Spirorbis corallinae
| Spirorbis corallinae | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Annelida |
| Clade: | Pleistoannelida |
| Clade: | Sedentaria |
| Order: | Sabellida |
| Family: | Serpulidae |
| Genus: | Spirorbis |
| Species: | S. corallinae
|
| Binomial name | |
| Spirorbis corallinae De Silva and Knight-Jones, 1962
| |
Spirorbis corallinae is a very small (1-2 mm) coiled polychaete (bristle worm) that lives attached to seaweed in shallow saltwater.
It has a smooth, white or
sinistral
(left-handed) coiled shell encasing an orange body about 1.5 mm in length.
The worm has a short
predators and desiccation
when out of water.
It lives primarily on the red algae fronds.
The Spirorbis
hermaphrodites, who brood their young in a tube attached to the worm inside the shell. The larvae
are released at an advanced stage of development and spend just a few hours as free-living organisms before attaching themselves to the nearest suitable surface, often the same seaweed as the parent.
Distribution
Ireland, north and west coasts of Britain; also the coast from North Norway to North France.
External links
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