Sabellinae

All Biocode files are based on field identifications to the best of the researcher’s ability at the time.

All Biocode files are based on field identifications to the best of the researcher’s ability at the time.

All Biocode files are based on field identifications to the best of the researcher’s ability at the time.

All Biocode files are based on field identifications to the best of the researcher’s ability at the time.

All Biocode files are based on field identifications to the best of the researcher’s ability at the time.

This worm detects any shadow and rapidly retreats into its parchment tube. Depth 15 m.

A view of the animal partly retracted into its slime tube

When removed from the tube, this individual is about 6 cm total length. Note that the animal has immediately begun to produce a new mass of mucus around itself.

The radioles of this species are united through much of their length into a distinctive funnel.

The thorax has 8 segments, the first 5 or 6 of which (at least) have long-handled uncini and no pickaxe-shaped setae.

The abdominal uncini form rows that go nearly all the way around the animal.

A colony of Myxicola infundibulum on the side of a dock. The colony is about 30 cm across and each funnel-like set of radioles is about 2.5-3 cm across. The entire colony is a ball of mucus that remains when the animals withdraw rapidly into their slime tubes. (Photo by: Dave Cowles, July 2014)

This view shows the entire animal outside its tube.

This closeup view of the tube shows how the tip of the tube (to the right) curls over and covers the end when the animal is not sticking out.

In this view the ocelli (dark spots) can be seen on the radioles. The ocelli can sense light and dark, allowing the animal to pull rapidly inside its tube when a shadow passes over it.

In this view of the thoracic parapodia the neuropodia (above, directly facing the camera) can be seen to be short-handled, avicular uncini (or with no handles at all) that are in a straight or slightly sinuous line. The notopodia (below) have both long limbate and shorter spatulate setae. This is a view of the left side of the animal which is outside its tube. The animal's ventral side (smooth, white) is up in this photo.

Laonome kroeyeri in its tube. The tube is about 1 cm in diameter and 25 cm long. This individual was caught by otter trawl at about 75 m depth in the San Juan Channel. (Photo by: Dave Cowles, July 2008)