Hydroides norvegica | |
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Chaetopoda, H. norvegica is at bottom left. | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Annelida |
Class: | Polychaeta |
Order: | Sabellida |
Family: | Serpulidae |
Genus: | Hydroides |
Species: | H. norvegica |
Binomial name | |
Hydroides norvegica | |
Synonyms | |
H. norvegicus, Gunnerus, 1768 [2] |
Hydroides norvegica is a species of tube-forming annelid worm in the family Serpulidae. It is found on submerged rocks, shells, piles and boats in many coastal areas around the world. It is the type species of the genus Hydroides .
Polychaetes, or marine bristle worms, have elongated bodies divided into many segments. Each segment may bear setae (bristles) and parapodia (paddle-like appendages). Some species live freely, either swimming, crawling or burrowing, and these are known as "errant". Others live permanently in tubes, either calcareous or parchment-like, and these are known as "sedentary".
This serpulid worm lives inside a protective calcareous tube. The worm has about one hundred segments each bearing chitinous bristles called chaetae. There are twelve to nineteen pairs of tentacles surrounding the operculum, which looks slantingly cut. The head of the worm protrudes from the tube and is surrounded by a crown of tentacles. It looks like a low, round cup, with a fairly small mouth in the middle, and 16 small teeth or beams around the head’s edge. [3] The worm grows to up to thirty millimetres long. The abdomen is red and crown is also red with white cross-bands. The operculum is either red or has two red rings. Two distinguishing features are the opercular whorl and the chaetae forming a collar. [3] The tube is white and chalky, about fifty milliimetres long and two millimetres wide. It is thin walled with many curved growth lines on the sides. The surface is smooth and often has distinct growth rings. The tube meanders irregularly over the substrate. [4]
This species is found in the Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea, the Indian Ocean, the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea. It is found from the eulittoral zone to around 350 metres and is a true marine species. This is in contrast to the harbour fouling invasive species Hydroides elegans with which it is sometimes confused. [3]
A study was made of the rate of growth of H. norvegica and other sedentary organisms in Madras Harbour, India. The worms attached themselves in very large numbers to suitable surfaces and secreted translucent tubes which later becomes calcareous. The tubes grew vigorously along the surface of the substrate but were so crowded that they sometimes grew vertically and were subsequently broken off by wave action. In the laboratory, tanks containing artificially fertilized eggs were kept and the worms underwent all the normal stages of development and attained a very large size (ten centimetres long). Individuals became mature and started breeding within ninety days of settling on the substrate. [5]
A study was made in Hawaii into the species involved in fouling man made structures immersed in the sea at depths of fifty and one hundred feet. The dominant species involved were found to be the little striped barnacle, Balanus amphitrite , the crested oyster, Ostrea equestris and Hydroides norvegica and a stable community was produced after two to four months at fifty feet and slightly longer at one hundred feet. In four months, H. norvegica reached a length of three centimetres, and with the other fouling organisms covered the panels that were used. A late arriving fouling organism was the brown alga, Padina japonica . This was not present till the fourth month but was dominant after nine months, extending to nine centimetres in diameter and displacing the other organisms. [6]
Spirobranchus giganteus, commonly known as the Christmas tree worm, is a tube-building polychaete worm belonging to the family Serpulidae.
Hydroides is a genus of tube-forming serpulid worms found on submerged saltwater rocks, shells, and boats in many coastal areas around the world.
Sabellidae, or feather duster worms, are a family of marine polychaete tube worms characterized by protruding feathery branchiae. Sabellids build tubes out of a tough, parchment-like exudate, strengthened with sand and bits of shell. Unlike the other sabellids, the genus Glomerula secretes a tube of calcium carbonate instead. Sabellidae can be found in subtidal habitats around the world. Their oldest fossils are known from the Early Jurassic.
Pomatoceros triqueter is a species of tube-building annelid worm in the class Polychaeta. It is common on the north eastern coasts of the Atlantic Ocean and in the Mediterranean Sea.
Spirorbis borealis is a sedentary marine polychaete worm in the Serpulidae family. It is commonly called the sinistral spiral tubeworm and is the type species of the genus Spirorbis.
Sabellastarte spectabilis is a species of benthic marine polychaete worm in the Sabellidae family. It is commonly known as the feather duster worm, feather duster or fan worm. It is native to tropical waters of the Indo-Pacific but has spread to other parts of the world. It is popular in aquariums because of its distinctive appearance and its ability to remove organic particles and improve water quality.
Eupolymnia nebulosa is a species of sedentary marine polychaete worm in the Terebellidae family. It builds a tube of slime under stones or large shells on soft substrates on the lower shore and down to depths of about 500 metres.
Chaetopterus variopedatus is a species of parchment worm, a marine polychaete in the family Chaetopteridae. It is found worldwide. However, recent discoveries from molecular phylogeny analysis show that Chaetopterus variopedatus sensu Hartman (1959) is not a single species.
Amphitrite ornata or ornate worm, is a species of marine polychaete worm in the family Terebellidae.
Cirratulus cirratus is a species of marine polychaete worm in the family Cirratulidae. It occurs in the littoral and sub-littoral zones of the Atlantic Ocean.
Cirratulidae is a family of marine polychaete worms. Members of the family are found worldwide, mostly living in mud or rock crevices. Most are deposit feeders, but some graze on algae or are suspension feeders.
Lanice conchilega, commonly known as the sand mason worm, is a species of burrowing marine polychaete worm. It builds a characteristic tube which projects from the seabed, consisting of cemented sand grains and shell fragments with a fringe at the top.
Abarenicola pacifica or the Pacific lugworm is a large species of polychaete worm found on the west coast of North America and also in Japan. The worms live out of sight in burrows under the sand and produce casts which are visible on the surface.
Lagis koreni, commonly known as the trumpet worm, is a species of marine polychaete worm found in European waters. It lives within a narrow conical tube made of grains of sand and shell fragments.
Serpula vermicularis, known by common names including the calcareous tubeworm, fan worm, plume worm or red tube worm, is a species of segmented marine polychaete worm in the family Serpulidae. It is the type species of the genus Serpula and was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1767 12th edition of Systema Naturae. It lives in a tube into which it can retract.
Sabellaria spinulosa is a species of marine polychaete worm in the family Sabellariidae, commonly known as the Ross worm. It lives in a tube built of sand, gravel and pieces of shell.
Neosabellaria cementarium is a species of marine tube worm in the family Sabellariidae, perhaps better known by its previous name, Sabellaria cementarium. It is found in the North Pacific Ocean.
Polydora ciliata is a species of annelid worm in the family Spionidae, commonly known as a bristleworm. It is a burrowing worm and is found in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean and some other parts of the world.
Hydroides elegans is a species of tube-forming serpulid worms. It is a harbour fouling invasive species, in contrast with Hydroides norvegica with which it is sometimes confused.
Hydroides ezoensis is a species of tube-forming annelid worm in the family Serpulidae. It is native to the temperate northern Pacific and the central Indo-Pacific and is found in the intertidal zone and on submerged rocks, shells, pilings, jetties and boats.