Dikerogammarus villosus

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Dikerogammarus villosus
Dikerogammarus villosus (8740859563).jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Malacostraca
Superorder: Peracarida
Order: Amphipoda
Family: Gammaridae
Genus: Dikerogammarus
Species:
D. villosus
Binomial name
Dikerogammarus villosus
(Sowinsky, 1894)

Dikerogammarus villosus, also known as the killer shrimp, [1] [2] is a species of amphipod crustacean native to the Ponto-Caspian region of eastern Europe, but which has become invasive across the western part of the continent. In the areas it has invaded, it lives in a wide range of habitats and will prey on many other animals. It is fast-growing, reaching sexual maturity in 4–8 weeks. As it has moved through Europe, it threatens other species and has already displaced both native amphipods and previous invaders.

Contents

Description

A diagram showing the typical anatomical features of an amphipod Scheme amphipod anatomy-en.svg
A diagram showing the typical anatomical features of an amphipod

D. villosus can grow up to 30 millimetres (1.2 in) in length, relatively large for a freshwater amphipod. It varies in appearance, with some specimens being striped, and some not. It has relatively large mandibles which allow it to be an effective predator. [2]

Distribution

D. villosus was originally found in the lower courses of large rivers in the Black Sea and Caspian Sea drainage basins. [3] It has become an invasive species across central and western Europe, using the Danube river and its tributaries in its expansion. [2] [4] It is thought to have first escaped from the Danube in 1992 when the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal was opened and has since spread to nearly all the major rivers in western Europe, including the Rhône, Loire, Seine, Moselle, Meuse, Rhine and Main, as well as the Baltic Sea. [5] [6] It is unknown how the species is dispersed but it is probably related to shipping activity. [4] It spread quickly through western Europe; found in the Rhine at the German–Dutch border (1995), the canals and rivers of northern Germany (1998), the Baltic Szczecin Lagoon (2001), the Moselle (2001), the Netherlands (2002), Lake Constance (2003), Lake Leman, the Rhine in France (2003), the Grand Canal d'Alsace (2003) and Lake Garda (2003). Its spread is thought to be related to the previous introduction of the zebra mussel, Dreissena polymorpha which it has evolved alongside. [1] [6] In September 2010, it was found in Grafham Water in Cambridgeshire, the first report of the species in the United Kingdom [4] and it was found in Wales in November 2010. [7] In March 2023, it was found in Vättern in Sweden and it is the first time it is encountered in the northernmost part of Europe. [8]

There are fears that it could spread to the Great Lakes in North America in future, carried in the ballast water of ships. [2]

Ecology

In its natural range, D. villosus is not the most abundant species of amphipod and it does not behave as aggressively as it does in areas it has invaded. [6]

Habitat

D. villosus can colonise many types of habitat as it is able to tolerate a wide range of temperatures (0–30 °C or 32–86 °F), low oxygen concentrations, and salinity up to 20. It is found in lakes, canals and rivers living in a range of substrates. [2] When found in lotic environments, the species prefers habitats with relatively mild currents. [9] It is thought that zebra mussels change habitats by increasing the amount of benthic organic matter, which benefits D. villosus helping them to outcompete other species. When given a choice, D. villosus spend more time feeding around zebra mussel shells than a bare substrate. [1]

Feeding

D. villosus is omnivorous and feeds on a variety of invertebrates, including other members of the Gammaridae family. [5] It has been found to kill blue-tailed damselfly nymphs, water hoglice, water boatman, fish leeches as well as small fish and the eggs of other vertebrates. [10] D. villosus sometimes kills prey but does not eat it; [11] it kills its prey by biting it with its large mandibles and then shreds it before eating it. [2] D. villosus also consumes many other forms of food, including grazing on biofilms, consuming plant detritus, eating and re-digesting feces, and feeding on organic matter and algae suspended in the water column. [12]

Growth and reproduction

D. villosus breeds all year round so long as the water temperature is above 13 °C (55 °F). When they mate, the female is carried on the ventral side of the male. Each pair produces an average of 27 eggs, but up to 50 eggs can be laid. The young animals become sexually mature in 4 to 8 weeks, once they are 6 mm in length and after moulting several times. They are fast-growing, during winter increasing by 1.3–2.9 mm in length per month and by 2.0–2.6 mm every two weeks in spring. Populations are predominantly female. [2] [5]

Effects on other species

In the Netherlands, D. villosus is threatening the native amphipod species Gammarus duebeni , as well as Gammarus tigrinus which had previously become invasive after previously being introduced from North America. [13] It is thought to have displaced two other species of Dikerogammarus (D. bispinosus and D. haemobaphes) which were previously invasive in the Danube. [14] Its ability to attack and feed on a range of species could cause the local extinction of some species. [11]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amphipoda</span> Order of malacostracan crustaceans

Amphipoda is an order of malacostracan crustaceans with no carapace and generally with laterally compressed bodies. Amphipods range in size from 1 to 340 millimetres and are mostly detritivores or scavengers. There are more than 9,900 amphipod species so far described. They are mostly marine animals, but are found in almost all aquatic environments. Some 1,900 species live in fresh water, and the order also includes the terrestrial sandhoppers such as Talitrus saltator and Arcitalitrus sylvaticus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Round goby</span> Species of fish

The round goby is a euryhaline bottom-dwelling species of fish of the family Gobiidae. It is native to Central Eurasia, including the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea. Round gobies have established large non-native populations in the Baltic Sea, several major Eurasian rivers, and the North American Great Lakes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quagga mussel</span> Species of bivalve

The quagga mussel is a species of freshwater mussel, an aquatic bivalve mollusk in the family Dreissenidae. It has an average lifespan of 3 to 5 years.

<i>Mnemiopsis</i> Genus of comb jellies

Mnemiopsis leidyi, the warty comb jelly or sea walnut, is a species of tentaculate ctenophore. It is native to western Atlantic coastal waters, but has become established as an invasive species in European and western Asian regions. Three species have been named in the genus Mnemiopsis, but they are now believed to be different ecological forms of a single species M. leidyi by most zoologists.

<i>Gammarus pulex</i> Species of crustacean

Gammarus pulex is a species of amphipod crustacean found in fresh water across much of Europe. It is a greyish animal, growing to 21 mm (0.83 in) long.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gammaridae</span> Family of crustaceans

Gammaridae is a family of amphipods. In North America they are included among the folk taxonomic category of "scuds", and otherwise gammarids is usually used as a common name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gammarus roeseli</span> Species of crustacean

Gammarus roeselii is a species of freshwater amphipod native to Europe.

<i>Gammarus</i> Genus of crustaceans

Gammarus is an amphipod crustacean genus in the family Gammaridae. It contains more than 200 described species, making it one of the most species-rich genera of crustaceans. Different species have different optimal conditions, particularly in terms of salinity, and different tolerances; Gammarus pulex, for instance, is a purely freshwater species, while Gammarus locusta is estuarine, only living where the salinity is greater than 25‰.

<i>Gammarus desperatus</i> Species of crustacean

Gammarus desperatus, commonly known as Noel's Amphipod, is a species of small, amphipod crustacean in the family Gammaridae.

Gammarus hyalelloides is a species of amphipod crustacean in the family Gammaridae. It is endemic to four springs in Jeff Davis County and Reeves County, Texas, and is listed as a vulnerable species on the IUCN Red List.

<i>Gammarus lacustris</i> Species of crustacean

Gammarus lacustris is an aquatic amphipod.

<i>Caprella mutica</i> Species of skeleton shrimp

Caprella mutica, commonly known as the Japanese skeleton shrimp, is a species of skeleton shrimp. They are relatively large caprellids, reaching a maximum length of 50 mm (2.0 in). They are sexually dimorphic, with the males usually being much larger than the females. They are characterized by their "hairy" first and second thoracic segments and the rows of spines on their bodies. Body color ranges from green to red to blue, depending on the environment. They are omnivorous highly adaptable opportunistic feeders. In turn, they provide a valuable food source for fish, crabs, and other larger predators. They are usually found in dense colonies attached to submerged man-made structures, floating seaweed, and other organisms.

Dikerogammarus haemobaphes is a species of freshwater gammarid crustacean. These gammarids are commonly known as demon shrimp, likely because they are an extremely successful invasive species.

Gammarus baysali is a cave-dwelling species of freshwater amphipod crustacean, found in Turkey. The species belongs to the broader Gammarus pulex group and was scientifically described in 2013 from Cumayanı Cave, Zonguldak Province.

The microsporidian Cucumispora dikerogammari is a parasitic fungal species that infects the invasive amphipod Dikerogammarus villosus. The first recorded evidence of Cucumispora dikerogammari was, as cited by Ovcharenko and Vita, in Germany, circa 1895, by Dr. L. Pfeiffer in the Dnieper Estuary. The Dnieper Estuary and lower parts of the Danube River are considered to be the parasite’s native range. As its host, D. villosus, began to invade novel habitats, C. dikerogammari followed, and has now expanded its range to be found in many of the main bodies of water in Central and Western Europe. At this time, only limited research has been conducted regarding the ecological implications of C. dikerogammari spreading beyond its native range. However, there is evidence to suggest that C. dikerogammari may cause imbalance to the male/female sex ratio of its host D. villosus.

<i>Gammarus mucronatus</i> Species of crustacean

Gammarus mucronatus is a species of scud in the family Gammaridae. It is found in the coasts of the North American Atlantic seaboard and the Gulf of Mexico.

Crangonyx floridanus is a species of amphipod. Also known as the Florida crangonyx, Crangonyx floridanus is a small omnivorous, freshwater amphipod. These freshwater amphipods originated from North America. They have a high invasion potential due to their high growth rate and wide ecological amplitude. Their growth rates have a substantial effect on local populations of the natural communities. Native populations may be reduced or eliminated by this invading species.

<i>Gammarus fossarum</i> Species of crustacean

Gammarus fossarum is a species complex of freshwater amphipod crustacean native to Europe. They are abundant members of the macroinvertebrate community, and also used as model organisms for ecotoxicology.

References

  1. 1 2 3 René Gergs; Karl-Otto Rothhaupt (2008). "Effects of zebra mussels on a native amphipod and the invasive Dikerogammarus villosus: the influence of biodeposition and structural complexity" (PDF). Journal of the North American Benthological Society . 27 (3): 541–548. doi:10.1899/07-151.1. S2CID   7996055.[ permanent dead link ]
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Danielle M. Crosnier; Daniel P. Molloy (October 2006). "Killer Shrimp - Dikerogammarus villosus" (PDF). Aquatic Nuisance Species Research Program. United States Army Corps of Engineers. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 29, 2009. Retrieved September 9, 2010.
  3. Michał Grabowski; Karolina Bącela; Remi Wattier (2007). "Dikerogammarus villosus (Sowinsky, 1894) (Crustacea, Amphipoda) colonizes next alpine lake – Lac du Bourget, France" (PDF). Aquatic Invasions . 2 (3): 268–271. doi: 10.3391/ai.2007.2.3.13 .
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  6. 1 2 3 Sandra Casellato; Giovanni La Piana; Leonardo Latella; Sandro Ruffo (2006). "Dikerogammarus villosus (Sowinsky, 1894) (Crustacea, Amphipoda, Gammaridae) for the first time in Italy" (PDF). Italian Journal of Zoology . 73 (1): 97–104. doi:10.1080/11250000500502293. S2CID   83475733. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-03-12. Retrieved 2010-09-09.
  7. "Invasive 'killer' shrimp found at two sites in Wales". BBC Wales. November 29, 2010. Retrieved December 1, 2010.
  8. "Ny invasiv art upptäckt i Vättern". March 8, 2023. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
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  10. Taylor, N. G.; Dunn, A. M. (2016-09-08). "Size matters: predation of fish eggs and larvae by native and invasive amphipods". Biological Invasions. 19 (1): 89–107. doi: 10.1007/s10530-016-1265-4 . ISSN   1387-3547. PMC   7175601 . PMID   32355455.
  11. 1 2 Paul Brown (January 3, 2001). "'Killer shrimp' threatens native species in Britain's rivers". The Guardian . Retrieved September 9, 2010.
  12. Platvoet, Dirk; Van Der Velde, Gerard; Dick, Jamie T. A.; Li, Shuquiang (2009). "Flexible omnivory in Dikerogammarus villosus (Sowinsky, 1894) (Amphipoda) — Amphipod Pilot Species Project (AMPIS) Report 5". Crustaceana. 82 (6): 703-720. doi:10.1163/156854009X423201.
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  14. Jakob C. Müller; Stephanie Schramm; Alfred Seitz (2002). "Genetic and morphological differentiation of Dikerogammarus invaders and their invasion history in Central Europe". Freshwater Biology . 47 (11): 2039–2048. doi:10.1046/j.1365-2427.2002.00944.x.