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Mass mortality of the vermetid gastropod Ceraesignum maximum

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Abstract

Ceraesignum maximum (G.B. Sowerby I, 1825), formerly Dendropoma maximum, was subject to a sudden, massive die-off in the Society Islands, French Polynesia, in 2015. On Mo’orea, where we have detailed documentation of the die-off, these gastropods were previously found in densities up to 165 m−2. In July 2015, we surveyed shallow back reefs of Mo’orea before, during and after the die-off, documenting their swift decline. All censused populations incurred 100% mortality. Additional surveys and observations from Mo’orea, Tahiti, Bora Bora, and Huahine (but not Taha’a) suggested a similar, and approximately simultaneous, die-off. The cause(s) of this cataclysmic mass mortality are currently unknown. Given the previously documented negative effects of C. maximum on corals, we expect the die-off will have cascading effects on the reef community.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Amy Briggs, Jacques YouSing, Keith Seydel, Stella Swanson, and Morgan Farrell for their field assistance, and Halard Lescinksky, Nicole Boriski, and Leslie Bissey for sharing their photographs from Mo’orea, Huahine, Bora Bora, and Taha’a. This work was supported by NSF grant OCE-1130359 and is a contribution from UC Berkeley’s Richard B. Gump South Pacific Research Station.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA

    A. L. Brown & C. W. Osenberg

  2. School of Forest Resources and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA

    T. K. Frazer

  3. School of Natural Resources and Environment, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA

    T. K. Frazer

  4. Coastal Ecology Laboratory, School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand

    J. S. Shima

Authors
  1. A. L. Brown
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  2. T. K. Frazer
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  3. J. S. Shima
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  4. C. W. Osenberg
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to A. L. Brown.

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Communicated by Biology Editor Dr. Line K. Bay

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Brown, A.L., Frazer, T.K., Shima, J.S. et al. Mass mortality of the vermetid gastropod Ceraesignum maximum . Coral Reefs 35, 1027–1032 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-016-1438-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-016-1438-8

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