Abstract
We analyzed the sipunculan fauna inhabiting the scleractinian coral Oculina patagonica in the Marine Reserve of Tabarca Island (western Mediterranean). Five sipunculan species were collected from 2011 to 2014: Phascolosoma stephensoni, P. granulatum, P. cf. agassizii, Aspidosiphon misakiensis, and Golfingia vulgaris. All five species were reported for the first time inhabiting O. patagonica; with P. cf. agassizii being a new record for the Iberian Peninsula. The average abundance of sipunculans inhabiting the coral was 468.75 ± 158.04 ind m−2, representing the second most abundant taxonomic group, in biomass, after Mollusca. Sipunculan diversity was low comparing with tropical reefs, but species abundances were higher than in soft-bottom nearby areas and community structure appears to be more homogeneous. There may be a considerable contribution to the erosion of the coral skeleton by sipunculans.
Highlights
We analyzed the sipunculan fauna inhabiting the scleractinian coral Oculina patagonica in the Marine Reserve of Tabarca Island
Sipuncula was the second taxon of importance, contributing 17 % to the total ash-free dry weight of fauna associated with O. patagonica
Considering Sipuncula is a phylum with a low number of species, approximately 150 (Cutler 1994), the diversity of sipunculans associated with coral ecosystems is relatively high and frequently with several specimens inhabiting a single rock (Rice 1975)
Summary
We analyzed the sipunculan fauna inhabiting the scleractinian coral Oculina patagonica in the Marine Reserve of Tabarca Island (western Mediterranean). It is well known that some sipunculans are coral reef dwellers and active bioeroders, inhabiting crevices or galleries inside the calcareous skeletons (Reed 1980; Rice & Macintyre 1982; Cutler 1994). Oculina patagonica De Angelis, 1908 was recorded for the first time in the Mediterranean in 1966 It has been considered as an invasive species widely distributed throughout the Mediterranean coast (Zibrowius & Ramos 1983; Fine et al 2001; Çinar et al 2006) and abundant along the Spanish Mediterranean (Zibrowius & Ramos 1983; Ramos 1985; Izquierdo et al 2007; Rubio-Portillo et al 2014a, b). Leydet & Hellberg (2015) questioned the invasive nature of this species, denying a recent entry in the Mediterranean and considering the invasive behavior of the species as a consequence of changes in environmental conditions
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