| NIWA Guide to Polychaeta | Shore polychaetes | Pick shore family | Shell polychaetes |
Bergman, K.M. , Elner, R.W.;Risk, M.J. (1982).
The influence of Polydora websteri borings on the strength of the shell of the sea scallop, Placopecten magellanicus. Canadian Journal of Zoology 60: 2551-2556.
Relevant content: Compression tests indicated that the strength of upper valves increased with weight but were weakened in proportion to the degree of Polydora websteri induced bioerosion. Etc.
Day, R.L.;Simon, J.L. (1984).
Larval energetics of the spionid polychaeta Polydora websteri Hartman. Proceedings of the First International Polychete Conference, Sydney, Australia, July 1983. Linnaean Society of New South Wales, Sydney. 1984: i-viii, 1-483 : 430-438.
Relevant content: The ability of the larvae of Polydora websteri to acquire energy rich biochemical compounds during development was assessed. Larvae obtained from egg capsules collected from oyster shell from Tampa Bay, St. Petersburg, Florida were cultured through metamorphosis.
Dinamani, P. (1986).
Potential disease-causing organisms associated with mantle cavity of Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas in northern New Zealand. Diseases of Aquatic Organisms 2: 55-63,illustr.
Relevant content: Gives percent occurences in farmed Mahurangi oysters. Polydora was 0 to 60%. Tentatively identifies as P. websteri - viz 'Polydora sp. (websteri?) bores into the shell .... particularly in the upper valve.'
Elliott, H. (1966).
Some aspects of the Crassostrea species in Australian and New Zealand waters, with special reference to the New Zealand rock oyster, C. glomerata. Fisheries Technical Report 11: 1-75.
Relevant content: Reports 'oyster cultivation to date has been only on a comparatively small scale and these [includes mudworm] problems have apparently NOT YET been encountered.' p51 has section on Polydora ciliata, based on C. commercialis experience in Australia - first reported 1888, spread everywhere in NSW by 1925 (based on Whitelegge, Roughley). This is almost certainlyP. websteri. Has good Australasian bibliography on oysters.
Evans, J.W. (1969).
Borers in the shell of the sea scallop, Placopecten magellanicus. American Zoologist 9: 775-782.
Relevant content: Annelids avoid boring out of the shell, either internally or externally and also avoid entering neighboring burrows (unlike Cliona vastifica). P. websteri has a "tendency [for settlement] to occur around the periphery of the upper shell" whereas Dodecaceria concharum settles on the central portion. Burrows are occupied by 'nestlers' [secondary borers] such as D. concharum after death of owner.
Haigler, S.A. (1969).
Boring mechanism of Polydora websteri inhabiting Crassostrea virginica. American Zoologist 9: 821-828.
Relevant content: Haigler writes on p821 that 'For rapid sorting, Polydora websteri were distinguished from the ever-present P. ligni by the fine longitudinal lines of black pigment on the palps, as opposed to the diffuse, brown lines on the palps of P. ligni Also has comments on distinguishing larvae. p823 reports two types of larval development - all developing, and nurse egg development.
Handley, S.J (1995).
Spionid polychaetes in Pacific Oysters, Crassostrea gigas (Thunberg) from Admiralty Bay, Marlborough Sounds, New Zealand.. New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 29: 305-309.
Relevant content: Polydora websteri included.
Handley, S.J.;Bergquist, P.R. (1997).
Spionid polychaete infestations of intertidal Pacific oysters Crassostrea gigas (Thunberg), Mahurangi harbour, northern New Zealand. Aquaculture 153: 191-205.
Relevant content: Pacific oysters Crassostrea gigas, in the Mahurangi Harbour, northern New Zealand. Three mudblister types, chiefly attributed to P. websteri, were characterised based on their morphology and position within the shell. Etc
Hopkins, S.H. (1958).
The planktonic larvae of Polydora websteri Hartman (Annelida, Polychaeta) and their settling on oysters. Bulletin of Marine Science Gulf and Caribbean 8: 267-277.
Relevant content: Polydora websteri from oyster from Louisiana - brief notes on released larvae, and the initial settling and formation of grooves on shell.
Loosanoff, V.L.;Engle, J.B. (1943).
Polydora in oysters suspended in the water. Biological Bulletin 85: 69-78.
Relevant content: This is the paper within which Hartman describes Polydora websteri
Read, G.B. (2004).
(In press) Polydora websteri and P. haswelli (Polychaeta: Spionidae) confirmed as mudblister worm species in New Zealand shellfish. New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 38: .
Relevant content: Polydora websteri itself, and a second very similar species, Polydora haswelli Blake & Kudenov, a new record for New Zealand, previously known only from Australia. Polydora websteri occurrences have been confirmed only for Crassostrea gigas
Roughley, T.C. (1929).
The story of the oyster. Its history, growth, cultivation and pests in New South Wales. A. J. Kent, Govt Printer, Sydney. (Reprint. First published in Australian Museum Magazine vol 2, 1925) : 32.
Relevant content: Polydora websteri? . Note p30 where an extremely large central blister is shown. An adjacent photo shows more typical traces - presumably edge blisters.
Sato-Okoshi, W. (1999).
Polydorid species (Polychaeta: Spionidae) in Japan, with descriptions of morphology, ecology and burrow structure. 1. Boring species. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 79: 831-848.
Relevant content: Nice x-ray of tubes. 13 boring species of spionid polychaetes were extracted from 28 different calcareous substrata from japan. The spionids included P websteri. All inhabited self-excavated burrows in living and/or migratory calcareous substrata and they were never found from soft sediments.
Zottoli, R.A.;Carriker, M.R. (1974).
Burrow morphology, tube formation, and microarchitecture of shell dissolution by the spionid polychaete Polydora websteri. Marine Biology (Berlin) 27: 307-316.
Relevant content: Burrow morphology, detrital tube formation within the burrow, and ultrastructure of the surface of the burrow of Polydora websteri are described in the shells of Crassostrea virginica and of Mytilus edulis. Observations were made on live worms living normally in artificial preparations of polished shell covered with transparent plastic film. P.websteri is capable of settling wherever there are crevices in shell surfaces, and slowly penetrates the shell forming a U-or flask-shaped cavity.
Some biological information might be found in the Polydora websteri taxonomic literature.
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