Dear colleagues-
For those of you who do regular sampling of nearshore areas
anywhere in the Americas, both North and South, Jim Carlton and I
are attempting to map out the American distribution of a small,
introduced serpulid called Ficopomatus enigmaticus. If you are
familiar with this worm and have seen, heard, or read anything
about it's recent occurrence on this continent, particularly on
the east coast of North America or in the Caribbean and in South
America, please drop me a note. A distinguishing feature of this
species (and a few other members of this genus), is it's tendency
to produce white, calcareous tubes with very pronounced collar
like rings (subsequent positions of the peristome). It can occur
in large mats. Thank you ahead of time for your efforts.
Linda McCann
Research Biologist
Smithsonian Environmental Research Center
Edgewater, MD 21037
410 798 4424
