Reproductive biology of the alien Korean bait-worm, Perinereis vancaurica tetradentata (Annelida: Nereididae), from the Mar Menor Lagoon (Western Mediterranean)

Abstract

In the Mediterranean Sea the rate of biological invasions has increased in recent decades. Currently, the number of non-indigenous marine species recorded is roughly 500, while the biological and ecological impact of most of them is almost unknown (Galil, 2007). Along with other vectors of introduction, bait-worm trading has been shown to be a potential source of invasive species (Haska et al. 2012). In the Mediterranean Sea, many species of non-native bait-worms are imported. In the present study, we report on the existence in the Western Mediterranean, Southern Spain, of a reproductively active population of one of these commercially introduced bait- worms, the Korean ragworm Perinereis vancaurica tetradentata Imajima, 1972 (Annelida: Nereididae) providing further evidence for the invasive potential of commercially introduced bait-worms.