Teredo navalis Linnaeus, 1758
Naval shipworm
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Family:  Teredinidae (shipworms)
Max. size:  50 cm TL (male/unsexed)
Environment:  benthic; brackish; marine; depth range 0 - 150 m
Distribution:  Northeast Atlantic: Native to Iceland, Faroe and Norway. Introduced to the Baltic Sea, Mediterranean and Pacific Ocean. Temperate to tropical.
Diagnosis:  Body reddish and with a characteristic elongate worm-like shape. Anterior part covered by a small (up to 2 cm long) reduced helmet-like shell consisting of two triangular-shaped parts (anterior and posterior lobes similar), which is white with light brown periostracum (outermost layer). This shell acts as a wood-boring instrument. The brownish soft worm-like body lies in a calcareous tube up to 60 cm long and 1 cm in diameter.
Biology:  Inhabits wooden material (logs, pilings, ships, other submerged wooden constructions) from temperate to tropical zones (Ref. 76974). Salinity tolerance: 5-35 parts per mille (Ref. 78117). Considered a pest and an invasive species as it destroys submerged wood (Ref. 76971).
IUCN Red List Status: Not Evaluated (N.E.) Ref. 123251)
Threat to humans:  potential pest
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