Worm I.D. Please

[ishmael]

Thing creature slithers out from its hole(pictured) every night to approximately the same spot and more or less stays there. It does not seem to be eating anything. It has mild stripes like a snake and cringes backwrds when I shine a bright light on it. It stretches out to a length of 5 to six inches that are visible...I have no idea how far into the rock it goes.....
Any ideas?

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[Elysia]

Its pattern almost looks chiton-like, but the ones seen in tanks are usually pretty small. Can you get additional photos? Leslie and/or Don are likely to be able to ID it from a decent photo.

 

[Shane Hoffman]

Have you cross refrenced it with pics of a peaunut worm yet????

 

[LeslieH]

It's the "worm-chiton" Cyanoplax, one of the few exceptions to the rule that chitons are stiff & very slow moving.

 

[LeslieH]

Sorry, I always get this name wrong..... the genus is Cryptoplax, meaning "hidden plate". That refers to the plates which are largely covered by the flesh.

 

[ishmael]

Shane,

I have looked at pics of peanut worms and I think that it might be one. The worms in the pics that I have seen tho seem to be a lot smaller than this guy. (or girl). Also, what I think is the creature's head has a very flat bottom and is quite distinctive and separate. I am sorry that I cannot get a better picture. It only comes out when the lights are off.
In searching for info on peanut worms, I have found that they are harmless, as this one seems to be. So that really was a main concern and I will just move on.
But thanks for your input. If I manage to get a better pic at some point I will post it.

 

[LeslieH]

Here are some images & information on Cryptoplax larvaeformis

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/mollusca1.htm
http://www.flickr.com/photos/artour_a/3793997238/
http://www.aquarium-design.fr/?Corpus=Details&Id=1381
http://www.seaslugforum.net/message/8502

 

[ishmael]

Wow, great call!

In fact, there are pictures of my particular species on two of these pages.

Chiton! Your description of "plates" threw me off but apparently these are not always obvious.

Doesn't move around very much and grazes on micro algae. No problemo.....

Thanks to you and Reef Central!:dance:

 

[Elysia]

Thanks Leslie -- its good to know that some chitons have "stretch!"

 

[pagojoe]

Other useless info... These guys are super strong, and tough. If you find one curved around a piece of coral, you'd just about have to break the coral to remove it. It's almost impossible to bend them, even though they can bend themselves. (Some others in the genus are very soft, and may tear in half if you try to remove them.) I sent one that was about five inches to a researcher in Germany. He wanted it preserved in ethanol, so I did as he requested...but it was only three inches long by the time he got it!

Cheers,



Don