Over paal- en scheepswormen (I)

The author discusses some presumabale questions concerning the origin, reproduction and migration of ship-worms ( Teredinidae He believes the first substrate consisted of parts of trees (branches, parts of or whole trunks) torn off or uprooted by heavy storms or tornados in the tropics and carried to coastal waters by rivers or hailing from coastal forest vegetation. He also poses the question whether in the digestive tract of these animals symbiotic organisms may aid the decomposition of cellulose. The phylogenetic origin is a derivation from already boring bivalves (such as Pholadidae). Readers are urged to publish comments and additional information in the Correspondentieblad.