Abstract
Bryozoans constitute an important component of marine-fouling communities of anthropogenic substrata. Many species have been reported as exotic or widespread around the world, typically in ports and harbors of non-polar regions. Here we present the first record of a species of the bryozoan Triphyllozoon in the Atlantic Ocean. Triphyllozoon arcuatum (MacGillivray, 1889), described originally from Australia, is reported herein from natural substrata in Singapore and natural and artificial substrata in Brazil. Although easily recognizable, the species has not been previously reported from anywhere else in the Atlantic. In the latter instance, the species was collected during monitoring of the invasive scleractinian corals Tubastraea spp. on an oil platform originally from Singapore and now located at Todos os Santos Bay, northeastern Brazil. Colonies of T. arcuatum were also found associated with three species of sponges, giving evidence that it is also growing in the natural environment. Todos os Santos Bay is characterized by intense commercial shipping traffic and oil exploration and the finding of T. arcuatum on an oil platform provides strong evidence that it represents a non-indigenous species in the Atlantic. Owing to the possible impact of T. arcuatum in Brazil, further studies and monitoring of its bioinvasion are recommended.
Highlights
Marine bioinvasions have increased significantly during the last 40 years (MCCANN et al 2007, IGNACIO et al 2010)
Some 16 genera and 60 phidoloporid species occur in the Atlantic Ocean, of which at least 15 species are found in Brazilian waters, but the vast majority of these are encrusting species of the genera Fodinella Tilbrook, Hayward & Gordon, 2001, Plesiocleidochasma Soule, Soule & Chaney, 1991, Rhynchozoon Hincks, 1895, Schizotheca Hincks, 1877 and Stephanollona Duvergier, 1920 (VIEIRA et al 2008, WINSTON & VIEIRA 2013, WINSTON et al 2014)
Until now T. arcuatum was known in the literature only from South Australia and Northern Territory and Singapore, in the Indo-Pacific (HAYWARD 1999, TILBROOK & GORDON 2015)
Summary
Specimens were collected from Ituberá and Todos os Santos Bay (TSB), in the state of Bahia, Brazil. One other highly distinctive feature of T. arcuatum is the transverse arrangement of the very short labial suture and pore and adjacent avicularium within the proximal peristome This is probably the most immediately useful diagnostic character. HAYWARD (1999) described the distal orificial rim of T. arcuatum as “coarsely denticulate,” which is consistent with our material Other features such as 2-4 oral spines and three kinds of avicularia (round, oval and larger spatulate) are all consistent, it is unclear what HAYWARD meant by a “domed’ larger avicularium with a “broad, semi-elliptical mandible,” unless he meant the broken avicularium illustrated in his fig. This larger avicularium typically has a bicuspid distal rostral rim but the cusps can be rounded or lost by erosion or abrasion These morphological characteristics in the large avicularia are variable in the same colony and are not here considered diagnostic of the species. Colonies from Pernambuco (CIPS) were collected on artificial substrata (rope and pier columns)
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