A new genus and species of deep-sea wood-boring shipworm (Bivalvia: Teredinidae) Nivanteredo coronata n. sp. from the Southwest Pacific

ABSTRACT

Nivanteredo gen. nov. coronata sp., a new genus and species from the wood-boring bivalve family Teredinidae, is described. Multiple specimens were collected off the coasts of Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea, between October 2004 and August 2014, from both sunken driftwood and deployed wooden panels at depths of 240–773 m. A combination of features identify these specimens as both a new genus and species, including: unique calcareous pallets distinct from those of all other previous described genera, featuring a central stalk that runs almost the entire length of the blade and a disk shaped periostracal awning adorning the proximal pallet; an elongated mantle collar, extending from the base of the siphons to the mid-stalk of the pallets; a distinctive and elongated auricle on the dorsal shell valve; a complex caecum (wood-storing organ) featuring a highly coiled typhlosole, which ranks as one of the largest relative to total body length among the family. Larval settlement on wooden panels placed at 441 m represents the deepest distribution range of any known teredinid, which were previously thought to be restricted to waters above 200 m. The discovery of Nivanteredo coronata, recruiting at depths more than twice those previously recorded for tereinids, raises the possibility of a hidden diversity in other deep-sea locations and suggests that previous sampling, which has largely been limited to shallow coastal waters, has skewed our understanding on the biogeography and distribution of this family. To aid future identification and systematics of this complex family, we produced a revised and updated appendix of both internal and external characters across the Teredinidae, including the new genus Nivanteredo.

http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:24216C86-CCB0-4B27-8FE2-89338969E32E

GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

SUBJECT EDITOR:

• Rachel Collin

KEYWORDS:

• Shipworms
• Teredinidae
• wood-borer
• biodiversity
• deep-sea
• wood-falls

Acknowledgments

We thank Philippe Bouchet, Sarah Samadi and Nicolas Puillandre (Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Paris: MNHN) for providing access to all specimens examined in this study. We are also grateful to Barbara Buge and Virgine Héroes for help in data management and curation of the specimens, and to Daniel Distel for insightful comments on the manuscript. Thanks also to Adam Baldinger and Jennifer Lenihan-Trimble (Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard University (MCZ)), who allowed us to examine the comparative material, which was vital for comparison to specimens from this study. Studied material was collected during several expeditions (SANTO 2006, SALOMON 2, KAVIENG 2014), as parts of the Our Planet Reviewed expeditions organized jointly by Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle (MNHN), Pro-Natura International (PNI) and Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), and of the Tropical Deep-Sea Benthos program organized jointly by MNHN and IRD (expeditions.mnhn.fr). These expeditions were made possible by grants and supports, among others, from the Total Foundation, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation and the Papua New Guinea's National Fisheries Authority. Finally, we would like to thank the reviewers and editor, whose comments and suggestions greatly improved the manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

ORCID

Marcel Velásquez http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5046-4899