Worm ID / distribution

This worm was really common on the sandy substrate in Port Stephens last weekend, occurring in patches of around 10 - 20 individuals, as well as a lot of solitary animals. Strange thing for me was I'd never seen it before in Port Stephens (or anywhere else). And, no, I don't always swim with my eyes closed About 13 years ago I did benthic surveys of the area and we never picked it up..

Anyway, to cut a long story short, after the dive I looked it up quickly in someone's Edgar (Australian Marine Life) and saw it was endemic to WA and thought I'd read the info when I get home. However, my older edition doesn't have the species - doh!

So ... can someone (Leslie, I'm sure u can ) name it ...

... and is it a westralian local? My suspicion is its feral, and I'm curious to know if that is so

cheers

Leander

Pretty much any phoronid that's black/blackish & attached to the tube of a ceritanthid anemone is called Phoronis australis.. According to Gosliner/Behrens/Williams's book it's circumtropical so not exactly restricted to western Australia. It would be interesting to see the results of a good morpho-genetic study to see if all the wide-spread populations really are the same species. I'm more curious about your use of the word feral. I always thought that meant something tamed that turned wild, like feral cats. How is it applied to marine critters?

I'm more curious about your use of the word feral. I always thought that meant something tamed that turned wild, like feral cats. How is it applied to marine critters?

Well, I'm busted on that as thats the definition. I wasn't inferring an aquarium escapee, like Caulerpa. My excuse is its a work colloquialism, we use the word feral everyday for anything that isn't endemic, like animals and plants that while they are native to australia have been introduced locally (as well as the truely feral cats, dogs, foxes etc.). Marine pest would have been the most correct description

In relation to the morpho-genetics - not worms though - we just had some folks from Scrips here collecting material from our seadragons, which will be interesting to see the results of B)