First record of Branchiura sowerbyi Beddard, 1892 (Oligochaeta: Tubificidae) in Azores

Pedro Raposeiro,João Ramos,Ana Costa

doi:10.3391/ai.2009.4.3.8

Abstract

Abstract The present work reports the finding of an exotic and invasive annelid, Branchiura sowerbyi Beddard, 1892, in freshwaters of Sao Miguel Island – Azores archipelago (Atlantic Ocean). One specimen was found near the mouth of Ribeira Quente stream in the south of Sao Miguel on 7 May 2008. This study increases the number of freshwater Oligochaeta species occurring in the Azores from 8 to 9. Key words: invasive species, oceanic islands, freshwater, Azores The aquatic oligochaete, Branchiura sowerbyi , was first described by Beddard (1892) from a tank in the Royal Botanical Society's Garden in London, and is one of the most widespread freshwater oligochaetes in Europe and North America. It is also known from South-East Asia, South Africa, South America, Mauritius Island and Australia (Brinkhurst and Jamieson 1971). In Europe it could be found in 22 countries, including Portuguese mainland (Giani 2004). Its earliest records were restricted only to South-East Asia (Brinkhurst and Jamieson 1971) and to botanical gardens in Europe (Beddard 1892). Such distribution pattern led Grabowski and Jablonska (2009) to a conclusion that

Highlights

The aquatic oligochaete, Branchiura sowerbyi, was first described by Beddard (1892) from a tank in the Royal Botanical Society's Garden in London, and is one of the most widespread freshwater oligochaetes in Europe and North America
Due to the fast dispersal, success in adaptation and mass occurrence in some recipient areas B. sowerbyi could be characterized as invasive species
In Serbia, soon after the first finding, dense populations of B. sowerbyi were observed in a several artificial, slowrunning channels

Summary

Introduction

The aquatic oligochaete, Branchiura sowerbyi, was first described by Beddard (1892) from a tank in the Royal Botanical Society's Garden in London, and is one of the most widespread freshwater oligochaetes in Europe and North America. Due to the fast dispersal, success in adaptation and mass occurrence in some recipient areas B. sowerbyi could be characterized as invasive species.

Results

Conclusion