Short description of Ficopomatus enigmaticus, Australian tube worm

The Australian tube worm builds and inhabits white calcareous tubes up to two mm in diameter and ten cm long with distinctive collar-like rings at irregular intervals.  A crown of 12-20 grey, green or brown branching, ciliated gill plumes extrude from the flared opening to feed.   Aggregations can create large reef-like structures.

Impact summary: Ficopomatus enigmaticus, Australian tube worm

Aggregations change the geomorphology of the local ecosystem by altering hydrodynamic and sediment characteristics, and provide complex habitat for benthic species.   May enhance water quality by removing particulate matter, but also reported to increase eutrophication in some instances.  The tubes can be a fouling nuisance. 

Habitat summary: Ficopomatus enigmaticus, Australian tube worm

Its preferred habitat is in brackish water estuaries, harbours and lagoons.   It may be found as a single tube or as aggregations on any hard substrate including rocks, shells, reeds and man-made structures, in the lower intertidal and shallow subtidal zone. 

Overview table

Environment	Marine (Estuarine)
Species status	Non-Native
Native range	Australia
Functional type	Filter-feeder
Status in England	Non-Native
Status in Scotland	Non-Native
Status in Wales	Non-Native
Location of first record	London Docks
Date of first record	1922

Origin

The origin is unclear; within the literature suggestions as to the native range include: Australia and the Indo-Pacific region, Indonesia/ India, and South America.

First Record

The Australian tubeworm was initially noticed in northern France in 1921, and was first recorded in England in London docks in 1922.   

Pathway and Method

The most likely method of introduction is as fouling on ships’ hulls. It is also possible that pelagic larvae could be transported within ships’ ballast water. 

Species Status

Introduced to Argentina, Europe, Japan, New Zealand, South Africa, Uruguay, the United States, the Mediterranean, Black and Caspian Seas.  In the Mar Chiquita lagoon, Argentina, the species established and built large reefs up to seven metres wide, colonizing 86% of the lagoon, within 24 years of introduction. 

Dispersal Mechanisms

The larvae are planktonic for between one and three months depending on temperature and salinity.  During this time larvae may be dispersed naturally by currents or may be transported within ships’ ballast water.  Adult dispersal may occur through fouling of ships’ hulls or attachment to other floating substrata. 

Reproduction

The sexes are generally separate although hermaphroditic individuals have been reported.   Sperm and eggs are released into the water column and fertilization is external; in the Thames estuary the main spawning period is reported to occur from July to September.  The larvae are planktonic for a period of between one and three months, after which time they settle and attach to a substrate, building calcareous tubes.  A minimum water temperature of 18 °C is required for successful reproduction.

Known Predators/Herbivores

Crabs and fishes.

Resistant Stages

None known.

Habitat Occupied in GB

Found in the brackish waters of ports and estuaries and in brackish water lakes on the southern coasts of England and Wales.  Attaches to rocks, shells and other hard substrata in the lower intertidal and shallow subtidal zone, to depths of ten metres.  Tolerates a wide range of salinity, from 1.6 to 55 psu.

Native range unknown but considered a southern-hemisphere species, possibly originating from the Indo-Pacific region.  In GB its distribution is largely limited to the warmer waters of the southern coasts of England and Wales, although it has also been reported from Cumbria.

Environmental Impact

The Australian tubeworm can grow rapidly and aggregate to form large reef-like structures. In the Mar Chiquita lagoon, Argentina, reefs of up to seven metres in diameter have been created within 24 years.  It is referred to as an ecosystem engineer because it modifies the local environment by altering hydrodynamic and sediment characteristics, providing a complex habitat for benthic organisms and altering the interactions between species.  In Uruguay and Argentina the Australian tubeworm has been reported to replace a native species of tube worm.  While some sources suggest that this species may enhance water quality by removing particulate matter, others attest that they may increase eutrophication in some instances by adding nutrients to the water. 

Health and Social Impact

None known.

Economic Impact

Fouls ships, buoys and other harbour structures by constructing large reef-like structures.  Large tubes (twice the size of those found in natural environments) were recorded obstructing the cooling system of an oil refinery in Uruguay, and similar fouling problems have been experienced in several other countries.  Significant economic losses may be incurred through cleaning costs and loss of utility. 

Identification

Richards, S. (2008) Ficopomatus enigmaticus. A fanworm. Marine Life Information Network: Biology and Sensitivity Key Information Sub-programme [online] Plymouth: Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. Available from: http://www.marlin.ac.uk/speciesfullreview.php?speciesID=3335

Biology, ecology, spread, vectors

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, 805-815.

Eno, N.C., Clark, R.A. & Sanderson, W.G. (1997) Non-native marine species in British waters: a review and directory. 152pp, Peterborough: Joint Nature Conservation Committee.

Management and impact

Muniz, P., Clemente, J. & Brugnoli, E. (2005) Benthic invasive pests in Uruguay: a new problem or an old one recently perceived? Marine Pollution Bulletin, 50, (9), 1014-1018.

Schwindt, E., Iribarne, O.O. & Islac, F.I.  (2004) Physical effects of an invading reef-building polychaete on an Argentinean estuarine environment. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 59, (1), 109-120.

General

Schwindt, E., De Francesco, C.G. & Iribarne, O.O. (2004) Individual and reef growth of the invasive reef-building polychaetes Ficopomatus enigmaticus in a south-western Atlantic coastal lagoon.  Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, 84, 987-993.

https://www.cabi.org/isc/datasheet/108338