Shell Infestation of the Farmed Pacific Oyster <i>Magallana gigas</i> by the Endolith Bivalve <i>Rocellaria dubia</i>
Oyster shells are substratum for different epibiontic and endobiontic organisms, including pests and parasites. <i>Rocellaria dubia</i> is endolithic and facultative tube-dwelling bivalve, boring in different calcareous substrates, including the shells of bivalves. In 2020, <i>R. d...
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| Autores principales: | , , , , |
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| Formato: | article |
| Lenguaje: | EN |
| Publicado: |
MDPI AG
2021
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| Materias: | |
| Acceso en línea: | https://doaj.org/article/3006b1cf3bc54a189514ab6cff4c21f3 |
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| Sumario: | Oyster shells are substratum for different epibiontic and endobiontic organisms, including pests and parasites. <i>Rocellaria dubia</i> is endolithic and facultative tube-dwelling bivalve, boring in different calcareous substrates, including the shells of bivalves. In 2020, <i>R. dubia</i> was found as endolithic in the shells of the Pacific oyster <i>Magalana gigas</i>, from an oyster farm off the Sacca di Goro lagoon (Emilia-Romagna region, Northern Adriatic Sea, Italy). The purpose of this study was to describe this newly recorded association. Altogether, 136 specimens of <i>R. dubia</i> were found in 15 oysters, photographed under a stereoscope, and their length was measured. Heavily infested oysters hosted tens of <i>R. dubia</i> borers, which were perforating the whole thickness of the oyster valves. The flesh of these oysters was heavily damaged, suggesting parasitic association. <i>R. dubia</i> specimens were categorized into three age classes (0–1, 1–2, and 2–3 years old). <i>M. gigas/R. dubia</i> might be a widespread association, overlooked due to the very scarce research on macrofauna associated with <i>M. gigas</i>. Considering the negative effects of <i>R. dubia</i> endobiosis on oyster fitness, and possible impacts on oyster aquaculture, further research should be conducted in order to elucidate the distribution and ecological characteristics of this parasitic association. |
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