Sphaeroma terebrans

Sphaeroma terebrans
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Crustacea
Class: Malacostraca
Order: Isopoda
Family: Sphaeromatidae
Genus: Sphaeroma
Species: S. terebrans
Binomial name
Sphaeroma terebrans
Bate, 1866 [1]

Sphaeroma terebrans is a mangrove-boring isopod that was first documented in the United States as early as 1897.[2] It is 8–10 millimetres (0.31–0.39 in) long, and is thought to have been introduced by wooden-hulled ships. The isopod is found throughout the Gulf of Mexico mainly in mangrove swamps of Louisiana and Florida. S. terebrans will also bore into boats, wooden pilings and other wooden structures.

The burrowing activities of Sphaeroma terebrans hinder the growth of mangroves,[3] and its wood boring activities limits mangroves to the upper limits of the intertidal zone.[4]

References

  1. ↑ Marilyn Schotte (2010). M. Schotte; C. B. Boyko; N. L. Bruce; G. C. B. Poore; S. Taiti; G. D. F. Wilson, eds. "Sphaeroma terebrans Bate, 1866". World Marine, Freshwater and Terrestrial Isopod Crustaceans database. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved March 29, 2011.
  2. ↑ J. Masterson (September 10, 2008). "Sphaeroma terebrans". Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce.
  3. ↑ Robert Allen Brooks & Susan S. Bell (2002). "Mangrove response to attack by a root boring isopod: root repair versus architectural modification". Marine Ecology Progress Series. 231: 85–90. doi:10.3354/meps231085.
  4. ↑ Andrew E. Rehm (1976). "The effects of the wood-boring isopod Sphaeroma terebrans on the mangrove communities of Florida". Environmental Conservation. 3 (1): 47–57. doi:10.1017/S037689290001775.


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