Marine borer

Habitat:

A mollusc which attacks logs floating in marine waters before sawing. Damage is included here because, although the mollusc is killed when the log is removed from the water for sawing, its tunnels can be mistaken for an attack by wood-boring insects if the damaged wood is used for building.

Damage characteristics:

Single, blind-ending tunnels. Precisely circular, up to 300 mm long and 15 mm in diameter. The actual size depends on the species and state of maturity. Sectioned tunnels can be mistaken for the emergence holes of wood-boring beetles, but can be identified by the lack of bore dust and the chalky white calcareous tunnel linings.