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Bristle/Fireworms Identification FAQs 8
Related FAQs: Polychaete ID 1,
Polychaete ID 2, Polychaete ID 3,
Polychaete ID 4, Bristleworm ID 5,
Bristleworm ID 6, Bristleworm ID 7,
FAQs: Worm Diversity FAQs,
FAQs 2, FAQs 3, &
Worm IDs 1, Worm
IDs 2, Worm IDs 3,
Worm IDs 4, Worm IDs 5,
Worm IDs 6, Worm IDs 7,
Worm IDs 8, & Worm ID FAQs by Group/Phylum:
Flatworm Identification ID,
Nemertean, Proboscis, Ribbon Worm ID,
Nematode, Roundworm ID,
Nematomorpha, Horsehair Worm ID,
Acanthocephalans, Thorny-headed Worm ID,
Tubeworm ID, Hirudineans, Leech ID,
Sipunculids, Peanut Worm ID, Echiuran
Worm ID, & Bristle/Fireworms 1,
Bristle/Fireworms 2, Bristle/Fireworms
3, Bristle/Fireworms 4,
Worm Identification, Polychaete
Behavior, Polychaete
Compatibility, Polychaete System,
Polychaete Selection, Polychaete
Feeding, Polychaete Disease,
Polychaete Reproduction, Related
Articles: Worms,
Polychaetes, Flatworms/Planaria, |
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Red Stringy Creature: Likely Cirratulid – 10/14/09
Hello,
<Hello Lori, Lynn here this morning.>
Since I put up my salt water tank (6 months ago), right next to the
glass burrowing down through the substrate, is a thin red line. I have
noticed that it has like a tangled mass of red with several 3" thread
like tentacles coming from the sand and flowing with the current.
Yesterday it relocated itself. But it doesn't seem to be bothering
anything. What is it?
<Sounds like a Cirratulid (family Cirratulidae) commonly known as a
“hair worm”. These Polychaetes are beneficial/harmless, detritus/organic
particulate matter feeders, typically orange, red, brown, or black in
color, <2” in length, segmented, narrow, substrate dwellers, with
filaments (gills/"branchiae") arranged along the length of the body. For
more information/photos, please see the many WWM FAQ’s regarding, as
well as the following article:
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-06/rs/index.php
Enter the term Cirratulid in our Google search engine:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/Googlesearch.htm
Here’s something to get you started (see second FAQ listed:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/polychaeidfaq2.htm
Lori A. Pickett
<Take care, LynnZ>
Red Stringy Creature: Likely Cirratulid – 10/14/09
Thank you for your help :)
<It was a pleasure, Lori. Take care, LynnZ>
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Worm: Cirratulid – 10/3/09
Hi all!!!
<Greetings Mars, Earthling Lynn here today!>
Was cleaning my 120g reef when I saw this floating in the current.
<It’s a neat Polychaete!>
The worm is about 1.5cm in length and very skinny, bright red. It looks
like one main worm with little ones growing out of it.
<Yep>
Almost like a tree trunk with branches coming out of the trunk. Most of
the branching comes out of one end but there is branching from different
parts of the main trunk/worm. It looks like giving worm birth but from
different areas of the worm. Any guesses as to what it is or is going
on?
<It looks like a Cirratulid (family Cirratulidae), commonly known as a
“hair worm”. These Polychaetes are beneficial/harmless, detritus/organic
particulate matter feeders, typically orange, red, brown, or black in
color, <2” in length, segmented, narrow, substrate dwellers, with
filaments (gills/"branchiae") arranged along the length of the body.
Whew! They’re often confused with Terebellids (aka “spaghetti” worms)
but the most obvious difference is the Terebellid’s lack of filaments
along the body. They have a cluster of feeding tentacles at the head
area, but that’s it. The worm you have may well have had more branchiae
present before you found it. Apparently, they detach fairly easily.
Cirratulids are preyed upon by the usual suspects: various crabs,
shrimps, fishes, hermits and the like so the one you have may have been
nibbled on a bit. For more information on these neat little worms,
please see the following link:
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-06/rs/index.php >
Pics were taken 40x magnification.
<Nice, thanks!>
Thanks a bunch!
<You’re very welcome. It was a pleasure.>
Mars
<I love that name! Take care, LynnZ>
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What Kind of Polychaete Worm
9/21/09
It has many soft appendages of equal length the run the entire length of
its body.
Found a link with a part of a picture
(http://www.sanctuarysimon.org/farallones/sections/invertebrates/overview.php)
Is it ok in my nano cube or should I leave it out?
<I'd leave it>
I also caught a worm that was swimming as well as a fish last night. It
was almost an inch long and resembled Eunice antennata.
<Neat!>
Thank you,
Kirk
<And you. See here: http://wetwebmedia.com/polychaeidfaqs.htm
and the linked files in the series above. Bob Fenner>
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Re: What Kind of Polychaete Worm
9/21/09
<I'd leave it> ?? out of my cube since I have it in a collection cup now or
put it into my nano cube?
Do you know what kind it is?
Thank you,.
Kirk
<Mmm, could only guess to family level... Please peruse the ID files where
you were referred to. B> |
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Please help with ID of this
worm: Likely Terebellid – 7/19/09
<Hello Chris, Lynn here this evening.>
I picked up a batch of Fla. cultured live rock yesterday and found a
worm lying at the bottom of the tub.
<Neat>
It’s around 3” long and the thickness of a pencil. Attached is a partial
picture showing a somewhat flat body, with one very slight row of
hairs/bristles running down each side. By this morning it had partially
wedged itself into a crevice on one rock, but the tail end is still
exposed. One end (presumably the tail) tapers down to a point. The other
end has a round opening like a feather duster. When I first found it,
there were dark brown string like threads (around 3/4” long) coming out
of the opening...I’d describe it as looking a little like a mop head.
Not at all like the feathery tips of a feather duster - and it didn’t
retract when disturbed, like a feather duster would. Unfortunately, I
didn’t get to take the photo when the threads were exposed. They're now
totally retracted and haven’t come out all day. The body contorts when
agitated, and isn’t at all hard like a feather duster's. I looked online
(and in Humann's critter ID book) and I can’t find anything like it. Any
ideas?
<It sounds like a Polychaete worm in the suborder Terebellida, of which
there are many families, genera, and species. The ones most hobbyists
are familiar with are those in the family Terebellidae, commonly known
as spaghetti worms. It’s possible that this is what you have. They
typically live in burrows or crevices; have a roughly conical body
shape, and a multitude of tentacles radiating from the head. Normally,
all you see of these creatures are the tentacles spread out over the
rock/substrate surface where they gather food. At any rate, this group
of worms is comprised of mostly harmless deposit feeders so no worries
about them attacking livestock. Sometimes their tentacles can irritate
corals however - not because they sting but because the particular coral
doesn’t appreciate the contact. On the whole, they’re a welcome addition
to a cleaning crew. Please see the following links for more information:
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-06/rs/index.php
Google Terebellid at WWM for FAQ’s re:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/Googlesearch.htm >
If the picture is not clear enough, I suppose I could pull it out of the
crevice for a better shot.
<Nah, I’d leave the little guy where he is. He’s had a rough couple of
days!>
Thanks,
<You’re very welcome.>
Chris
<Take care, LynnZ>
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Red Tentacle Worm: Possible
Cirratulid or Terebellid – 4/29/09
Hey,
<Hello, Ryan>
I have not found any information that specifically related to this worm. It
is segmented, with LOTS of tentacles coming off.
<Up and down the length of the body, or concentrated at the top/head area?>
Initially I assumed it was a spaghetti worm, but it is solid white.
Currently, at the head end, it is about 339um in width. I am very curious to
find out what this is, especially since it is in a tank with some corals,
and a pipefish.
<It looks like either a Terebellid/spaghetti worm (numerous long, very thin
tentacles emerging from the head area only) or a Cirratulid/hair/medusa worm
(2 feeding palps, shorter tentacles emerging along the length of the body).
Both are beneficial, deposit feeding Polychaetes that are generally harmless
except in situations where the population has become excessive. In these
cases, it’s possible that too much contact with the tentacles could irritate
the coral. When/if this happens, the offending Polychaete can either be
removed manually if it’s located within the soft sediment, or sealed into
its home in the rockwork using frag/”super” glue. Thankfully, this sort of
problem doesn’t happen all that often, so you should be okay. For more
information, please see the following links:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/polychaeidfaqs.htm
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-06/rs/index.php
More info at WWM regarding these – just enter the terms in our search
engine: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/WWMAdminSubWebIndex/question_page.htm >
Thanks, Ryan.
<You’re very welcome. Take care, LynnZ
I have taken many pics under a microscope, these were the top three for
showing its shape, and tentacles.
<Thanks, great photos!>
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Yellow Worm ID: Errant Polychaete – 4/2/09
Crew,
<Hello, Josh>
I saw this worm like creature in my 150 gallon that I'm still building
this morning when the lights kicked on. I had just added a second load
of live rock the night before. There are still no fish and the tank has
just finished a Cycle. He's about 4-5 inches long. His head has a
different section that is a very bright yellow, and then his body is a
duller yellow. He didn't appear to have bristles or legs, but I could
have missed them. I also did not get a good look at its mouth. It is not
flat. That's about all I can tell you. I couldn't find anything like
this in my own searches, and was hoping someone here might be able to
help out.
<Unfortunately, I can’t see enough detail to be more specific than it’s
most likely an errant Polychaete of some sort. I can however, supply
some links with photos for you to look through. The good news is that
whatever it is, it’s unlikely to be a problem so I’d just leave it in
place and enjoy it.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/polychaeidfaqs.htm (start here and go through
the related links at the top of the page)
http://www.chucksaddiction.com/hitchworms.html >
I couldn't get a good picture of him with my point and shoot camera, so
I just caught some video with the camera instead.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BZ1MpY-22U
<Neat>
Thanks for your help as always!
Josh
<You’re very welcome! Take care, LynnZ>
Giant worm found in Cornwall 3/20/09
Might amuse some of you. A giant worm found in a public aquarium's reef
tank.
http://www.thisisthewestcountry.co.uk/news/cornwall_news/4208730.Giant_worm_
found_in_Cornwall/
Extra points if you can name it to species level!
Cheers, Neale
<Vermes giganticus barriensis? Thanks for sending this along. BobF>
Worm ID: Errant Polychaete – 2/21/09
Hi,
<Hi there.>
What a wonderful website,
<Why thank you!>
I need some help in
identifying a worm. I have checked all the worm Id's and Polychaete
Id’s, but came up empty handed. Here are some pictures, they are
best I could take. As for the head, it looks very similar to a
snake's head. It is smooth, and has what looks like two small eyes
(black points) It does not have any antennae, but only what looks
like a slit for a mouth. I am not sure how long it is, but it
retracts with lighting speed.
<Well, it’s an errant Polychaete of
some sort – possibly a Phyllodocid (family: Phyllodocidae). However,
I’ve never seen one with a completely smooth head. They usually have
multiple antennae and appear almost “whiskered”. Another possibility
is a Syllid (family: Syllidae). Those in the subfamily Eusyllinae
have more blunt-looking heads without a lot of obvious appendages.
Unfortunately, there are a host of other possibilities as well. I’d
need some good close up shots of the head and legs in particular to
have any hope of narrowing it down. The good news is that it’s
highly unlikely to pose any sort of threat to your fish, corals, or
larger invertebrates. These little worms are mostly carnivores and
detritivores, and what live food they take is along the lines of
small worms, “pods”, sponges, hydroids, etc.
If you’re still
interested in trying to ID this little fellow and can get some good
hi-res photos, please send them along and I’ll do what I can to
help. Otherwise, I’ve got some links for you to continue the search.
The first is a terrific site with detailed drawings of the various
families (be sure to see Phyllodocidae and Syllidae):
http://www.nhm.ac.uk/research-curation/research/projects/taxinfo/browse/family/family_browser.htm
Although the following is a key for identifying Polychaetes in New
Zealand, it’s got some terrific general information regarding
various families:
http://www.annelida.net/nz/Polychaeta/ShorePoly/NZShorePolychaeta_ID.htm#QUICK
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/polychaetes.htm
http://www.chucksaddiction.com/hitchworms.html >
Please help,
Thanks.
<You’re very welcome. Take care, Lynn> |
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