What is this??
- Thread starter Shawn
- Start date
- Messages
- 1,455
- Reaction score
- 2,360
My thoughts as well. I gave another member some chaeto (and told the member I had bristle worms) and they were concerned it might be a bobbit worm. Just trying to make sure it’s not a bobbit because I would tear my tank apart stat!
Doesn’t look like a bristle or a bobbit to me.
It’s hard to tell the worm size and camera focus. Any chance for a better picture?
It’s hard to tell the worm size and camera focus. Any chance for a better picture?
Zoomed in. Striped antennae things folded down in the photo were outstretched in V shaped. Tail moved independently from the body. Legs were a big longer than the much smaller baby bristleworms I’ve started seeing. Just wanted to know if I should be doing a deep clean this weekend!
It's tiny but, gun to my head, I'd call it a eunicid sp. of some sort. It's possible that this is the adult form for this particular worm and I don't know what I'm talking about but it looks like the antenna will be striped and that freaks me out. Plus, the "head" seems a bit more complex than the standard bristle worm. Right now the body's outline appears to be smooth but I'd get rid of it regardless.
Oh, it’s dead as of last night! I check my tank at dark every night.
Great photos! Much better.
It could be a eunicid/bobbit... but I’m not sold on that. There are so many worms out there... this one is new/strange to me.
It could be a eunicid/bobbit... but I’m not sold on that. There are so many worms out there... this one is new/strange to me.
Yes! Hopefully this pic is of an adult and that's exactly what it is. If anyone finds another something similar to this, I'd love to take it off your hands. I've got an experiment tank setup just for stuff like these. It used to be occupied by predatory snails but most of them have gone home to glory. I'd love to drop one of these bad boys in and see what it lives like. On that note, if anyone does have a bobbit worm, I'd also like one of those for the tank.
Actually, I disagreed and don’t believe that this is any type of planarian. I’m open to listening, but am pretty confident.
I suspect it’s more closely related to bobbit and bristleworms, due to the segmented body and antennae.
I suspect it’s more closely related to bobbit and bristleworms, due to the segmented body and antennae.
It has the shape of a planarian, but could be any variety of flatworm. Check out the basic anatomy of the phylum Platyhelminthes.
Platyhelminthes
I hesitate to say bristle worm, because even in larval state you would see bristles. I do not see any here. Planarian doesn't necessarily refer to those tiny little flatworms that grow on the glass.
I agree not a planarian with the goofy spaced eyes. This creature was not nearly as flat or wide as a flatworm either. Long red and clear striped antennae are fold back by the body in my photo, which was a drop of water on a piece of trash. I hope that whatever this is was not adult age to reproduce. I’ll be sure to keep an eye out for more. I think it’s Eunicid family as others suggested.
@Tanster2 I stand by my statement: I just don’t believe it’s any type of planarian. It just looks taxonomically and aesthetically different including body shape and apparent anatomy... including your suggestion of platyhelminthes. But that’s just based on my invert experience.
@Shawn I think your dorvilleidae suggestion is promising. The ones I’ve seen before look just like the Google images, but I think this is a solid lead.
@Shawn I think your dorvilleidae suggestion is promising. The ones I’ve seen before look just like the Google images, but I think this is a solid lead.
Last edited:
That's awesome. I love this forum. I've learned more about different types or marine worms in the last few hours than I ever thought I would know in my entire life. It's so cool that we're all interested enough in this random and obscure topic that we go poking around the internet trying to figure out what it might be. It's also neat to see all of the random scientific papers written on the topic. Science is awesome and so is the community we've got going here.
Here's to us, here's to science and here's to random critters we find hiding in our glass boxes!
Here's to us, here's to science and here's to random critters we find hiding in our glass boxes!
- Messages
- 1,455
- Reaction score
- 2,360
When we're in charge of keeping animals alive (and not wasting money) we can't afford to NOT be interested in this random and obscure topic. The wrong thing could be deadly to our pets and our wallets, so we have to know what's in our tanks!
