Spirobranchus giganteus, commonly known as Christmas tree worms, are small, tube-building polychaete worms belonging to the family Serpulidae. The worm is aptly named; both its common and Latin names refer to the two chromatically hued spiral structures, the most common feature seen by divers. Actually, the multicolored spirals are merely the worm’s highly derived respiratory structures. S. giganteus […] read more

Sabellidae (feather duster worms) are sedentary marine polychaete tube worms where the head is mostly concealed by feathery branchiae. They build tubes out of parchment, sand, and bits of shell. They tend to be common in the intertidal zones around the world. Feather-duster worms have a crown of feeding appendages or radioles in two fan-shaped clusters projecting […] read more