Short Notes 263 The Rhizome-Boring Shipworm Zachsia zenkewitschi (Bivalvia: Teredinidae) in Drifted Eelgrass Takuma Haga Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan The shipworm Zachsia zenkewitschi Bulatoff & free-swimming larval stage. Turner & Yakovlev Rjabtschikoff, 1933 lives inside the rhizomes of the (1983) observed that the larvae swam mostly near eelgrasses Phyllospadix and Zostera (Helobiales; the bottom of a culture dish in their laboratory. Zosteraceae) and has sporadic distribution records They hypothesized that in natural environments the from Primorskii Krai (=Primoriye Region) to larvae can swim only for short distances within the Siberia in the Russian Far East and in Japanese eelgrass beds and that wide dispersal might have waters (Higo et al., 1999). Its detailed distribution been achieved through long-distance transporta- and habitats have been surveyed in detail only tion of the host eelgrass by accidental drifting. locally along the coast of Vladivostok in Primoriye However, this hypothesis has not been verified to (Turner et al., 1983; Fig. 1F). In Japanese waters, date. this species has been recorded in only three cata- This report is the first documentation of Z. logues of local molluscan faunas (Fig. 1; Inaba, zenkewitschi in drifted rhizomes of eelgrass, and 1982; Kano, 1981; Kuroda & Habe, 1981). These describes the soft animal morphology of this spe- catalogues, however, did not provide information cies. on detailed collecting sites and habitats. This rare species was recently rediscovered along the coast Zachsia zenkewitschi in drift eelgrass of Miyagi Prefecture, northeast Japan (Sasaki et al., 2006; Fig. 1C). Out of ten batches of Zostera marina eelgrass Z. zenkewitschi has dwarf males and exhib- collected floating in seawater at an embankment its remarkable sexual dimorphism. Bulatoff & in Ishinomaki fishing port, Miyagi Prefecture, Rjabtschikoff (1933) noted the presence of ‘lar- northeast Honshu, 38˚24´34˝N, 141˚19´53˝E, on vae’ within the female body with a long tail-like October 27, 2005 (Fig. 1D), three individuals appendage and an internal shell. Turner & Yakovlev of Z. zenkewitschi were discovered from three (1983) confirmed that the ‘larvae’ are dwarf males, rhizomes. Other specimens of Z. zenkewitschi a rare example of sexual dimorphism in bivalves. obtained from rhizomes of Zostera caulescens Subsequent authors studied the biology of Z. collected at 3-5 m depths in Shizugawa Bay, zenkewitschi in detail and determined that: 1) 38˚38´40˝N, 141˚28´47˝E, were also examined. spawning occurs 2-5 times in summer; 2) fertiliza- The animals can only be found by carefully break- tion then takes place in the suprabranchial cavity ing open the rhizomes to expose the calcareous of the female using sperm received from the dwarf tubes (Fig. 3; t). When taken out of the tube, the males; 3) after fertilization, the larvae are brooded live soft parts are translucent grayish in color, until they grow to the straight-hinge stage; 4) and the internal organs, such as gills (g), heart the released larvae settle on the rhizomes of the (h), caecum (c) and ovary, are visible through the eelgrass after a short planktonic stage; and 5) the mantle (Fig. 4). Tiny granules of unknown func- larvae either crawl into the lateral pouches of a tion were also found spread over the surface of female within the rhizome and grow into dwarf the mantle, and the minute, Teredo-like valves (s) males or develop into females in cases where the and discoid foot (f) are located at the anterior part rhizomes are free from any adult female (Drozdov of the body. The largely extended cephalic hood et al., 1999; Turner et al., 1983; Yakovlev et al., covers the valves almost entirely, leaving only the 1998). margin of the anterior slope exposed. Unlike other However, it is still not yet known how this teredinids studied by Röder (1977), this species species dispersed so widely despite its short-term, does not execute antero-posterior boring move- 264 VENUS 65 (3), 2006 1 2 3 10 mm t 4 1 mm c es is t A s f h g 5 mm B 5 7 5 mm 1 mm 6 Fig. 1. Distribution of Z. zenkewitschi. A. Putyatin Island, Vladivostok, the type locality (Bulatoff & Rjabtschikoff, 1933). B. Shizugawa Bay, Miyagi Prefecture (this report). C. Same-ura Bay, Miyagi Prefecture (Sasaki et al., 2006). D. Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture (this report). E. Aburatsubo, Kanagawa Prefecture (this report; specimen from Mr. Hayase). F. Peter the Great Bay (Turner et al., 1983). G. Ibaraki Prefecture (Kano, 1981). H. Wakayama Prefecture (Kuroda et al., 1981). I. Seto Inland Sea (Inaba, 1982). Open and closed circles indicate the occurrences with Phyllospadix and Zostera eelgrass, respectively. Fig. 2. Floating eelgrass Z. marina (arrowhead) with Z. zenkewitschi, Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture. Fig. 3. Rhizome of Z. marina in situ with an exposed tube of Z. zenkewitschi. Fig. 4. Live animal with a regenerated tube. Fig. 5. Pallet: A, external; B, internal. Fig. 6. Calcareous tube with a cellophane-like membrane (arrowhead). Fig. 7. Posterior tip of a tube with a pair of internal blades (arrowheads). See text for abbreviations. Short Notes 265 ments, but instead, bores by retraction of the foot & Rjabtschikoff (1933) and Turner et al. (1983) and twisting of the anterior part of the body. The observed that a transparent cellophane-like mem- tips of the inhalant (is) and exhalant (es) siphons brane covers the animal almost entirely except for are pigmented with bright red spots. The inhalant the foot and siphons, and weakly adheres to the siphon extends about 1.5-2 times longer than the interior surface of the tube (Fig. 6, arrowhead). exhalant siphon, and has a serrated tip. The pallets This structure is absent in all other teredinids are minute and consist of a stalk and a cuneiform (unpublished observation). In the laboratory, a blade that is covered with brownish periostracum living animal was removed from the rhizome to (Fig. 5). The calcareous tube is grayish and thick observe the regeneration of the calcareous tube. (Fig. 6), and bears a pair of lateral “blades” posi- The animal quickly produced a membrane around tioned at the posterior end of the interior surface the body, and almost simultaneously deposited cal- (Fig. 7; arrowheads). The blades are rather obscure careous material on the surface of that membrane in young individuals. (Fig. 4, t). This membrane, therefore, appears to play a role in protecting the animal’s body when it Implications for long-distance dispersal is accidentally exposed. In conclusion, the observation reported herein Z. zenkewitschi is recorded as living mostly presents direct evidence supporting Turner & inside full grown, thick rhizomes of Phillospadix Yakovlev’s (1983) hypothesis that Z. zenkewitschi iwatensis in Primoriye (Turner et al., 1983), where- can be dispersed widely by drifting of the host as in Japanese waters it is found in the rhizomes of eelgrass. Zostera marina (Inaba, 1982; Kano, 1981; Kuroda & Habe, 1981; Sasaki et al., 2006). Turner et al. Acknowledgements: I thank Mr. A. Dazai, (1983) observed that some animals inhabited rhi- Drs. K. Tanaka and Y. Yokohama (Shizugawa zomes exposed above the substrate in Primoriye. Nature Center) who provided the material from Likewise Z. zenkewitschi was present in exposed Shizugawa Bay; Mr. Y. Hayase (Tokai Aquanauts rhizomes of Zostera caulescens in Shizugawa Bay. Ltd.) for the donation of his specimen; Drs. M. Animals living in such an environment are usually Aoki, N. Kumagai and Mr. A. Ito (Shimoda Marine prone to drift over long distances when the host Research Center, University of Tsukuba), Dr. S. rhizomes break off or are uprooted from the natural Nishihama (Seikai National Fisheries Research bed by strong waves or other agents. Institute), Dr. T. Kase (National Science Museum) Kiyashko (1986) reported that Z. zenkewitschi and Dr. T. Sasaki (The University Museum, The fed mainly on organic matter originating from the University of Tokyo) for helpful discussions. host rhizome. Turner et al. (1983) observed that it References can also resist starvation for three months and can tolerate temperature changes from -1.5 C˚ to 28 Bulatoff, G. A. & Rjabtschikoff, P. I. 1933. Eine neue C˚. Rafting by drifted algal fronds and seagrass Gattung aus der Familie der Teredinidae aus dem is a well-known agent for long-distance transpor- Japanischen Meer. Zoologischer Anzeiger 104: tation of marine benthic organisms that develop 165-176. directly or have short-lived planktonic larvae (e.g. Drozdov, A. L., Ferraguti, M. & Yakovlev, Y. M. 1999. The fine structure of spermatozoa of the bivalve Johannesson, 1988). A good example is the cosmo- Zachsia zenkewitschi. Russian Journal of Marine politan breeding brittle star Amphiphilis squamata, Biology (Biologiya Morya) 25: 65-67. whose dispersal occurs through passive transport Higo, S., Callomon, P. & Goto, Y. 1999. Catalogue by drifting fronds of macroalgae (Sponer & Roy, and Bibliography of the Marine Shell-bearing 2002). It is therefore highly probable that rhizomes Mollusca of Japan. 749 pp., 5 maps. Elle of eelgrass also can drift over long distances and Scientific Publications, Osaka, Japan. Inaba, A. 1982. Molluscan fauna of the Seto Inland can transport live Z. zenkewitschi far from their Sea, Japan. 181 pp., 4 pls. Hiroshima Shell Club, original habitats. Hiroshima, Japan. (in Japanese) The reproductive method of Z. zenkewitschi Johannesson, K. 1988. The paradox of Rockall: why may also have an advantage in establishing new is a brooding gastropod (Littorina saxatilis) more populations in stranded areas even if drifting rarely widespread than one having a planktonic larval occurs, because the female always harbors many dispersal stage (L. littorea)? Marine Biology 99: dwarf males necessary for reproduction. Bulatoff 507-513. 266 VENUS 65 (3), 2006 Kano, K.