Worm? from Lembeh

Ok, one more - some type of filter-feeding worm? The "jaws" opened wider and swiveled a bit while I was watching.

Tim

Nice shot of a difficult subject. I've been told these polychaetes are very sensitive to light & movement & rapidly pull back when photographers are around.

As far as I know it's an undescribed species in the family Sabellariidae, maybe genus Lygdamis. Sabellariids construct solid tubes out of sand. This one is solitary in soft sand; other solitaries attach themselves to shells or rocks. The famous worm reefs in Europe are made by a colonial cousin, Sabellaria alveolata. These reefs can extend for hundreds of meters & be a couple of meters high. See:

http://www.marlin.ac.uk/species/taxon_Sabe...veolata.htm#OIm

You're right about it filtering suspended food particles out of the water. The two "jaws" are soft structures called palps which pick up the food. When the animals are preserved - usually the only way taxonomists see them - the palps are tightly retracted against the body & appear to be just a clump of fine filaments. I didn't have a clue that they extended out like this until someone sent me a UW pic several years ago. I wasn't even sure it was a polychaete until he finally sent a specimen as well.

I'm glad Tim was able to get a shot of the "V-worm" for you. We just got back from Lembeh, where I tried many times to get close enough for a picture for you to ID, just to have the d@mned things retract just before I pressed the shutter!

I'm glad Tim was able to get a shot of the "V-worm" for you. We just got back from Lembeh, where I tried many times to get close enough for a picture for you to ID, just to have the d@mned things retract just before I pressed the shutter!

I guess I got lucky - this particular worm wasn't shy, I took 5-6 pics of it. It actually swivelled around and opened its jaws wider. Attached another pic in case you need proof.

I must say, those palps don't look soft - pretty toothy and intimidating. Leslie, any idea of the function of the little spikes along the edges of the palps?

Thanks, Jim. You know you're my hero even when you don't get the shot!

Tim, thanks for the second shot. They filter particles out of the water with those "spines" which are actually soft filaments. When the worm goes into its burrow the filaments will close up along the stalks. When the worm is preserved the stalks contract down so what I saw in my specimen was only a clump of filaments on top of the head region.

I always knew the preserved worms I saw weren't representative of what they really looked like in life. I had no idea just how different they were until I started looking at live worms in the lab. Then I started hanging around WP.

Thanks, Jim. You know you're my hero even when you don't get the shot!

 

Tim, thanks for the second shot. They filter particles out of the water with those "spines" which are actually soft filaments. When the worm goes into its burrow the filaments will close up along the stalks. When the worm is preserved the stalks contract down so what I saw in my specimen was only a clump of filaments on top of the head region.

 

I always knew the preserved worms I saw weren't representative of what they really looked like in life. I had no idea just how different they were until I started looking at live worms in the lab. Then I started hanging around WP.

Leslie, I understand the spines - curious about the very small "teeth" along the edge of the stalks. Regardless, this is one neat critter. Thanks for the ID.

Oops.... those are "damfino" spines, got no answer for those!

Oops.... those are "damfino" spines, got no answer for those!

Well, you've been pretty helpful, so here's one more worm-ish pic - or maybe some type of anemone, I don't know how to tell.