The tubeworm Ficopomatus enigmaticus (Fauvel, 1923) is a problematic fouling organism spread widely throughout warm temperate and tropical... » More

 

The tubeworm Ficopomatus enigmaticus (Fauvel, 1923) is a problematic fouling organism spread widely throughout warm temperate and tropical regions in Northern and Southern Hemispheres (Straughan, 1972; Hove and Weerdenburg, 1978; Eno et al. 1997; Schwindt and Iribarne, 1998; Hove and Kupriyanova, 2009) that lives preferentially in brackish waters of variable salinity such as estuaries.  Although considered to originate in the Southern Hemisphere, the precise origin of this species is unknown (Zibrowius & Thorp, 1989; Eno et al. 1997). F. enigmaticus has little competition from other serpulids because of its tolerance of variable salinity, high fecundity and larval retention in the estuaries and harbours it colonises (Eno et al. 1997). This polychaete can build reefs of calcareous tubes up to 7 m in diameter and about 0.5 m in height formed by thousands of individuals (Schwindt and Iribarne, 1998; Schwindt, 2001; Schwindt et al., 2004). Because F. enigmaticus is an important fouling species, with the potential to extend its range through maritime activities, there is interest in developing coatings to mitigate its settlement.  Here we report laboratory protocols for culture, fertilisation and settlement assays. The high survival rates of the larvae to the point where they are competent to settle, and the wide variety of surfaces on which it is able to settle, suggest that F. enigmaticus can be a useful model species for antifouling studies.

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