The new potential invader Linopherus canariensis (Polychaeta: Amphinomidae) in a Mediterranean coastal lake: Colonization dynamics and morphological remarks

The newly introduced polychaete Linopherus canariensis Langerhans, 1881 was found in the Lake of Faro (NE Sicily), during a study comparing the macrobenthos in artificial modules with a neighboring sandy bottom assemblage. Of a total of 4465 specimens, almost 6% showed morphological variation related to branchial turfs and mean body size. The sandy bottom exhibited an average density of 41.86 ind L−1 and a wet biomass of 30.35 mg L−1, whereas the artificial substratum reached levels of 205.29 ind L−1 and 318.44 mg L−1. The highest estimated immigration rate was 3.7 ind L−1 d−1 (5.8 mg L−1 d−1). In the artificial microhabitat, 0.4% of the population showed mid-anterior fragmentation, with anterior- (2%), mid- (<1%) and posterior- (1%) regenerating lineages, which contributed significantly to the dispersion ability of this species. L. canariensis was a selective micro-deposit feeder, even under conditions of reduced sediments. Linopherus was found to be a new potential invader of stressed environments that is probably tied to the import of oysters.