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For much of the year, these worms look like any other burrow-dwelling polychaete, but as the breeding season approaches, the worm undergoes a remarkable transformation as new, specialized segments begin to grow from its rear end until the worm can be clearly divided into two halves. The front half, the atoke, is asexual.
This trend is concerning many scientists, as marine worms act as an important food source for many fish and wading birds. Marine worms are often keystone species in an ecosystem, and the introduction of plastic in the oceans not only diminishes the growth rates of the marine worms, but also affects the food chain of that ecosystem. [10]
Common name(s) Image Taxonomy Reef safe Care Level Description Max size Christmas tree worm [1] Spirobranchus giganteus: Yes: Expert: Found living anchored in live coral colonies in nature. Each worm has two crowns, which come in a variety of different colors, and are spiraled in the shape of a Christmas tree. 5 cm (2.0 in) Cluster duster [1 ...
Bloodworms are carnivorous. They feed by extending a large proboscis that bears four hollow jaws. The jaws are connected to glands that supply venom which they use to kill their prey, and their bite is painful even to a human. [5] They are preyed on by other worms, bottom-feeding fish, crustacea, and gulls.
Siboglinidae is a family of polychaete annelid worms whose members made up the former phyla Pogonophora and Vestimentifera (the giant tube worms). [1] [2] The family is composed of around 100 species of vermiform creatures which live in thin tubes buried in sediment (Pogonophora) or in tubes attached to hard substratum (Vestimentifera) at ocean depths ranging from 100 to 10,000 m (300 to ...
Limnodrilus hoffmeisteri is conveyor-belt feeder that ingests particles in deep sediments and egests them on the sediment surface in the form of pseudofeces. [5] [6] The activities of this worm can alter sediment stratification, [6] [7] [8] increase the water content and porosity of sediment, [9] change the distribution of sediment particle size, [6] [10] alter the oxygen and nutrient dynamics ...
WoRMS maintains valid names of all marine organisms, but also provides information on synonyms and invalid names. It is an ongoing task to maintain the registry, since new species are constantly being discovered and described by scientists; in addition, the nomenclature and taxonomy of existing species is often corrected or changed as new ...
The Sipuncula or Sipunculida (common names sipunculid worms or peanut worms) is a class containing about 162 species of unsegmented marine annelid worms. Sipuncula was once considered a phylum, but was demoted to a class of Annelida, based on recent molecular work. [1] Sipunculans vary in size but most species are under 10 cm (4 in) in length.