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Reteterebella queenslandia
Reteterebella queenslandia
Hartman 1863
Spaghetti worm
Lachlan Gleeson (2011)
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Content Summary
Brief Summary
Reteterebella queenslandia
is a sedentary deposit feeding polychaete found at Heron Island in the Great Barrier Reef (Mather and Bennett, 1993). It is commonly referred to as a spaghetti worm because of its mass of white buccal tentacles, which it uses as sensory systems and feeding appendages (Davie
et al.,
2011
)
.
R. queenslandia
also posses three pairs of extensively branched branchiae located anteriorly, next to the mouth.
R. queenslandia
feeds by passing sand particles along grooves in its tentacles towards its mouth. The particles are then sorted according to size, coated in mucus and either ingested or used to build a protective casing.
Typically
R. queenslandia
use crypsis to avoid predation by larger fish. In the reef system, the only visible part is the mass of feeding tentacles that comb the sand. If these tentacles are touched, then they immediately retract back into the polychaetes hiding crevice to avoid predation. This also makes it very difficult to gain estimates of population sizes. Because of this crypsis, overall population estimates are very poor. Currently
R. queenslandia
is described as being endemic to Heron Island, however the complete lifecycle and dispersal capabilities are unknown. It is likely that
R. queenslandia
occurs throughout the Great Barrier Reef but is yet to be correctly identified at other locations.
A fixed specimen of
Reteterebella queenslandia
showing mass of bu
c
cal tentacles and reduced setae before it is sectioned
Reteterebella queenslandia
tentacles protruding out of a clump of coral/macroalgae.
R. queenslandia
are found under every other boulder in the sandy inner reef area of Heron Island
Classification
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Annelida
Class
Polychaeta
Order
Terebellida
Family
Terebellidae
Genus
Reteterebella
Synonyms
Reterebella queenslandia
([auctt.])
Common Names
カワリフサゴカイ
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