European Fan Worm

The original description as Tubularia spallanzanii Gmelin 1791 is as follows: "Cirris quinis plumosis utrinque pectinatis, tubulo cylindrico corneo inferne incurvo [= Five feathery circles combed on each side, with a horny cylindrical tube incurved below.]. Müller's 1776 brief diagnosis of Tubularia penicillus is closely similar to this later diagnosis for Serpula penicillus in Gmelin.

Knight-Jones & Perkins (1998) placed Sabella gracillima Kinberg, 1867 from Rio de Janeiro, and four names in Spirographis erected by Hansen, one from Rio, and a further species, Spirographis braziliensis Treadwell, 1932, all as synonyms of Sabella spallanzanii. It is not clear if they examined the types. So, apparently Sabella spallanzanii did occur around Rio de Janeiro in the mid 19th C. There are no modern reports, which seems unusual with such a conspicuous worm unless the population has died out.