Survey of the genera Polydora, Boccardiella and Boccardia (Polychaeta, Spionidae) in Barkley Sound (Vancouver Island, Canada), with special reference to boring activity

Habitat types and boring activity of 10 species of Polydora, Boccardiella and Boccardia from Barkley Sound (west coast of Vancouver Island, Canada) were documented from August to December 1994. Four species of Polydora (P. giardi, P. convexa, P. pygidialis, P. limicola) and one of Boccardia (B. berkeleyorum) were obtained from calcareous substrata: mollusc shells, coralline alga, and barnacles. Two species of Polydora (P. socialis, P. ligni), one species of Boccardiella (B. hamata) and two species of Boccardia (B. proboscidea, B. columbiana) occurred in mud deposits, including mud from crevices in shells and sandstone rocks. It is suggested that there are boring and non-boring types as none of the species used both habitat types in Barkley Sound. Morphological characteristics of burrows made by three boring species were also investigated using soft x-ray analysis. The structure of the burrows was found to be species specific. Soft x-ray was useful in both identifing the boring species and determining the degree of infestation without breaking the shells.