SaltWater226
New member
wow this is crazy
BEWARE: Acropora Burrowing Red Worms << PIX included >>
- Thread starter ridetheducati
- Start date
Ptyochromis
New member
Do you think you could a dead piece that is occupied by worms in either fresh or hypersalt water to see if they bail out? It would be much easier to ID a whole worm vs a chunk of one.
tdb320reef
Active member
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Very interesting Indeed. Maybe you can reach out to Dr. Kate Rawlinson and ask for here opinion. I know that she is one of the Lead PHDs studying AEFW. Maybe it turns out that the Red FW eat the AEFW and the damage you are seeing is really from the AEFW.
Just a thought
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Very interesting Indeed. Maybe you can reach out to Dr. Kate Rawlinson and ask for here opinion. I know that she is one of the Lead PHDs studying AEFW. Maybe it turns out that the Red FW eat the AEFW and the damage you are seeing is really from the AEFW.
Just a thought
asylumdown
New member
Unfortunately it's hard to tell from those pictures what species of worm those are (if that's what they are) as it looks like they got kind of smooshed in the extraction process, but I'm wondering if these aren't a species of cirratulid worm? There's a reference to some of them being able to burrow in to corals here: http://www.chucksaddiction.com/hitchworms.html
It looks to me like the tunnels they've made have an exit at the surface of the coral, which could be where they extend their palps from when feeding. They might not be parasitic per se (as in might not necessarily feed directly on the coral), just irritate the coral to the point of tissue recession.
I found a research paper on the feeding behaviour of one species of cirratulid worm here: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1519-69842004000200014
That author references another paper from 1979 by Fauchild and Jumars in stating that some species of cirratulids bore in to corals. I tracked that paper down, and they got that little tidbit from an even earlier work By Hartman from 1954, but it's a USGS professional paper on Marine Annelids from the Northern Marshall Islands. I'm going through it now to see if the species listed as coral borers produce a reasonable match on google images to what was shown in the OP's images, that's difficult considering their state. If anyone else wants to take a shot at it, you can find the paper by entering "Marine Annelids from the Northern Marshall Islands" in the search window at the USGS publication warehouse, which can be found here:
http://pubs.er.usgs.gov
It looks to me like the tunnels they've made have an exit at the surface of the coral, which could be where they extend their palps from when feeding. They might not be parasitic per se (as in might not necessarily feed directly on the coral), just irritate the coral to the point of tissue recession.
I found a research paper on the feeding behaviour of one species of cirratulid worm here: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1519-69842004000200014
That author references another paper from 1979 by Fauchild and Jumars in stating that some species of cirratulids bore in to corals. I tracked that paper down, and they got that little tidbit from an even earlier work By Hartman from 1954, but it's a USGS professional paper on Marine Annelids from the Northern Marshall Islands. I'm going through it now to see if the species listed as coral borers produce a reasonable match on google images to what was shown in the OP's images, that's difficult considering their state. If anyone else wants to take a shot at it, you can find the paper by entering "Marine Annelids from the Northern Marshall Islands" in the search window at the USGS publication warehouse, which can be found here:
http://pubs.er.usgs.gov
reef bloke
Member
Piper- this happened over around 14 days, the tank had very little algae and the exposed skeleton took a long time to green up.
The veins were there under the flesh as it slowly stripped so didnt make in roads after the stripping to take advantage of the dead flesh.
I've since upgraded my tank but have a few saved pieces that I will keep a careful eye on.
The veins were there under the flesh as it slowly stripped so didnt make in roads after the stripping to take advantage of the dead flesh.
I've since upgraded my tank but have a few saved pieces that I will keep a careful eye on.
ridetheducati
20 and Over Club
If it is a worm or parasitic animal, how would they move from coral to coral? Free swimming? What is the likelihood of affecting other corals?
ousnakebyte
New member
Copied below is my response from the local aquarium club board WAMAS:
Hmmmm.... it looks to me as if the fragment was taken from near the base of the colony, yes? If so, then that is where eggs would likely be located in the colony. The distal ends of branches are favoring energy into growth instead of gametogenesis.
For reference, here is a cracked branch from A. millepora the day or two before spawning (Singapore workshop). You can easily see the pink eggs in the branches:
An 8" x 10" colony would likely be large enough to see egg production.
2" from the tips is about standard to not see any egg production (as well as to not see any egg production 2" more or less around a "wound" deeper in the colony). If this was a predator/parasite, then I doubt you would see this uniform distribution throughout the colony. Also, if it was a burrowing parasite, you would almost certainly see superficial colony damage, as someone said earlier.
The "ducts" that you see are from where the polyp sits in the skeleton. Remember, each polyp is its own individual feeding/reproducing entity. From our studies with A. millepora, A. tenuis, and A. loripes, we have seen that various polyps from a given colony that produces an egg/sperm bundle can be highly variable in egg production - varying anywhere from about 8-20 eggs per bundle (more or less).
Invertebrates are also notorious for last-ditch reproduction/spawning before dying, so it's certainly not unheard of.
I doubt there is cause for alarm of a new pest to be on the lookout for.
Cheers
Mike
Hmmmm.... it looks to me as if the fragment was taken from near the base of the colony, yes? If so, then that is where eggs would likely be located in the colony. The distal ends of branches are favoring energy into growth instead of gametogenesis.
For reference, here is a cracked branch from A. millepora the day or two before spawning (Singapore workshop). You can easily see the pink eggs in the branches:
An 8" x 10" colony would likely be large enough to see egg production.
2" from the tips is about standard to not see any egg production (as well as to not see any egg production 2" more or less around a "wound" deeper in the colony). If this was a predator/parasite, then I doubt you would see this uniform distribution throughout the colony. Also, if it was a burrowing parasite, you would almost certainly see superficial colony damage, as someone said earlier.
The "ducts" that you see are from where the polyp sits in the skeleton. Remember, each polyp is its own individual feeding/reproducing entity. From our studies with A. millepora, A. tenuis, and A. loripes, we have seen that various polyps from a given colony that produces an egg/sperm bundle can be highly variable in egg production - varying anywhere from about 8-20 eggs per bundle (more or less).
Invertebrates are also notorious for last-ditch reproduction/spawning before dying, so it's certainly not unheard of.
I doubt there is cause for alarm of a new pest to be on the lookout for.
Cheers
Mike
ridetheducati
20 and Over Club
Thanks, appreciate the feedback.
reefmutt
Active member
wow, I really appreciate being able to read all of this great input.
I am somewhat more at ease..
it would appear that they aren't worms and it would seem from reading this thread that they are more likely eggs..
but is it normal for a coral that is about to spawn to have tissue recession like this?
I am somewhat more at ease..
it would appear that they aren't worms and it would seem from reading this thread that they are more likely eggs..
but is it normal for a coral that is about to spawn to have tissue recession like this?
trueblackpercula
New member
Unless I am missing it Mike how does the egg get from the center of the skeleton to the pyolp? And you say each pyolp is independent but from that picture you posted the eggs look like they are just sitting there in various spots not associated with a pyolp. Very interesting information.
Can you eliaborate more on the reproductive cycle and if pyolps are single animals and I brought this up in another feeding thread, if one pyolp feeds it only feeds its self not the entire coloy?
Thanks
Can you eliaborate more on the reproductive cycle and if pyolps are single animals and I brought this up in another feeding thread, if one pyolp feeds it only feeds its self not the entire coloy?
Thanks
ousnakebyte
New member
When you see an acropora polyp peaking out, you are only seeing the very distal end of the animal - mostly tentacles surrounding a mouth. The rest of then animal (polyp) is attached to the sides of the corallite "home" and the basal cells attached to the bottom of the hole that the polyp resides in. The mesenteries and gonads are located deep in the corallite, and this is where the eggs and sperm are formed.
The coral polyp will hold the eggs and sperm here deep in the polyp until just before spawning time. Some time before release (I'm not sure exactly how long before, as it probably differs among species), the coral polyp will shuffle and package the egg and sperm into an egg/sperm bundle, and after sunset (for most acroporids anyway), the newly-packaged egg-sperm bundle is then moved up the gastrovascular cavity to the mouth. This is where you can now see the bundle with your eyes, and it is called "setting." Much of the whole colony will be "setting" at the same time - meaning the various polyps of the colony will be holding the egg/sperm bundles in the mouth (sometimes for 20-30 minutes) waiting for release. Many corals do this - not just acroporids - while others will release simultaneously in a magnificent display of timed release. It's quite awesome to see a huge Montastrea (now Orbicella) faveolata colony do this...
Well, elaborating on coral repro is actually an entire 1-hr lecture I give to various groups and college classes. It's a lot to type...
However, yes, an individual polyp is one animal, and together they live in a colony (with the exception of the Fungia, Scolymia and a few others corals which are solitary polyps). As long as there is tissue connecting the different polyps, then the coenosarc - a living tube that connects the guts of the polyps - is how the different polyps nutrient share. Whether this diffusion of nutrients is equal throughout the entire colony... I can't say.
However, one of my friends insists that corals are communists, if you think about it - ya know... one little polyp doing all the work while all the others receive the benefit....
Cheers
Mike
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trueblackpercula
New member
Thank you so much and have you taken the time to read this thread?
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2332173
It's something biggles started and I added a few myself
Thanks for all the clarification as I wasn't to far off lol
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2332173
It's something biggles started and I added a few myself
Thanks for all the clarification as I wasn't to far off lol
