Distribution of teredinids (Mollusca: Teredinidae) in Papua New Guinea
Abstract
Thirty-eight species of Teredinidae, 2 of which may be new, were collected from the coasts and estuaries of Papua New Guinea. There was little difference in the occurrence of the majority of these species in the Bismarck, Solomon and Coral Seas. A few species restricted to the Bismarck and Solomon Seas have been found in the islands to the north of Papua New Guinea but not in Australia, and one species restricted to the Coral Sea has been previously reported only from north-east Australia.
There was a significant difference in the species composition in estuarine brackish waters compared with that in coastal marine waters. The teredinids may be put into 4 categories according to their occurrence in waters of different salinities: stenohaline marine species, euryhaline marine species, brackish water species and euryhaline brackish water species or marine and brackish water species.
