christmas tree worm

[PONCHDOG2000]

i discovered a christmas tree worm on a frag rock of mine. when ever i have seen them in the past they were on a porous tan rock with many other christmas tree worms on it too. mine is a solitary one on a rock in a calcified tube.


is it abnormal that it is in this calcified tube on a rock? will it reproduce and will i have more christmas tree worms on this rock? anyway, i'm stoked! any advise and experiences would be appreciated. thanks!

 

[LeslieH]

Unusual but not abnormal. CTRs need two sexes to tango so if you only have one there's no chance of reproduction. Your only hope is that there are already juveniles on the rock that will survive. According to some people CTRs are hard to keep and rarely last longer than a year. This excellent article by Rob Toonen is a good source of info: http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/sept2002/toonen.htm

 

[PONCHDOG2000]

thanks

 

[dendro982]

Here is link to the mine http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1049641 . Alive and well (still less than year), but never multiplied.

 

[seapug]

There are a couple of different types of worms that look like Christmas tree worms (Spirobranchus) (sp?). The name escapes me, but there is a similar type of small colored "plume" worm that grows with a semi exposed tube. I have one on the side of a Lobophyllum frag in my tank. The main thing that sets them apart from true CTWs is the tube is doubled headed at the end and each plume tends to sit at a completely opposite ange, almost "Y" shaped heads. Regardless, they are cool.

 

[LeslieH]

Can you post a pic Seapug? I'd like to see what you've got.

 

[dendro982]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9485824#post9485824 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by seapug
There are a couple of different types of worms that look like Christmas tree worms (Spirobranchus) (sp?). ...The main thing that sets them apart from true CTWs is the tube is doubled headed at the end and each plume tends to sit at a completely opposite angle, almost "Y" shaped heads.

Coco worm?

 

[seapug]

No, Coco Worms are huge. These guys are a like small CTWs. I'll try to get a shot and post it-- need to wait until the lobo closes. I did find the correct name for them in my Reef Inverts book-- they are called Pomatostegus stellatus or "Star Horseshoe Worms"

 

[dendro982]

Wow, thanks - I have these, one is in a separate tube, and others - as part of Christmas tree rock, just didn't know the name.
Christmas tree worms have double conical crowns, Spirobranchus sp.

 

[LeslieH]

Maybe not. Pomatostegus stellatus is just one of many species that have that horseshoe shape and so it can't be id'ed from a photo - no matter how many reef guides have photos named P. stellatus!

 

[seapug]

I guess there's no debating someone whose signature is "so many worms, so little time."...haha

 

[dendro982]

I'm interested in at least very approximate classification, in a hope to find something on specific care.

This is my small red feather duster in question, close to Spirobranchus on Christmas tree rock:

Other views:

BTW, what function performs an appendage at the crown base? It's now covered by hair algae.

Similar-looking, but smaller and embedded into the Xmas tree rock:

The thread is there, with more photos, other Christmas tree rock keepers, post yours, please.

LeslieH: I'm the same keeper from TheReefTank forums, with tiny yellow worms infestation in 6g tank, here is
thread at RC. Thank you for helping.

 

[LeslieH]

Hi Dendro/Reefyone - I've posted a reply on your other RC thread. Normally I don't check any of the coral forums so I would have missed it.

The little appendage is called an operculum and it serves a similar function to the operculum of snails. When the worm has retracted into the tube it acts as a door & keeps predators from entering. The crown on serpulids & sabellids are made up of radioles; the operculum is a modified radiole. The presence, shape, and ornamentation of the structure are important characters in genus & species identification. Your red & white worm clearly has a typical Pomatostegus operculum. It could be stellatus which occurs in both the Pacific & Atlantic but there are other species as well. I'd have to have a specimen & know where the live rock came from toput a species name on it.

Seapug - after 30 years of looking at worms I've come to realize how much I don't know so debate away.

 

[dendro982]

Thank you, most valuable for me information. Will look further for the specific care requirements.

Are the small worms on the Christmas tree rock the same, or no clear operculum on the photo prevents from identification?

 

[LeslieH]

The operculums on the small ones aren't that clear but I think they may be small Spirobranchus.

 

[dendro982]

Aren't Spirobrachus(es) the ones with the conical crown? These have more the figure 8-shaped radioles.

The Christmas tree rock has also very strange inhabitant - probably worm, the body inside the rock, only the bunch of iridescent or metal-blue glittering finest strands, showing from the rock. 3/8" or 1/2" long (9-12 mm). I had seen them on different Christmas tree rocks, but all of them were with the small Spirobranchus worm's crowns (Indo-Pacific origin?).

 

[LeslieH]

At that size the operculum is a more important identifying character than the crown. The conical spiralling crowns develop with age. The smallest Spirobranchus have a single circular crown made up of 2 symmetrical halves with only a few radioles. As they grow radioles are added and the base elongates which produces the typical crown.

The iridescent strands are the anterior pointing setae (= bristles) of a polychaete in the family Flabelligeridae. If you look very close there might be nearly invisible strands of mucus stretched over the setae & periodically a feeding tentacle will emerge to gather the food particles trapped on the mucus. Some flabelligerids don't produce the mucus, they just rely on particles attaching to the setae. There have been a few posts on them in the past 2 years; if you do a search you'll find them & photos to compare with what's on your rocks.

 

[seapug]

Leslie H.-- I'm sure you know more than I do, so I have no problem deferring to your expertise!
BTW, the worm I have looks indentical to the red worm in the pictures above, so I guess it is some sort of Pomatostegus.

 

[dendro982]

Thank you, Leslie! Apologies, I didn't mean to be impolite, just curious - lifetime of learning.

If you will be so kind to take a look at close ups of this worms with 8-shaped crown - some of them have operculums of different shapes, and some adult and young spirobranchus' operculums.

Looks like Spirobranchus, right?

Same (right corner, bottom), together with adult one:

Big Spirobranchus and another, smaller worm:

Same small one, side view:

The blue one:

Young Spirobranchus, different worms, higher crown:

Adult one:

This is youth of the small crowned worms:

Adult one:

Will continue.

 

[dendro982]

Iridescent one:

And sea stars, may be - only tentacles are seen:

Sorry for taking so much place on the thread, this was the last