Abstract
The predatory neogastropod Ocinebrellus inornatus was first reported from Europe in W France in 1995 and has since been detected at other sites in NW and N France and The Netherlands. It is native to the North Pacific where it preys on the Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas. Here we report on the occurrence of the species in beds of European oysters (Ostrea edulis) in the Limfjord, NW Jutland, Denmark. The morphology-based identification has been confirmed by genetic analysis. The species was probably introduced with oysters imported from France in the 1970s and 1980s. The invasion is still relatively localized but as the species has established a reproductive population, it may eventually spread to other parts of the fjord and in time pose a problem to the oyster fishery. The species’ invasion history is reviewed.
Highlights
The Japanese oyster drill, Ocinebrellus inornatus (Récluz, 1851), is a predatory muricid prosobranch gastropod, the natural distribution of which ranges from Northern China through Korea and all seas around Japan to Sakhalin and the Kurile Islands (Choe and Park 1997; GarciaMeunier et al 2003) and from 33o to 51oN (Radwin and D’Attilio 1976)
We found that the Limfjord shells were indistinguishable from shells of O. inornatus collected in the Oosterschelde, The Netherlands
Sequencing the mitochondrial CO1 gene unambiguously separated O. inornatus from O. erinacea indicating that molecular analysis might be the only reliable identification tool at this point for non-specialists
Summary
The Japanese oyster drill, Ocinebrellus inornatus (Récluz, 1851), is a predatory muricid prosobranch gastropod, the natural distribution of which ranges from Northern China through Korea and all seas around Japan to Sakhalin and the Kurile Islands (Choe and Park 1997; GarciaMeunier et al 2003) and from 33o to 51oN (Radwin and D’Attilio 1976). Its distribution partially overlaps that of the Pacific oyster, Crassostrea gigas (Thunberg, 1793), which forms the snails’ principal diet and substrate for deposition of its egg capsules. The snails congregate in large numbers to copulate before egg-laying. The females produce a cluster of 20–40 bright yellow egg capsules each of which contains several hundred nurse eggs resulting in the final production of 10–15 embryos. Because of the low fecundity and the lack of a free-swimming larval stage, the species’ capacity of recruitment and dispersal is rather limited
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
