Help ID'ing Puget Sound Worm

[danclem]

Hi:

If anyone can help me ID this worm, I would greatly appreciate it. The location is Edmonds in Puget Sound in about 35 feet of water.

My original thought was that this was a Snow-Speckled Scaleworm (Lepidasthenia longicirrata), but this appears to be quite a bit larger.


Thanks for any assistance,


Dan

 

[LeslieH]

Different family. It's a phyllodocid. I suspect genus Phyllodoce just from the size & overall appearance but I can't be sure without a close up of the head and anterior regions.

 

[danclem]

Hi Leslie:

Thanks for the help. I am enclosing a close-up of the head and front part of the critter in the hope it will help with ID'ing the critter.

Also, I am working on a book about a local dive park, and have had a tough time getting information about worms: how long they live, diet, predators, etc. The individuals I have so far are:

1. Scaleworm, Snow Speckled (Lepidasthenia longicirrata) ?? Polychaete
2. Worm, Calcerous Tube (Serpula vermicularis)
3. Worm, Feather Duster (Eudistylia vancouveri)
4. Worm, Orange Ribbon (Carinella speciosa)
5. Worm, Six Lined Ribbon (Tubulanus sexlineatus)
​

If you have any suggestions or resources to check out, the information would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Dan