MARINE FOULING STUDIES IN EGYPT A- SERPULIDS

MARINE FOULING STUDIES IN EGYPT
A- SERPULIDS
ABDEL FATTAH A. GHOBASHY* and MAHI A.F. GHOBASHY
Zoology Department, Faculty of Science, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt
Keywords: serpulids, fouling, Egypt.
ABSTRACT
The study reviews the researches done in the field of the serpulid fouling in the
Egyptian waters from 1960 to 2005. The taxonomy of the Superfamily Serpuloidae and the
habitat of each family and subfamily are explained. These polychaetes form the principal
fouling organisms in nearly all localities were under investigation: Eastern and Western
harbors of Alexandria, Damietta Estuary, Suez Canal, Red Sea and Suez Gulf. Hydroides
elegans was the dominant on the test panels in all localities except in Damietta Estuary
where Mercierella enigmatica dominated. Both Spirobrancus tetraceros and Pomatoleios
kraussi compete Hydriodes elegans at Alexandria and at the Suez Canal and Suez Gulf
respectively. Unlike the latter species Spirobrancus tetraceros and Pomatoleios kraussi
were abundant on all surfaces except on the test panels. The methods of the tube formation
in various tubeworms are revealed. The differences in the serpulid habitat may be a result
of their gregarious behavior, which enhances their spreading. The reasons behind the
paucity of fouling in the Red Sea are discussed.