This note is being sent to three newslists. Our apologies for cross posting.
Monday, 12 July 1999
Dear Annelidans / Marbio / Taxacomers:
I was recently contacted by Wilma Blom and Hugh Grenfell, New Zealand,
regarding the following mass occurrences; we are preparing a paper on this
and would appreciate additional informaton:
In the past few years, first noticed in 1997, enormous numbers of tubes of a
mainly small epifaunal Chaetopterus sp. (identity not yet certain), have
washed up along some northern New Zealand beaches. The rows of washed-up
tubes along the beaches can extend for hundreds of metres, and all of those
examined to date have been empty. Recent investigations with SCUBA, however,
have shown significant populations of live individuals in the nearby
nearshore areas at about 10-15 m depth. Other searches intertidally and with
snorkel subtidally have revealed a) very dense populations occurring
intertidally on rock platforms in Corallina algae turf with a thin veneer of
sediment; or b) under boulders subtidally.
There does not appear to be anything in the literature about similar washups
of Chaetopterus tubes from other areas. We are preparing a paper describing
these mass occurrences, together with information on the live material and
notes on the species, and would like to incorporate observations from other
areas if such exist. Any personal observations or references to literature
or notes on this topic, including in gray literature, would therefore be
greatly appreciated.
For personal observations, please include sufficient data on habitat, worms
and tubes that we have a chance of seeing which species might be involved.
To date most Chaetopterus species have been (incorrectly) reported as C.
variopedatus, which is not cosmopolitan as earlier believed by many workers.
Approximate size of worms, whether the tubes are stiff or collapsible in the
middle (most tubes are stiff near the openings), and whether the worms are
infaunal or epifaunal, plus locality, will help limit the possibilities. All
help will of course be fully acknowledged in the paper.
Please send information directly to Mary E. Petersen
(mepetersen at zmuc.ku.dk).
Thanks in advance for any help. We look forward to some useful feedback.
Wilma Blom, Hugh Grenfell, and Mary E. Petersen
Mary E. Petersen
Zoological Museum, University of Copenhagen
Universitetsparken 15, DK-2100 Copenhagen O, Denmark
E-mail: mepetersen at zmuc.ku.dk <mailto:mepetersen at zmuc.ku.dk>
Tel: +45-35 32 10 67
Fax: +45-35 32 10 10
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