ID Help Please: Coral worm thingy??

[JeffK95Z]

Hi folks, hoping someone can help us identify this odd creature... I've done some searching around and can't come up with anything

He? seems to have come in on a piece of coral as can be seen in some of the pictures below

We have also noticed that it moves around the corral, and just today when I came into the office I noticed that it was right up at the waters edge a good foot or more away from his home base corral.

We managed to get some fairly good shots of 'em while he was out on the move. He did head back to the safety of the corral after a few hours however.

Sorry for the small pictures, but if you click the below link to goto our gallery you can see them in a much larger size.

http://www.thekellyfamily.ca/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=7597

Thanks in advance!!

Cheers,

Jeff

 

[graveyardworm]

Looks like a nudi of some sort, probably the coral eating type. I would remove it asap. These guys typically look like what they eat. Got any corals that it might blend into?

 

[greenbean36191]

<img src="/images/welcome.gif" width="500" height="62"><br><b><i><big><big>To Reef Central</b></i></big></big>
It looks like Phyllodesmium briareum. It feeds on star polyps. I've been trying to find some for quite a while. Look around and see if there are any more.

 

[kmk2307]

That's what it looks like to me too. Don't flush it, if greenbean doesn't beg you to ship it to her, someone else will

Kevin

 

[graveyardworm]

if greenbean doesn't beg you to ship it to her

 

[JeffK95Z]

Thx for welcome!!

And damn this place is great Only a few hours and ID's already!! Thanks everyone!!

A co-worker and I were just looking @ aeolid nudibranch's as well!! He stumbled on a picture online, and we just started researching them.

I came here to post that we think we've ID'd it, and sure enough, you guys had already posted

Its actually living in (and we think came on) a pipe organ type coral.

Lemme see if I can post a picture of the coral its living in...

 

[JeffK95Z]

If you look at this picture:

http://www.thekellyfamily.ca/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=7616

you can see the pipe organ type coral that it came in on... We're gonna get rid of it ASAP.

So, why would people be interested in these things?? Population control of the star polyps I guess?

We're on the west coast of Canada if anyone wants it!

 

[graveyardworm]

Dont toss it before getting in touch with greenbean, send him a PM.

 

[greenbean36191]

Well, if you're in Canada that would make it difficult to ship it to me, so forget that idea. I want them just because I really love slugs and this is a pretty neat one IMO. Also, since they're fairly easy to breed, hopefully I could sell a few to people with GSP infestations to help offset the cost of their food.