Need some ID help..

bnboly · Post by **bnboly** » Tue Sep 25, 2007 4:18 pm

Saw this interesting critter 'swimming' up while diving at Titlow. It was about 6" long...

Zen Diver · Post by **Zen Diver** » Tue Sep 25, 2007 4:31 pm

EEEEUUUUUWWWWW!!!!!

Worms!

-Valerie

bnboly · Post by **bnboly** » Tue Sep 25, 2007 5:05 pm

Yea... but it's a swimming worm!

Tom Nic · Post by **Tom Nic** » Tue Sep 25, 2007 5:29 pm

Zen Diver 2 wrote:EEEEUUUUUWWWWW!!!!!

Worms!

-Valerie

I'm with you Val!

Bassman and I had one of these guys visit us in the shallows at the end of a night dive at Titlow. It was creepy... it was a worm after all, and it was FAST, and seemed to be trying to find our lights or hide from them or seemingly wriggle into any crevice it could find. We were glad for our drysuits as visions of a bad sci-fi movie danced in our heads. I'm sure it was / is perfectly harmless, (although I don't think I'd want to be diving without the protection of my dry suit and meet one?!? ](*,) see another thread) I'm not sure we ever got a positive ID... polychaete worm of some sort?

Seth T. · Post by **Seth T.** » Tue Sep 25, 2007 5:59 pm

It's very difficult to get a positive ID on this critter because the flash blew out any detail of his body and color. It could be either a Snow-Speckled Scaleworm (Lepidasthenia longicerrata) or a Red-and-White-Banded Sea-Nymph (Cheilonereis cyclurus).

It's more likely the former as the later is rarely seen out in the open like that.

coachrenz · Post by **coachrenz** » Tue Sep 25, 2007 6:32 pm

Had a worm expert try to identify a similar looking worm with a better photo ( not a shot at the OP's photo but using it as reference) basically say that there was no way to ID to the species level without the worm in hand and on dry land.

So, as Zen Diver put it, polychaete worm of some sort works for me.

bnboly · Post by **bnboly** » Tue Sep 25, 2007 10:33 pm

The worm was all white - no color anywhere.

Burntchef · Post by **Burntchef** » Tue Sep 25, 2007 10:41 pm

if that thing is anything like a bristleworm you better be carefull around it. those little hairs are thousands of barbed stingers that burn like freakin hell. the only way to remove most of them is duct tape, you put it on over the stung area and rip it off real quick. i doubt the stingers are long enough to go thru neoprene but not worth finding out.

i have some in my reef tank, and whenever i stick my hand in there to move things around im super carefull. they live in the live rock so you cant allways see them.