Beheaded! Got the sucker. Pics

[zeebies]

Many months ago I noticed that my nassarius snails were disappearing. I have a very calm tank so I wondered what was going on... Here is the thread I started regarding a mystery worm:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?p=20163450

About 3 weeks ago I added about 10 more snails. (I do not keep hermits in the tank). Recently I've been seeing more and more empty shells in the tank.

UPDATE: Today I caught the worm in action! It is, in fact, a Notospermus tricuspidatus. Here it is:

So, a question for you worm enthusiasts. When I pulled the worm out from under its rock, the worm broke in two. Pardon the guishyness - but both halves are wandering around the specimen cup. If I somehow missed removing a piece of the worm from under the rock, might that worm piece regenerate and cause problems again?

Also, there was a sac-like thing under the rock with the worm. It was not a sponge. It was very rubbery, beige in color, about the size of a small marble (no, not leftover super glue). Could that have been a nest?

I'm so happy I got Mr./Ms. worm! :spin1:

Beware of hidden worms if your snails are disappearing...

 

[Redhaloangel]

OMG! that last photo... is that its TEETH!?!?!? thats a picture you can get nightmares on! lol it looks crazy! unreal.. im looking forward to hear what that sack was.. and good job getting it out!

 

[zeebies]

Got this from the Sea Slug Forum:

"Nemertine worms are also called boot-lace or ribbon worms because of their shape. They are voracious carnivores usually eating living prey but also able to feed on dead fragments. They feed by shooting out a very long thin proboscis which is either sticky or has poisonous hooks. The prey is entangled in the proboscis and drawn towards the worm's mouth. The body wall musculature of nemerteans is not well developed and when picked up they can stretch to many times their original length."

Makes a nice bedtime story, eh Redhaloangel?

I hope to do a little dissecting soon. Those mouthparts should be interesting. Really would like to know if the sac that was with the worm is it's nest. Can't find any info yet.

 

[SBV]

Wild. Congrats on getting the monster outta there!

 

[zeebies]

Thanks SBV. Part of me feels bad that the worm ended up as it did. It's such an interesting looking creature. But since it does prey on other things in the tank, it's best outta there. I just hope it didn't leave any relatives behind. :hmm2:

Maybe it's demise will be for a good cause - if I can learn a little something about it.

 

[swine]

i need to stop reading threads like this while eating on my lunch break....

 

[zeebies]

Yeah, sorry about that, swine... :lol2:

 

[CoasterOfLuv]

omg. Sorry for the vacuous reply but, eew

 

[zeebies]

Glad to be of service... :beachbum:

 

[paulweck]

How did u get him out? that's awesome.

 

[zeebies]

I was just very lucky.

I happened to glance over at the tank and right in the front I saw the worm stretched out about 4 inches from underneath a rock. The worm was latched onto a nassarius snail and was pulling the snail back toward the rock. I took off the tank light and lid and reached in with my extra long tongs and grabbed him. He let go of the snail and tried to retreat under the rock. It was sort of a tug of war. His movements were slower than I expected though.

I only got half of the worm, so I removed its rock from the tank and then was able to pull out the other half.

Thanks for asking - that was fun to relive the capture!

Many months ago when I realized that there was likely a predator worm in the tank I looked around for trap ideas. I liked the idea of this one:

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1913372

The pictures with the thread are no longer available, but you can still get the idea of the construction.