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Bristle worm ID needed |
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Bristle worm ID needed |
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12-01-2001, 12:15 PM
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#1 |
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Mayor
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: Birmingham,AL U.S.A.
Posts: 980
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Bristle worm ID needed
I saw him in my 55. He looks like a reg bristle but hes bi-color. he has red head and the rest of him is kinna blue and hes not that big. Is he dangerous?? I know if hes all red thats bad but bi-color?
Napoleon |
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12-01-2001, 01:42 PM
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#2 |
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Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: Louisiana
Posts: 20,691
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What color are the setae (bristles)? What color are the bushy external gills (on either side of each segment)?
Are you sure that the head shows no blue at all? Is it possible that the blue extends the full length of the worm with reddish external gills on both sides and transparent to opaque white bristles? That would make it a Blue-striped Fire Worm, Eurythoe sp. "KA5-POL-02" which is OK in a reef-tank. I found that one on page 125 of TMCRA, Vol. 3, and it was the only thing I could find with a blue back. Unfortunately, I couldn't find any pics online. Ninong |
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12-01-2001, 02:16 PM
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#3 |
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Council
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: Brookhaven, PA
Posts: 306
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Look like these?
 HTH
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Green Mariner's Saltwater & Reef Aquarium Informational Site PARC Philadelphia Area Reef Club |
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12-01-2001, 02:29 PM
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#4 |
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Mayor
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: Birmingham,AL U.S.A.
Posts: 980
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Yes Green M, those are they. What is it?
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12-01-2001, 03:44 PM
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#5 |
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Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: Louisiana
Posts: 20,691
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That appears to be the Blue-striped Fire Worm, Eurythoe sp. "KA5-POL-02" as I suspected it might be. According to Fossa & Nilsen: "The blue-striped fireworm, Eurythoe sp. "KA5-POL-02" does not appear to cause any damage, since it feeds on detritus and dead organic material. The largest specimen we have ever found in our aquarium was 8 cm long 1-2 cm wide. Normally the specimens are smaller and narrower. The body colour is bright orange to reddish yellow. There is a blue longitudinal stripe on the back. The other body characters are the same as described for E. complanata. Usually the blue-striped fireworm hides under rocks or in crevices, but it can also bury itself in sand. It searches for food along the bottom, primarily at night. It has been observed that this species sometimes enters a giant clam through its incurrent opening. We have kept a large population of blue-striped fireworms in our aquarium, but we were never able to observe any damage caused to giant clams."
Ninong |
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12-02-2001, 12:20 PM
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#6 |
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Mayor
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Leesburg, GA
Posts: 774
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Lets splash a little fuel on this thread
Are there any "known" dangerous bristle worms out there? I've heard one expert say that there probably isn't.
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-Todd |
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12-02-2001, 12:38 PM
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#7 |
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Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: Louisiana
Posts: 20,691
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Yes, there are known dangerous bristle worms. And if you are thinking of the same expert that I am thinking of, he has never said that there are no dangerous bristle worms, only that most bristle worms are harmless and are beneficial in a reef-tank.
There are some so-called hobby experts who have made statements that all bristle worms are a nuisance and should be eradicated from aquariums. Ninong |
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12-02-2001, 07:24 PM
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#8 |
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Mayor
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Robesonia PA US
Posts: 539
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The ecological niche filled by bristle worms, puts them as scavengers and oppurtinistic feeders, aquarits sometimes are quick to judge a bristle worm seen munching on a dead clam. When most times the clam was probably already near death and the bristle worm just took advantage of it in its weakened state.
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