Calcareous tube worm, red tube worm, plume worm • Serpula columbiana, S. vermicularis
Calcareous tube worms (interspersed with anemones) found on the Hakai Institute dock. Photos by Julie Mundy (top left), Josh Silberg (close-up top right), and Paula Crozier (middle)
Identification
This marine worm lives lives in a white calcareous tube that it builds for itself. Often occurring in clumps, these tubes are cemented to hard substrates, on which they may be irregularly coiled into piles or curved and rambling. The head (distal) end of each tube is closed off by a red conical operculum when the worm retracts into the tube. When it emerges, its fringe of red, pinkish-red, or orange-red cirri (tentacles are also visible. These cirri may also be banded with white. These tube worms grow to 10 cm long, are less than 1 cm wide, and have cirri plumes up to 2 cm long.
Habitat & Range
This species forms its tubes on any hard surface, and is most commonly found on rocks, pilings, and floats. The tubes are mostly attached to the substrate along their length, except for the distal (head) end which tends to curve away from the substrate. Calcareous tube worms inhabit waters from the intertidal zone to depths greater than 100 m. They are found from southern California to Alaska, as well as in other oceans and seas around the world.
Sources are conflicted as to whether Serpula vermicularis and S. columbiana are the same species or two geographically-distinct species. Recent studies indicate S. vermicularis should be applied to calcareous tube worms found in the North Atlantic, while S. columbiana should apply to those of the Pacific Northwest.
Intriguing Info
The bright reddish colouring of this species' tentacle plume comes from a special pigment called astaxanthin.
iNaturalist
https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/131207-Serpula-columbiana
This marine worm lives lives in a white calcareous tube that it builds for itself. Often occurring in clumps, these tubes are cemented to hard substrates, on which they may be irregularly coiled into piles or curved and rambling. The head (distal) end of each tube is closed off by a red conical operculum when the worm retracts into the tube. When it emerges, its fringe of red, pinkish-red, or orange-red cirri (tentacles are also visible. These cirri may also be banded with white. These tube worms grow to 10 cm long, are less than 1 cm wide, and have cirri plumes up to 2 cm long.
Habitat & Range
This species forms its tubes on any hard surface, and is most commonly found on rocks, pilings, and floats. The tubes are mostly attached to the substrate along their length, except for the distal (head) end which tends to curve away from the substrate. Calcareous tube worms inhabit waters from the intertidal zone to depths greater than 100 m. They are found from southern California to Alaska, as well as in other oceans and seas around the world.
Sources are conflicted as to whether Serpula vermicularis and S. columbiana are the same species or two geographically-distinct species. Recent studies indicate S. vermicularis should be applied to calcareous tube worms found in the North Atlantic, while S. columbiana should apply to those of the Pacific Northwest.
Intriguing Info
The bright reddish colouring of this species' tentacle plume comes from a special pigment called astaxanthin.
iNaturalist
https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/131207-Serpula-columbiana
References
Harbo, R. M. (1999). Whelks to whales: Coastal marine life of the Pacific Northwest. Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing. P. 53
Cowles, D. (2005). Serpula vermicularis Linnaeus, 1767. Invertebrates of the Salish Sea. Rosario Beach Marine Laboratory. Accessed 23/01/2014.
Lamb, A., and Hanby, B. (2014). AN52. RED-TRUMPET CALCAREOUS TUBEWORM in Marine Life of the Pacific Northwest. Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing. Accessed 23/01/2014.
Authors and editors of page
Kelly Fretwell and Brian Starzomski (2014).
Harbo, R. M. (1999). Whelks to whales: Coastal marine life of the Pacific Northwest. Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing. P. 53
Cowles, D. (2005). Serpula vermicularis Linnaeus, 1767. Invertebrates of the Salish Sea. Rosario Beach Marine Laboratory. Accessed 23/01/2014.
Lamb, A., and Hanby, B. (2014). AN52. RED-TRUMPET CALCAREOUS TUBEWORM in Marine Life of the Pacific Northwest. Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing. Accessed 23/01/2014.
Authors and editors of page
Kelly Fretwell and Brian Starzomski (2014).