Predatory Worms?

[Rovert]

Hope someone can help with this.

I've been having trouble with my Maximas and have posted in the Tridacnid forum, thinking it was Pinched Mantle disease. There is a possibility that PM isn't the problem, but a predatory or boring worm.

I need to know if there are any worms that will predate upon clams in particular. During a freshwater dip, I saw these worms exiting, and was wondering if the photo is enough for someone to ID and point me in the right direction.

Thanks in advance!

 

[mastou]

You could try to look at this page: http://home2.pacific.net.ph/~sweetyummy42/hitchworms.html
and see if there are any that resemble "your worm"

I have alot of worms under my clam, but they are just seeking shelter, like they do under rocks (I think) and my clam dosen't seem to mind - it just keep on growing

I have heard stories about worms eating clams, but usually it ends with the fact that the clam was dying/dead of another cause and the worms are just cleaning up...

/Magnus

 

[Rovert]

Hmmmm... looked that over, and can't say for sure. There doesn't seem to be anything in that site that suggests a clam predator. I'm just curous to know if there's a particular kind of worm that attacks or prefers clams, like the pyramid snails do. That might explain some problems I've been having.

 

[LeslieH]

Rovert - The only thing I can say for use is that the worm is a polychaete. The blurry focus & the gunk hanging off the worm obscures the details needed for family id. While I can't tell what it is I can see that it's not in the family Oenonidae which contains preferential predators on clams & snails.

I think Magnus had the right idea. These worms are probably not preying on your clam but just using the space under it as living quarters.

 

[Rovert]

Leslie, ok, sounds good. Just trying to eliminate a possible cause of the problems I've been having. Thanks!