Spirobranchus giganteus (Christmas tree worm) (San Salvador Island, Bahamas) 2 (16143951435)

Description:

Description: Spirobranchus giganteus Pallas, 1766 - Christmas tree worm at a patch reef. Christmas tree worms construct a calcareous tube in which the body resides. They extend two spiraled sets of appendages in order to filter feed and extract dissolved oxygen from seawater. The Christmas tree worm shown above, at center, is encrusting and mostly overgrown by a bladed fire coral, Millepora complanata. The bright yellow-colored organism at lower right is Porites astreoides - the mustard hill coral. Classification: Animalia, Annelidae, Polychaeta, Sedentaria, Serpulidae Locality: patch reef just southwest of Rocky Point & northern Sand Dollar Beach, northwestern San Salvador Island, Bahamas. Date: 19 March 2011, 15:44. Source: Spirobranchus giganteus (Christmas tree worm) (San Salvador Island, Bahamas) 2. Author: James St. John.