezzani, 1994; Shumka et al., 2014).
Species group
Invertebrate
Native region
Australasia
Distribution
World distribution(GBIF)
Irish distribution
Established - Locally abundant (Minchin, 2007a), found in Arklow and Dublin Bay (2007b), with one historic record from Cork Harbour (Kilty & Guiry, 1973). Australian Tubeworm was discovered living in the 2.5km long Tralee Ship Canal early in 2020 and was evidently resident there for some time (Mulligan, 2021).
Native distribution
Native to Australia but has widely colonised various parts of the world, including Britain, (Dixon, 1981), New Zealand (Read & Gordon, 1991), Argentina (Obenat & Pezzani, 1994), the Mediterranean (Shumka et al., 2014) and South Africa (Mead et al., 2011).
Temporal change
Date of first record category
1971-1980
Fifty year date category
1951-2000
Records submitted to Data Centre in 2024
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How can you help
Report any sightings to the National Biodiversity Data Centre.
Further information
Delivering Alien Invasive Species In Europe (DAISIE) project list this species as one of the 100 Worst Invaders in Europe.
References
Publications
Bruschetti, M., Bazterrica, C., Fanjul, E., Luppi, T., & Iribarne, O. (2011). Effect of biodeposition of an invasive polychaete on organic matter content and productivity of the sediment in a coastal lagoon. Journal of Sea Research, 66(1), 20-28.
Dixon, D. R. (1981). Reproductive biology of the serpulid Ficopomatus (Mercierella) enigmaticus in the Thames Estuary, SE England. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, 61(03), 805-815.
Etchegoin, J. A., Merlo, M. J., & Parietti, M. (2012). The role of the invasive polychaete Ficopomatus enigmaticus (Fauvel, 1923)(Serpulidae) as facilitator of parasite transmission in Mar Chiquita coastal lagoon (Buenos Aires, Argentina). Parasitology, 139(11), 1506-1512.
Kilty, G. M., & Guiry, M. D. (1973). Mercierella enigmatica Fauvel (Polychaeta Serpulidae) from Cork Harbour. The Irish Naturalists' Journal, 379-381.
Mead, A., Carlton, J. T., Griffiths, C. L., & Rius, M. (2011). Introduced and cryptogenic Marine and estuarine species of South Africa. Journal of Natural History, 45(39-40), 2463-2524.
Minchin, D. (2007a). A checklist of alien and cryptogenic aquatic species in Ireland. Aquatic Invasions, 2(4), 341-366.
Minchin, D. (2007b). Rapid coastal survey for targeted alien species associated with floating pontoons in Ireland. Aquatic Invasions, 2(1), 63-70.
Mulligan, N. (2021). Investigation of Australian Tubeworm, Ficopomatus enigmaticus, in the Tralee Ship Canal. Prepared by AQUAFACT International Services Ltd For Tralee Rowing Club.
Obenat, S. M., & Pezzani, S. E. (1994). Life cycle and population structure of the polychaete Ficopomatus enigmaticus (Serpulidae) in Mar Chiquita coastal lagoon, Argentina. Estuaries, 17(1), 263-270.
Read, G. B., & Gordon, D. P. (1991). Adventive occurrence of the fouling serpulid Ficopomatus enigmaticus (Polychaeta) in New Zealand. New Zealand journal of Marine and Freshwater research, 25(3), 269-273.
Schwindt, E., Bortolus, A., & Iribarne, O. O. (2001). Invasion of a reef-builder polychaete: direct and indirect impacts on the native benthic community structure. Biological Invasions, 3(2), 137-149.
Shumka, S., Kashta, L., & Cake, A. (2014). Occurrence of the nonindigenous tubeworm Ficopomatus enigmaticus (Fauvel, 1923)(Polychaeta: Serpulidae) on the Albanian coast of the Adriatic Sea. Turkish Journal of Zoology, 38(4), 519-521.