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| NAS - Nonindigenous Aquatic Species |
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Common Name: a tubificid worm
Taxonomy: available through 
Identification: Branchiura sowerbyi are easily differentiated from other tubificids by the presence of gills (Gustafson 1996). They have a dorsal and a ventral gill pair on each segment in the posterior 25 % of the body (Barnes 1980). The worms live with their heads buried in the mud with their tails waving actively in the water above. Branchiura sowerbyi are large deep red worms, with adults usually 10-15 cm long (Wang and Matisoff 1997). Dorsal and ventral setae are different with ventral setae bifurcate and the dorsal setae bifurcate or mixture of two or three types. The anterior dorsal bundles contain 6-9 short setae, and 1-3 capillary setae. The ventral bundles contain 7-11 setae. The tips of the anterior ventral bundles are single and they gradually change into bifid setae behind the fifth segment. The clitellym occupies segments 10, 11, 12. Coelomocytes are sparse or absent (Goodnight 1959, Pennak 1978). Branchiura is prone to fragmenting and anterior fragments may be mistaken for Aulodrilus pluriseta (Gustafson 1996).
Size: 20 to 185 mm long
Native Range: Branchiura sowerbyi is generally thought to be a native of tropical and subtropical Asia (Mills et al.1993), but some think it is just most conspicuous in these places and is naturally widespread (Gustafson 1996).
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Interactive maps: Continental US, Alaska, Hawaii, Caribbean
Reported in Ohio in 1930; found in California starting in the 1950s. In the Great Lakes system, 1st reported in the Lake Michigan drainage in 1951. Branchiura sowerbyi has also been reported in Lakes Erie, St. Clair, and Huron and the St. Clair and Detroit Rivers (Mills et al.1993, Spencer and Hudson 2003).
Ecology: Branchiura sowerbyi is a freshwater benthic deposit feeder that prefers rivers and warmer waters.
Means of Introduction:
Branchiura sowerbyi was probably introduced to the United States, as well as globally, with the importation of aquarium specimens. It was first discovered in Ohio in 1930 and since then has been widely distributed throughout North America (Mills et al.1993). Speculation has been that Branchiura sowerbyi was introduced in the Great Lakes by an accidental release from imported aquatic plants in 1951, and subsequently it has appeared in Lake St. Clair and western Lake Erie (Mills et al.1993, Spencer and Hudson 2003). Alternatively, B. sowerbyi may have been naturally widespread, only more conspicuous in warmer waters (Gustafson 1996).
Status: Established sporadically and widely around the U.S.
Impact of Introduction:
Branchiura sowerbyi are conveyor-belt feeders that mix benthic sediments, bringing deeper sediments to the surface (Matisoff et al. 1999). B. sowerbyi can transport large quantities of sediment particles from deep zones and may enhance solute transport between sediments and overlying water. Potentially, they can have a large impact on their surroundings since they can make burrows to a depth of 20 cm and after a short period of time move to a new location to build new burrows (Wang and Matisoff 1997).
Remarks:
References
Barnes, R.D. 1980. Invertebrate Zoology. 4th edition. Saunders College, Philadelphia, 1089 pp. Gustafson, D.L. 1996. Branchiura sowerbyi.
Beddard.Goodnight, C.J. 1959. Oligochaeta. In Edmondson, W.T (Ed.). Freshwater Biology. 2nd edition. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., N.Y., pp. 522-537.
Matisoff, G., X. Wang, P. L. McCall. 1999. Biological redistribution of lake sediments by tubificid oligochaetes: Branchiura sowerbyi and Limnodrilus hoffmeisteri/Tubifex tubifex. J. Great Lakes Res. 25(1):205-219.
Mills, E.L., J.H. Leach, J.T. Carlton, C.L. Secor. 1993. Exotic species in the Great Lakes: a history of biotic crises and anthropogenic introductions. J. Great Lakes Res. 19(1):1-54.
Pennak, R.W. 1978. Freshwater invertebrates of the United States. 2nd edition. John Wiley & Sons. NY. 803 pp.
Spencer, D.R. and P.L. Hudson. 2003. The Oligochaeta (Annelida, Clitellata) of the St. Lawrence Great Lakes region: an update. J. Great Lakes Res. 29(1):89-104.
Wang, X. and Matisoff, G. 1997. Solute transport in sediments by a large freshwater oligochaete, Branchiura sowerbyi. Environ. Sci. Technol. 31:1926-1933.
Other Resources:
Gustafson, D.L. 1996. http://www.esg.montana.edu/dlg/aim/annelid/brasow.html
Author: Jim Liebig
Contributing Agencies: 
NOAA - GLERL
Revision Date: 12/13/2004 Citation for this information:
Jim Liebig. 2009. Branchiura sowerbyi. USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database, Gainesville, FL.
<http://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/FactSheet.asp?speciesID=1151> Revision Date: 12/13/2004
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