Cirratulidae

[ptychoptera]

Can you ID this any further Leslie? For future reference, what structures do you need to have closeups of for identification purposes.

NOTE: size around 12-15mm

 

[LeslieH]

I suspect it's a Cirriformia or a Cirratulus. To identify a cirratulid to genus I'd need a close up of the head region to see if there's 1 pair of feeding palps or multiple pairs, when the palps start, where the branchiae start & their position on the body in different parts of the body, and very clear compound microscope shots of the setae from different parts of the body. For other types of worms other characters are needed.

I was in Hilo in September for a quickie vacation before starting a research cruise to the northwest Hawaiian Islands. It would have been nice to collect some critters while I was there.

 

[ptychoptera]

This guy didn't like staying still so this is the best anterior closeup I managed. Don't know if it helps any.

 

[LeslieH]

Sorry, no. I should have specified that the shots need to be of the dorsal surface since that's where the palps & branchiae originate. This is the ventrum.