Abstract
The sea-grass borer Zachsia zenkewitschi belongs to a group of economically and ecologically important bivalves, commonly referred to as shipworms. The sole recognized representative of the genus Zachsia, this species displays an unusual life history and reproductive strategy that is now understood to include: environmental sex determination of free swimming larvae, extreme sexual and size dimorphism between males and females, internal fertilization, maintenance of often large harems of male dwarfs within a specialized cavity of the female mantle, and complex maternal care of larvae in specialized brood pouches within the gill. It is also the only shipworm species known to burrow in sea grass rhizomes rather than terrestrial wood. Although Z. zenkewitschi is rare and little studied, understanding of its biology and anatomy has evolved substantially, rendering some aspects of its original description inaccurate. Moreover, no existing type specimens are known for this species. In light of these facts, we designate a neotype from among specimens recently collected at the type location, and undertake a re-description of this species, accounting for recent reinterpretation of its life history and functional anatomy.
Highlights
Zachsia zenkewitschi is a member of the bivalve family Teredinidae
Taxonomic descriptions of Zachsia are absent from most extensive reviews of the family Teredinidae, e.g. [1] and [3]
In many cases, including that of the original species description [6], these manuscripts are found in older volumes of German, Japanese or Russian language journals that are difficult to obtain except as low resolution scans of aging printed materials
Summary
Zachsia zenkewitschi is a member of the bivalve family Teredinidae. Referred to as shipworms, Teredinidae is comprised largely of wood-boring species with wide-ranging economic and ecological impacts in coastal marine systems [1]. The teredinid’s ability to bore into and digest wood is estimated to cause billions of dollars in damage per year to coastal constructions, such as piers, jetties, wharfs, fishing and aquaculture equipment [1, 2]. Often considered pest species, teredinids play fundamental roles in carbon cycling in marine and brackish environments by degrading lignocellulose in floating or deposited wood [3] and in the wood of living mangroves [4].
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