Tube and Fan Worms
Tube worms are a worm-like sessile invertebrate that anchors its tail to an underwater surface and secretes around its body a mineral tube, into which it can withdraw its entire body.
Feather duster worms are sedentary marine polychaete tube worms where the head is mostly concealed by feathery branchiae. They build tubes out of sand, and bits of shell. They tend to be common in the intertidal zones around New Zealand. Size varies up to over 10 cm long. Some small species can bend over and extend their tentacles to the sea floor to collect detritus.
Diet: Filter-feeder, coral foods, crushed flake and mussel and newly hatched Brine shrimp.
Spirobranchus cariniferus Description: White calcareous tube with small blue fans growing on hard surfaces. Tubes up to 40 mm total length, 3 mm width. Habitat: Intertidal. Rocky shore. Soft shore. Bays and sheltered beaches around N.Z. coast. Diet: Filter-feeder, coral foods, crushed flake and mussel and newly hatched Brine shrimp.
Sabellid sp Description: Small white or brown fan worm that grow in a colony in shelterd niches. Fragile tubes with fans up to 10mm across. Sabellid sp.?? (not spallanzanii, the bio security risk!! Habitat: Found around N.Z. coast from 1m to 5m deep in amongst rocks and sand beds. Diet: Filter-feeder, coral foods, crushed flake and mussel and newly hatched Brine shrimp.
Protula bispiralis Description: white calcareous tube with large white tipped red fans in double rows, growing on hard surfaces. Tubes up to 240 mm total length, 12 mm width. Habitat: Found around N.Z. coast from 1m to 30m deep Diet: Filter-feeder, coral foods, crushed flake and mussel and newly hatched Brine shrimp.
Branchiomma Description: It has a rubbery grey tube about 10mm across that closes when the worm is withdrawn. This tube can extend deep into sand. Its cup shaped crown is up to 40mm across and is coloured from a light sandy purple to almost black. Habitat: Found around N.Z. coast from 1m to 5m deep in amongst rocks and sand beds in clear, exposed coarse sand. Diet: Filter-feeder, coral foods, crushed flake and mussel and newly hatched Brine shrimp.