Worm ID help plz, with pics

[gumby007]

I was hoping someone would be able to help identify this worm, I recently started adding corals; zoas, xenia, mushrooms, etc (easy softies) and wanted to know if this little guy was going to become a problem, all input is greatly appreciated. All I could capture was his head, he rarely comes much further out, but when he does (and I am cameraless) he appears striped with black and white width wise. Those white spines go down the length of the body that I have seen thus far, and the physical appearance that the picture doesn't capture well is that his body is fairly flat.
THANKS!

 

[charlesr1958]

Am going to guess it being a Polynoidae (scaleworm).

A Hitch Hikers Guide to the Reefs

Chuck

 

[LeslieH]

You got it Chuck, it's a polychaete scaleworm, family Polynoidae. These guys are predators on other worms, pods, etc. All the information I have doesn't mention corals as a food item. Still, since most scientists figure out what small animals eat by examining their gut contents rather than observing them in action, they don't know everything. As with any new addition (hitchhiker or bought) keep an eye on him just in case.