Mega 17(1) - Anticosti Island

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ISSN 0380-9633
MEGADRILOGICA
Volume 17, Number 1, October 2014
EARTHWORM (OLIGOCHAETA: LUMBRICIDAE) OCCURRENCES FROM
ANTICOSTI ISLAND (QUÉBEC), CANADA.
John Warren Reynolds
Oligochaetology Laboratory, 18 Broadview Court, Kitchener, ON Canada N2A 2X8, and Research Associate,
New Brunswick Museum, Saint John, NB Canada E2K 1E5
(e-mail: [email protected])
Donald F. McAlpine, Karen J. Vanderwolf and Howard M. Huynh
Department of Natural Science
New Brunswick Museum, 277 Douglas Avenue, Saint John, NB Canada E2K 1E5
ABSTRACT
Eight earthworm species, representing six genera in the family Lumbricidae, are reported to occur on Anticosti
Island, Quebec; Apporectodea rosea, Apporectodea turgida, Dendrobaena octaedra, Dendrodrilus rubidus, Eiseniella
tetraedra, Lumbricus castaneus, Lumbricus rubellus and Octolasion cyaneum. All are European introductions previously
reported from mainland Quebec. These are the first collections of earthworms from Anticosti Island and demonstrate that
earthworms are widely distributed on the island, even in areas that are remote and infrequently visited. Further collection
will undoubtedly increase the number of earthworm species known from Anticosti Island.
Key words: Anticosti Island, Quebec, Oligochaeta, Lumbricidae, earthworms, distribution
RÉSUM É
Huit espèces de vers de terre représentant six genres de la famille des Lumbricidés sont rapportées comme étant
présentes sur l'Île d'Anticosti, Québec: Apporectodea rosea, Apporectodea turgida, Dendrobaena octaedra, Dendrodrilus
rubidus, Eiseniella tetraedra, Lumbricus castaneus, Lumbricus rubellus et Octolasion cyaneum. Toutes sont des espèces
européennes introduites ayant été précédemment rapportées pour le Québec continental. Ce sont les premières collectes
de vers de terre de l'île d'Anticosti démontrant que les vers de terre sont largement distribués sur l'Île, même dans les zones
éloignées et rarement visitées. D'autres inventaires vont sans aucun doute augmenter le nombre d'espèces de vers de terre
connus de l'Île d'Anticosti.
Mots-clé: Île d'Anticosti, Quebec, Oligochaeta, Lumbricidae, vers de terre, répartition
RESUM EN
Ocho especies de lombrices de tierra, correspondientes a seis géneros de la familia Lumbricidae, se registraron
en la isla de Anticosti, Quebec; Apporectodea rosea, Apporectodea turgida, Dendrobaena octaedra, Dendrodrilus
rubidus, Eiseniella tetraedra, Lumbricus castaneus, Lumbricus rubellus y Octolasion cyaneum. Todas son especies
europeas introducidas, previamente informadas en la parte continental de Quebec. Estas son las primeras colecciones de
lombrices de tierra de la isla de Anticosti y demuestran que las lombrices de tierra están ampliamente distribuidas en la
isla, incluso en zonas remotas y escasamente visitadas. La colección, sin duda, aumentará el número de especies de
lombrices conocidas de la Isla de Anticosti.
Palabras claves: Isla Anticosti, Quebec, Oligoquetos, Lumbricidae, lombrices de tierra, distribución
2
Earthworm Occurrences from Anticosti Island, Quebec, Canada
INTRODUCTION
Anticosti Island, situated in the northern Gulf of
St. Lawrence, is part of the province of Quebec.
Although never supporting a large human population, the
island has been occupied by Europeans since the late 17 th
Century (Menge and Gaudreau, 2005). The current
population of -300 is virtually all concentrated in the
single settlement of Port-Menier. W hile the earthworms
of mainland Quebec are relatively well known (17 of 19
species are European introductions: Moore and
Reynolds, 2003; Moore et al., 2008; Reynolds, 1975a,
1975b, 1975c, 1976, 1980, 2007, 2010; Reynolds and
Reynolds, 1992), there have been no published records
of earthworms on Anticosti Island. Here we provide
details on a small collection of earthworms from
Anticosti that broadens the scope of knowledge of
earthworms in Quebec and provides the basis for further
investigations of the earthworm fauna of this island.
ISLAND DESCRIPTION
The following description of Anticosti Island
was obtained from the following: Billings (1886),
McKay (1979), McCormick (1979) and Schmitt (1905).
Anticosti Island is part of the eastern Saint
Lawrence lowlands. It is 217 km long and 16–48 km
wide — 1½ times larger than the province of Prince
Edward Island. Its coastline is 520 km long, and is
rocky and dangerous, offering little shelter for ships
except in Gamache, Ellis, and Fox Bays. There are large
shoals to the south (Fig. 1).
The largest lake on the island is Lake
W ickenden, which feeds the Jupiter River. There are
numerous rivers on Anticosti, many of which flow
through deep gorges and canyons to the north and south
shores.
Topographically, Anticosti Island can be
divided into three distinct regions: two lowland areas,
rarely exceeding 150 metres in elevation asl (above sea
level), in the eastern and western thirds of the island
linked along the coast; and a central highland forming a
plateau that rises to just over 300 metres asl. This
plateau is a unidirectional structure slightly tilted to the
south, and is characterized by rolling cuestas. The rocks
exposed on the island form a continuous sedimentary
strata more than 2,000 metres thick. These are the most
complete strata in eastern North America of the
Ordovician and Silurian periods.
The climate of Anticosti Island is maritime subboreal, tempered by the maritime influence of the Gulf
of St. Lawrence which reduces the temperature
differences. The average annual temperature is 1.9 °C.
The month of July is the warmest with an average
temperature of 14.79 °C. Conversely, February is the
coldest month, on average !11.2 °C. Snow precipitation
is abundant, usually accumulating over 300 centimetres
in the western and central parts.
The forests of Anticosti Island are typical boreal
forest, with common species such as white spruce (Picea
glauca), balsam fir (Abies balsamea), and black spruce
(P. mariana) with minor stands of American white birch
(Betula papyrifera) and trembling aspen (Populus
tremuloides). Balsam fir is slowly being replaced with
white spruce because of intensive grazing by whitetailed deer (Odocoileus viginianus) (Potvin et al., 2003),
first introduced in 1896 (Cameron, 1958), and by
periodic outbreaks of hemlock looper (Lambdina
fiscellaria) and spruce budworm (Choristoneura
fumiferana). About a quarter of the island is covered by
peatlands.
COLLECTION RESULTS
Fig. 1. The geographical location of Anticosti Island.
Nine earthworm collections spanning the length
of Anticosti Island were made incidental to other
unrelated field studies undertaken 6-13 July 2014.
Earthworms were collected mainly by lifting cover
objects. All specimens have been deposited in the
collections of the New Brunswick Museum (NBM).
MEGADRILOGICA
3
Fig. 2. Earthworm collection sites on Anticosti Island,
Quebec. Numbers correspond to sites listed in the text.
Site 1. Bai Innommée, 49 o .2558 N, 61 o .8066 W , 6 July
2014; under white birch logs at edge of water filled
ditch, soil saturated, near cabin, Donald F. McAlpine.
Dendrodrilus rubidus (Savigny, 1826), 0-0-1
Eiseniella tetraedra (Savigny, 1826), 0-0-8
Site 2. Bai Innommée, 49 o .2560 N, 61 o .8066 W , 6 July
2014; downed well-rotted softwood tree and soil
adjacent to it in spruce stand overlooking ocean near
cabin (Fig. 3), Donald F. McAlpine.
Lumbricus castaneus (Savigny, 1826), 3-1-2
Fig. 4. Site 3. Mixed forest adjacent to woods road.
Note deer trail in the centre of the image.
Site 4. Route Henri-Menier, 130 km SSE of PortMenier, 49 o .4990 N, 62 o .6385 W , 7 July 2014, rocky old
field, probably remnant of road construction (Fig. 5),
Donald F. M cAlpine, Karen J. Vanderwolf, Howard M .
Huynh.
Aporrectodea rosea (Savigny, 1826), 4-1-2
Aporrectodea turgida (Eisen, 1873), 1-0-0
Octolasion cyaneum (Savigny, 1826), 0-0-10
Fig. 3. Site 2. Softwood forest about 20 metres from
coastal cliffs. Note that some trees were burned in a
recent fire.
Site 3. Bai Innommée, 49 o .2626 N, 61 o .8215 W , 6 July
2014, along edge of wood road (Fig. 4), Donald F.
McAlpine.
Lumbricus castaneus (Savigny, 1826), 1-0-0
Fig. 5. Site 4. Rocky old field habitat adjacent to Route
Henri-Menier. Octolasion cyaneum, a species rarely
reported for Quebec, was relatively abundant here.
4
Earthworm Occurrences from Anticosti Island, Quebec, Canada
Site 5. Ruisseau de la Chute, 49 o .2426 N, 61 o .7933 W ,
8 July 2014 (Fig. 6), Donald F. McAlpine, Howard M.
Huynh, Karen J. Vanderwolf.
Dendrobaena octaedra (Savigny, 1826), 0-0-1
Dendrodrilus rubidus (Savigny, 1826), 0-0-1
Site 8. Camp Relais, Route Henri-Menier, near Rivière
aux Saumons headwaters 18.3 km SSW of Pointe
Easton, 49o .4428 N, 62 o .6542 W , elev. 151 metres asl, 13
July 2014, under cover objects near cabin, Donald F.
McAlpine, Karen J. Vanderwolf, Howard M. Huynh.
Aporrectodea turgida (Eisen, 1873), 0-0-1
Lumbricus rubellus Hoffmeister, 1843, 3-0-3
Site 9. Lac George, Port-Menier, 49 o .8203 N, 64 o .3451
W , 13 July 2014, under rotting logs near waters edge
(Fig. 8), Donald F. McAlpine.
Aporrectodea turgida (Eisen, 1873), 9-1-0
Lumbricus rubellus Hoffmeister, 1843, 1-1-4
Fig. 6. Site 5. Ruisseau de la Chute. Earthworms were
collected from under rocks adjacent to the stream
channel along the right-hand upstream shoreline.
Site 6. Baie de la Tour campground, 49 o .5134 N,
62o .4463 W , 9 July 2014, under rocks and wood in old
field, Donald F. McAlpine, Karen J. Vanderwolf,
Howard M. Huynh.
Lumbricus rubellus Hoffmeister, 1843, 1-1-3
Site 7. Unnamed stream at Côté de la Découverte,
49 o .2190 N, 61 o .7597, 12 July 2012, under rocks (Fig. 7),
Donald F. McAlpine.
Fig. 8. Site 9. Shoreline of earthen berm of Lac George,
Port-Menier. Earthworms were common under woody
debris in the vegetation along the shoreline.
Eiseniella tetraedra (Savigny, 1826), 0-0-2
DISCUSSION
Fig. 7. Site 7. Although adjacent to Route HenriMenier, this unnamed stream along the northeastern
coast of Anticosti Island is remote. Earthworms were
taken from soil under rocks at the stream edge.
Eight species representing six genera in a single
family, Lumbricidae, are herein reported to occur on
Anticosti Island. Of these eight species, none is
considered native to North America; all are introduced
(exotic) European taxa. Of the two native North
American earthworm species reported from mainland
Quebec previously, there is only a single record for
Bimastos beddardi. Collection circumstances suggest
that B. beddardi may not be established in Quebec and
further occurrences are unlikely (Reynolds, 2010). The
remaining native species, Sparganophilus eiseni, is a
freshwater limicolous species with a highly restricted
distribution in Quebec (Reynolds, 2010) that would be
very unlikely to surmount the barriers presented by the
marine environment surrounding Anticosti Island.
Of the eight species recorded on Anticosti
Island, Aporrectodea rosea, Ap. turgida, Dendrobaena
octaedra, Dendrodrilus rubidus and Lumbricus rubellus
MEGADRILOGICA
are widespread and well established on mainland
Quebec, as well as in adjacent Canadian provinces and
American states (Reynolds, 2010). Eiseniella tetraedra
and Lumbricus castaneus have somewhat more limited
Quebec distributions and Octolasion cyaneum has been
reported rarely from Quebec (Reynolds, 2010).
Not surprisingly, most collections reported here
were associated with anthropgenic habitats (i.e.,
roadsides, old fields) and it was such habitats that
produced the greatest number of individual earthworms
and the highest diversity. Collections from sites adjacent
to rivers and stream channels suggest that waterways
may play a role in dispersing earthworms or earthworm
cocoons on Anticosti. Invasion of northern forest soils
by exotic earthworms is receiving increasing attention
(Bohlen et al., 2004). Although several earthworm
collections were made in forested habitat on Anticosti
Island, these were always adjacent to woods roads.
Nonetheless, such collections do demonstrate some
penetration of native woodland by earthworms. Our
collections also demonstrate that earthworms are widely
distributed on the island, even in areas that are remote
and infrequently visited.
Further collection will
undoubtedly increase the number of earthworm species
from Anticosti Island.
Acknowledgements
W e are grateful to W ilma M. Reynolds of the
Oligochaetology Laboratory, and M ark J. W etzel of the
Illinois Natural History Survey for reviewing the
manuscript, their comments and suggestions. The
authors also wish to thank Dr. Catalina C. de Mischis,
Universidad Nacional de Córdoba and Dr. Jean-Marc
Gagnon, Canadian Museum of Nature for translation of
the abstracts and key words. DFM, KJV, and HMH are
grateful to Gaetan Laprise and Daniele Morin, Québec
Ministère des Ressources Naturelles et de la Faune, for
facilitating field work on Anticosti Island.
LITERATURE CITED
Billings, E. 1866. Geological Survey of Canada:
Catalogue of the Silurian Fossils of Anticosti.
Montreal: Dawson, 93 p.
Bohlen, P.J., S. Scheu, C.M. Hale, M.A. McLean, S.
Migge, P.M. Groffman and D. Parkinson. 2004.
Non-native invasive earthworms as agents of
change in northern temperate forests. Frontiers
in Ecology and the Environment 2: 427-435.
5
Cameron, A.W . 1958. Mammals of the islands in the
Gulf of St. Lawrence. Bulletin 154, National
Museum of Canada, Ottawa, 165 p.
Eisen, G. 1873. Om Skandinaviens Oligochaeter. Öfv.
Vet-Akad. Förh. Stockholm 30(8): 43-56.
[Aporrectodea turgida n. sp.]
Hoffmeister, W . 1843. Beiträge zur Kenntnis deutscher Landanneliden. Arch. Naturg. 9(1): 183198. [Lumbricus rubellus n. sp.]
MacKay, D. 1979 Anticosti, The Untamed Island.
Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson, 160 p.
McCormick, C. 1979. Anticosti. Quebec: St-Nazairede-Chicoutimi, 229 p.
Menge, Y. and A.L. Gaudreau. 2005. Light on
Anticosti. Éditions Sylvain Harvey, Quebec,
114 p.
Moore, J.-D. and J.W . Reynolds. 2003. Premières
mentions de vers de terre dans deux
écosystèmes forestiers de la rive nord du SaintLaurent, Québec. Megadrilogica 9(9): 53-60.
M oore, J.-D., R. Ouimet and J.W . Reynolds. 2009.
Premières mentions de vers de terre dans trois
écosystèmes forestiers du Bouclier canadien.
Nat. can. 133(1): 31-37.
Reynolds, J.W . 1975a. Les lombricidés (Oligochaeta)
des Îles-de-la-Madeleine. Megadrilogica 2(3):
1-8.
Reynolds, J.W . 1975b. Les lombricidés (Oligochaeta)
de la Gaspésie, Québec. Megadrilogica 2(4): 49.
Reynolds, J.W . 1975c. Les lombricidés (Oligochaeta)
de Î'Ile d'Orléans, Québec. Megadrilogica 2(5):
8-11.
Reynolds, J.W . 1976. Catalogue et clé d'identification
des lombricidés du Québec.
Naturaliste
canadien 103(1): 21-27.
Reynolds, J.W .
1980.
The earthworm family
Sparganophilidae (Annelida, Oligochaeta) in
North America. Megadrilogica 3(12): 189204.
6
Earthworm Occurrences from Anticosti Island, Quebec, Canada
Reynolds, J.W . et K.W . Reynolds. 1992. Les vers de
terre (Oligochaeta: Lumbricidae et Sparganophilidae) sur la rive nord du Saint-Laurant
(Québec). Megadrilogica 4(9): 145-161.
Reynolds, J.W . 2007. First earthworm records from
W entworth Township, Argenteuil County,
Quebec. [Premiers signalements de lombrics
dans le canton de W entworth, comté
d’Argenteuil (Québec).] Megadrilogica 11(5):
58-62.
Savigny, J.C.
1826.
Analyses des travaux de
l’Académie Royale des Sciences pendant
l’année 1821, partie physique. Cuvier, M. le
Baron G. (ed.) Mém. Acad. Sci. Inst. France 5:
176-184. [Aporrectodea rosea, Dendrobaena
octaedra, Dendrodrilus rubidus, Eiseniella
tetraedra, Lumbricus castaneus, Octolasion
cyaneum n. sp.]
Schmitt, J. 1905. Anticosti. Paris: unknown, (available
through University of Ottawa), 29 p.
Reynolds, J.W . 2010. The earthworms (Oligochaeta:
Lumbricidae and Sparganophilidae) of Quebec,
Canada, revisited. M egadrilogica 14(1): 1-46.
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Web Site for the Journal Megadrilogica:
http://www.inhs.uiuc.edu/~mjwetzel/Megadrilogica.home.html
Web Site for Nomenclatura Oligochaetologica – Editio Secunda
A catalogue of names, descriptions, and type specimens of the Oligochaeta:
http://wwx.inhs.illinois.edu/people/mjwetzel/nomenoligo

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