Rafi Amar, Israel
Info
Alciopini Ehlers, 1864
It is a polychaete worm in the family Alciopini. The red spots are enlarged eyes. These are all pelagic worms which spend their entire lives swimming in the water.
They are predators as far as we know, feeding presumably on smaller planktonic animals. Certainly not the kind of worm that would ever show up as a hitch-hiker in a reef tank!
It is rather surprising to see one on the bottom but I guess that's not unusual -- divers see jellyfish and all kinds of pelagic animals on the bottom.
This information is from Leslie Harris, a polychaete expert from LA. Thank you very much Leslie!
It is a polychaete worm in the family Alciopini. The red spots are enlarged eyes. These are all pelagic worms which spend their entire lives swimming in the water.
They are predators as far as we know, feeding presumably on smaller planktonic animals. Certainly not the kind of worm that would ever show up as a hitch-hiker in a reef tank!
It is rather surprising to see one on the bottom but I guess that's not unusual -- divers see jellyfish and all kinds of pelagic animals on the bottom.
This information is from Leslie Harris, a polychaete expert from LA. Thank you very much Leslie!
