Abstract
Caribbean Christmas tree worms (Annelida: Polychaeta: Serpulidae: Spirobranchus) are considered host generalists in their associations with anthozoan (Scleractinia) and hydrozoan (Millepora) stony corals [...]
Highlights
Taxonomy and Systematics Group, Naturalis Biodiversity Center, P.O
Caribbean Christmas tree worms (Annelida: Polychaeta: Serpulidae: Spirobranchus) are considered host generalists in their associations with anthozoan (Scleractinia) and hydrozoan (Millepora) stony corals [1,2,3,4]. They settle on coral surfaces and start secreting a calcareous tube to be used as a dwelling. This tube usually becomes overgrown by the host coral and may get encapsulated deep inside the coral skeleton
When the host corals are overgrown by other organisms, such as octocorals and sponges, these may act as secondary hosts [7,8]
Summary
Caribbean Christmas tree worms (Annelida: Polychaeta: Serpulidae: Spirobranchus) are considered host generalists in their associations with anthozoan (Scleractinia) and hydrozoan (Millepora) stony corals [1,2,3,4]. As planktonic larvae, they settle on coral surfaces and start secreting a calcareous tube to be used as a dwelling. The new records of secondary hosts are remarkable because these encrusting animals are known to be aggressive in competition for space with scleractinians by allelopathy [9,10] and can be abundant on shallow reef flats and slopes, where they usually outcompete and kill scleractinian corals. Diversity 2020, 22 of of 4 abundant on shallow reef flats and slopes, where they usually outcompete and kill scleractinian abundant on shallow reef and where usually outcompete and kill scleractinian corals by overgrowing themflats [9,10]
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