ID on Polychaete Worm

[Travis L. Stevens]

Unknown worm found on someone's Goniopora. Any guesses of genus at the least?

 

[Betta132]

http://www.lionfishlair.com/hitchhiker/hitchhiker.shtml
This page has a thing on it that looks pretty similar, the Syllidae worms. They're segmented, they have the longish centipede-leg feeler things, and they look similarly long and skinny.

 

[LeslieH]

Family Syllidae, maybe genus Syllis.

 

[LeslieH]

Betta, the info on that page about syllids isn't right. Most syllids seem to feed by piercing plant or animal cells then sucking out the contents. Many are commensals; their feeding doesn't damage their hosts. A few - like the big one Travis' friend found, actually eat corals and those should be removed.