Lagoon sandworm (Armandia cirrhosa)
Distribution data supplied by the Ocean Biodiversity Information System (OBIS). To interrogate UK data visit the NBN Atlas.Map Help
| Researched by | Nicola White | Refereed by | Dr Richard S.K. Barnes |
| Authority | Filippi, 1861 | ||
| Other common names | - | Synonyms | - |
Summary
Description
A small, ribbon-like species, less than 8 mm long with three eyes on its head. It has 26 or 27 segments that bear chitinous bristles.
Recorded distribution in Britain and Ireland
Eight Acre Pond in the Keyhaven-Lymington lagoons in Hampshire; Small Mouth Spit (Portland Harbour) and East Fleet Sandbank (Fleet Lagoon) in Dorset.Global distribution
South from the English Channel along the eastern Atlantic coasts, on Madeira and in the Mediterranean and Adriatic.Habitat
Found in gravely, sandy and muddy substrata in water only slightly less saline than seawater.Depth range
-Identifying features
- Ventral gutter extends along whole of body.
- 26 or 27 chaeta-bearing segments.
- 3 eyes on the head.
- Very small, less than 8 mm long.
Additional information
Almost nothing is known of its biology.
Listed by
Biology review
Taxonomy
| Phylum | Annelida | Segmented worms e.g. ragworms, tubeworms, fanworms and spoon worms |
| Class | Polychaeta | Bristleworms, e.g. ragworms, scaleworms, paddleworms, fanworms, tubeworms and spoon worms |
| Family | Opheliidae | |
| Genus | Armandia | |
| Authority | Filippi, 1861 | |
| Recent Synonyms | ||
Biology
| Typical abundance | Moderate density | ||
| Male size range | 3-7mm | ||
| Male size at maturity | |||
| Female size range | Very small(<1cm) | ||
| Female size at maturity | |||
| Growth form | Vermiform segmented | ||
| Growth rate | Data deficient | ||
| Body flexibility | |||
| Mobility | |||
| Characteristic feeding method | No information, Sub-surface deposit feeder | ||
| Diet/food source | |||
| Typically feeds on | Detritus | ||
| Sociability | |||
| Environmental position | Infaunal | ||
| Dependency | Independent. | ||
| Supports | No information | ||
| Is the species harmful? | Data deficient | ||
Biology information
Almost nothing is known of the biology of this species. Abundance varies markedly, from 463 individuals per metre square in Eight-Acre Pond to just 12 specimens recorded after extensive searching in the whole of the Fleet and Portland Harbour.
Habitat preferences
| Physiographic preferences | Isolated saline water (Lagoon) |
| Biological zone preferences | Lower eulittoral |
| Substratum / habitat preferences | Muddy sand |
| Tidal strength preferences | |
| Wave exposure preferences | Very sheltered |
| Salinity preferences | Reduced (18-30 psu), Variable (18-40 psu) |
| Depth range | |
| Other preferences | No text entered |
| Migration Pattern | Non-migratory / resident |
Habitat Information
The species was formerly very abundant in Eight-Acre Pond, Hampshire, but despite repeated surveys has not been recorded there since 1990. Two new sites were discovered in Dorset in 1994, bringing the total number of sites in the UK to 3.Life history
Adult characteristics
| Reproductive type | No information | |
| Reproductive frequency | No information | |
| Fecundity (number of eggs) | No information | |
| Generation time | Insufficient information | |
| Age at maturity | Insufficient information | |
| Season | Insufficient information | |
| Life span | Insufficient information |
Larval characteristics
| Larval/propagule type | - |
| Larval/juvenile development | Planktotrophic |
| Duration of larval stage | No information |
| Larval dispersal potential | No information |
| Larval settlement period | Insufficient information |
Life history information
Some Armandia species are known to swarm up into the water to spawn (Rouse & Pleijel, 2001). Armandia cirrosa has planktotrophic larvae (Rouse & Pleijel, 2001).Sensitivity review
The MarLIN sensitivity assessment approach used below has been superseded by the MarESA (Marine Evidence-based Sensitivity Assessment) approach (see menu). The MarLIN approach was used for assessments from 1999-2010. The MarESA approach reflects the recent conservation imperatives and terminology and is used for sensitivity assessments from 2014 onwards.
Physical pressures
| Intolerance | Recoverability | Sensitivity | Evidence/Confidence | |
| High | Very low / none | Very High | Very low | |
| Armandia cirrhosa is probably found within the top 1-2 cm of sediment so would be removed upon substratum loss. Recovery would be very low because only two extant populations of the species exist within the UK. | ||||
| Tolerant | Not relevant | Not sensitive | Very low | |
| The species would be able to move through new sediment and re-establish itself upon smothering. | ||||
| Tolerant | Not relevant | Not sensitive | Very low | |
| The species is probably tolerate to siltation as it occurs in lagoons where siltation naturally occurs. | ||||
| No information | ||||
| No information | Not relevant | No information | Very low | |
| The low shore position of the species suggests that it is intolerant of desiccation. However, if it lives in a mud burrow it would be sheltered from the drying effects of wind and sun. Insufficient information is available to be able to make an accurate assessment. | ||||
| No information | Not relevant | No information | Very low | |
| The low shore position of the species suggests that it is intolerant of emergence. However, if it lives in a mud burrow it would be sheltered from desiccation and temperature extremes. Insufficient information is available to be able to make an accurate assessment. | ||||
| No information | ||||
| Intermediate | High | Very low | ||
| Increased water flow may wash away the worm and associated fine sediment. Recovery would be very low because only two extant populations of the spices exist within the UK | ||||
| No information | ||||
| No information | Not relevant | No information | Not relevant | |
| Insufficient information | ||||
| No information | ||||
| Tolerant | Not relevant | Not sensitive | Very low | |
| The species is probably tolerant of a change in turbidity as it is not affected by light availability. | ||||
| No information | ||||
| High | Very High | Very low | ||
| The species is within the top 1 cm of the sediment so would be removed upon increased wave exposure. The fine sediment with which the worm is usually associated would also be washed away. Tamaki (1987) observed that an unidentified species of Armandia in Japan was very susceptible to increased wave exposure because it is in the top 1 cm of the sediment. | ||||
| No information | ||||
| No information | Not relevant | No information | Not relevant | |
| Insufficient information | ||||
| No information | Not relevant | No information | Not relevant | |
| Insufficient information | ||||
| Intermediate | Moderate | Moderate | Very low | |
| Armandia cirrhosa lives in the top 1-2 cm of the sediment which would be disturbed by physical disturbance caused by a passing scallop dredge or equivalent disturbance. Individuals in direct contact with the disturbance causing impact are likely to be damaged and/or killed, however, Armandia cirrhosa is very small so that a proportion of the population is likely to be missed or displaced. Therefore, an intolerance of intermediate has been recorded. | ||||
| Tolerant | Not relevant | Not sensitive | Very low | |
| The species would probably be able to re-establish itself upon displacement. | ||||
Chemical pressures
| Intolerance | Recoverability | Sensitivity | Evidence/Confidence | |
| No information | Not relevant | No information | Not relevant | |
| Insufficient information | ||||
| No information | Not relevant | No information | Not relevant | |
| Insufficient information | ||||
| No information | Not relevant | No information | Not relevant | |
| Insufficient information | ||||
| No information | Not relevant | No information | Not relevant | |
| Insufficient information | ||||
| No information | Not relevant | No information | Not relevant | |
| Insufficient information | ||||
| High | None | Very High | Very low | |
| The species has only been recorded at sites with reduced salinity so can therefore probably not tolerate fully marine conditions. | ||||
| No information | ||||
| No information | Not relevant | No information | Not relevant | |
| Insufficient information | ||||
Biological pressures
| Intolerance | Recoverability | Sensitivity | Evidence/Confidence | |
| No information | Not relevant | No information | Not relevant | |
| Insufficient information | ||||
| No information | Not relevant | No information | Not relevant | |
| Insufficient information | ||||
| No information | Not relevant | No information | Not relevant | |
| Insufficient information | ||||
| No information | Not relevant | No information | Not relevant | |
| Insufficient information | ||||
Additional information
Importance review
Policy/legislation
| Wildlife & Countryside Act | Schedule 5, section 9 |
| UK Biodiversity Action Plan Priority | |
| Species of principal importance (England) | |
| Features of Conservation Importance (England & Wales) |
Status
| National (GB) importance | Nationally rare | Global red list (IUCN) category | - |
Non-native
| Native | - | ||
| Origin | - | Date Arrived | - |
Importance information
-none-Bibliography
Anonymous, 1999s. Saline lagoons. Habitat Action Plan. In UK Biodiversity Group. Tranche 2 Action Plans. English Nature for the UK Biodiversity Group, Peterborough., English Nature for the UK Biodiversity Group, Peterborough.
Barnes, R.S.K., 1994. The brackish-water fauna of northwestern Europe. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Downie, A. J., 1996. The Lagoon Sandworm Armandia cirrhosa. English Nature Research Reports, 202, 26pp.
Howson, C.M. & Picton, B.E., 1997. The species directory of the marine fauna and flora of the British Isles and surrounding seas. Belfast: Ulster Museum. [Ulster Museum publication, no. 276.]
Rouse, G.W. & Pleijel, F., 2001. Polychaetes. New York: Oxford University Press.
Tamaki, A., 1987. Comparison of resistivity to transport by wave action in several polychaete species on an intertidal sand flat. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 37, 181-189.
Datasets
NBN (National Biodiversity Network) Atlas. Available from: https://www.nbnatlas.org.
OBIS (Ocean Biodiversity Information System), 2023. Global map of species distribution using gridded data. Available from: Ocean Biogeographic Information System. www.iobis.org. Accessed: 2023-03-25
Citation
This review can be cited as:
Last Updated: 20/04/2007
