The Polychaete Platynereis dumerilii (Audouin and Milne-Edwards): A New Species for Assessing the Hazardous Potential of Chemicals in the Marine Environment

The polychaete Platynereis dumerilii (Polychaeta: Nereidae) has been evaluated as a candidate bioassay species for marine ecotoxicity testing. The species conforms with many of the requirements of an ideal bioassay organism in that (i) it is amenable to laboratory culture, (ii) its relatively small size makes it convenient for handling and laboratory exposure studies, (iii) its diet is defined and can be controlled, (iv) it reproduces throughout the year and, using photoperiod manipulation, can be induced to spawn as required, and (v) it has a short life cycle (approximately 3 months at 20°C) making it feasible to study the effects of xenobiotics on chronic endpoints such as reproduction. The components of the life history which have been examined to date include fertilization rate, embryo-larval development, and larval survival. These life stages were evaluated using the reference materials used in the 1991 International Paris Commission (PARCOM) Ring Test (namely, the biocides, Bioban P-1487 and Vantocil IB, and the widely used reference toxicant, 3,5-dichlorophenol). For fertilization rate, the median effect concentrations (1-h EC50 values) were 0.32 mg · liter−1 for Bioban P-1487, 1.99 mg · liter−1 for 3,5-dichlorophenol, and 9.66 mg · liter−1 for Vantocil IB. For embryo-larval development, the median effect concentrations (48-h EC50 values) were 0.29 mg · liter−1 for Bioban P-1487, 2.13 mg · liter−1 for 3,5-dichlorophenol, and 4.81 mg · liter−1 for Vantocil IB. For larval survival, the median lethal concentrations (48-h LC50 values) were 0.32 mg · liter−1 for Bioban P-1487, 3.64 mg · liter−1 for 3,5-dichlorophenol, and 10.9 mg · liter−1 for Vantocil IB. These results (all based on nominal values) suggest that, for these reference materials, the early life stages of P. dumerilii are of similar sensitivity to other marine invertebrate species. Together with the amenability of this species to laboratory culture, these data suggest that P. dumerilii has significant potential for use in marine ecotoxicity testing.