Spirobranchus giganteus embedded in a brain coral in a reef in Bonaire. [3], While the worm itself has no commercial fishery importance, it is of interest to marine aquarists and divers. Christmas tree worms come in a variety of bright colors. The Genus Spirobranchus. However, because of their distinctive … As the species is widespread and relatively common, no conservation efforts focus on this species (or polychaetes in general). Spirobranchus giganteus is similar to most tube-building polychaetes. They reproduce by sending eggs and sperm into the water. This tube serves as the worm's home and protection. This often leads to tissue loss which is then replaced by the growth of algae of sponges, inhibiting the regrowth of coral tissue. S. giganteus, like other members of its family, possesses a modified radiole, usually called the operculum, that it uses to secure its hole when withdrawn into its tube. Posted in Blog. 1; 2; 3; First Prev 3 of 3 Go to page. It has a tubular, segmented body of an approximate length of 3.8 cm (1.5 in) covered with chaetae, small appendages that aid the worm's mobility. Christmas tree worms are widely distributed throughout the world's tropical oceans. var prefix = 'ma' + 'il' + 'to'; 2019), New Heaven Dive School office 9am-7pm: +66 (0) 77 457 045. As sedentary inhabitants of coral reefs, Christmas tree worms feed primarily by filter feeding. The worms use their spiral, tree-like appendages (called radioles) for both respiration and to filter food from the water. A “forest” of colorful Christmas tree worms on a … This species was thought to be exclusively found in coralheads, however they have also recently been described as epibionts on the giant clam species Tridacna squamosa in the Gulf of Thailand. They are found throughout the tropical oceans, including the Caribbean and the Indo-Pacific. The Christmas tree worm (seen in the photo below), resembles a small, decorated spruce tree, and is a notable bio-eroder of coral reefs. Their bright colors and intricate anatomy make them a highly conspicuous feature on the reefs, which invites viewers in for a closer look. He found that Porites corals were most susceptible to damage, and that overwhelmingly this damage was caused by the worms that had filamentous algae growing on their opercula. Encrusting species of Porites, like the Boulder Coral, often enter the aquarium trade on live rock, or as a Christmas Tree Worm Rock. Aug 30, 2020 #41 BSA Corals Valuable Member View Badges. For the computer worm, see, Learn how and when to remove this template message, "A three-way association causing coral injuries in the Red Sea", "Filamentous turf algae on tube worms intensify damage in massive Porites corals", "Christmas Tree Worms (Spirobranchus giganteus) guide", "Age-estimation of the Christmas Tree Worm Spirobranchus giganteus (Polychaeta, Serpulidae) Living Buried in the Coral Skeleton from the Coral-growth Band of the Host Coral", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Spirobranchus_giganteus&oldid=977125693, Articles needing additional references from February 2018, All articles needing additional references, Articles with unsourced statements from July 2007, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 7 September 2020, at 02:39. Gold Sponsor. Two subspecies are recognized by the ITIS: S. giganteus corniculatus[6] and S. giganteusa giganteus.[7]. Like members of its family, it can secrete a calcareous tube around its body. He looked at the effect that the worms were having on the host corals they were incorporated into. As the worms feed, or when threatened, they retreat down into their protective tube, which is securely closed by an operculum (a sort of lid). But what exactly are these animals, and what kind of role do they play regarding symbiosis on the coral reef? When startled, Christmas tree worms rapidly retract into their burrows, hiding from would-be predators. In fact, while the colorful crowns of these worms are visible, most of their bodies are anchored in burrows that they bore into live coral. Further studies are needed to shed more light on the nuances of this relationship, such as the survival of coral containing worms and those absent of them during bleaching or disease events. Like members of its family, it can secrete a calcareoustube around its body. The symbiotic relationship between S. giganteus and its host corals is still poorly understood, but occasionally the movement of the operculum can abrade the coral tissue, and that mortality of the coral tissue is enhanced when the worm's operculum hosts filamentous algae. In 2015, a student from the Naturalis Biodiversity Center of the Netherlands, Roel van der Shoot, came to our program on Koh Tao to conduct his project, investigation the role that Spirobranchus plays on our reefs. It is also not clear as to what degree other factors contributed, such as the orientation of the worm in relation to the coral, which could be an important factor. In the background, you can see the white discoloration indicating damage to the coral. S. giganteus usually settles onto an existing head of living coral before secreting its tube, thereby increasing its level of protection as coral tissue overgrows the calcareous tube. As an annelid, S. giganteus possesses a complete digestive system and has a well-developed closed circulatory system. Joined Aug 27, 2014 Messages 1,833 Reaction score 1,408. Fertilized eggs develop into larvae that live as plankton for nine to 12 days and then settle on coral, where they produce a mucus tube that develops into a calcareous tube. His results were recently published in the scientific journal. Figure from the paper, showing damage to Porites corals from Spirobrnachus Individuals (Hoeksema et al. There are male and female Christmas tree worms. When they reproduce, they simply shed their gametes straight into the water where the eggs and spermatozoa become part of the zooplankton to be carried by the currents. It is a polychaete worm, which means it’s in a class of worms generally found in marine environments 4. Spirobranchus giganteus, commonly known as the Christmas tree worm, is a tube-building polychaete worm belonging to the family Serpulidae. This is interesting, as it implies some further reasons for the association between the worms and the algae. ReeferBlaine said: The new piece has acclimated fairly … [1], S. giganteus is commonly found embedded entirely in heads of massive corals, such as stony corals Porites and brain corals. My new show piece... Thread starter ReeferBlaine; Start date Jul 19, 2020; Tagged users None Prev. They have been known to occur from the Caribbean to the Indo-Pacific. Christmas Tree Worms are a member of the Spirobranchus genus of tube building annelid worms. Over time, this tube is usually grown over by living coral tissue and becomes integrated into the coral’s skeleton, increasing the worm’s protection. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Keeping the coral alive isn't absolutely necessary for worm survival, but it does seem to help. So, the worm obviously benefits greatly by living in host coral heads, but what does the coral think of all this? 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