Reproduction of the vestimentiferan tubeworm Lamellibrachia satsuma inhabiting a whale vertebra in an aquarium

The vestimentiferan tubeworm Lamellibrachia satsuma, which is the dominant species at seeps in Kagoshima Bay, Japan, has been shown to inhabit whale vertebrae that were experimentally deployed beside the L. satsuma habitat in Kagoshima Bay. More than 300 individuals were maintained in an aquarium for more than one year at atmospheric pressure with a whale vertebra that was retrieved 3 years after the deployment. The whale-fall L. satsuma occasionally spawned, and newly settled individuals appeared on the vertebra under aquarium conditions. Many eggs and embryos were collected from the aquarium, which were identified as L. satsuma using molecular techniques. Elongated male pronuclei were observed in most eggs. This is the first study showing reproduction of vestimentiferan siboglinids under laboratory conditions.