Christmas Tree Worm Is A Tree
Christmas tree worms are typical sedentary filter feeders which strain food out of the water column by circulating it through its system.
Christmas tree worm is a tree. The rock is slightly larger than a golf ball with at least ten worms and porites growing over the top half. Christmas tree worm s. The common name for these worms is derived from their appearance not their habitat or diet.
Giganteus binomial name spirobranchus giganteus spirobranchus giganteus commonly known as the christmas tree worm is a tube building polychaete worm belonging to the family serpulidae. Their festive looking crowns protrude from their otherwise tube like body composed of radioles similar to hair appendages radiating from the worm s spines. The crown contains multiple radioles which have fan like cilia branches.
Christmas tree worms spirobranchus giganteus are christmas tree shaped serpulid tube dwelling worms with magnificent twin spirals of plumes used for feeding and respiration. They aren t very big averaging about 1 5 inches in length. The christmas tree worm lives on tropical coral reefs throughout the world in.
Habitat of the christmas tree worm. By ingesting sand and other calcium rich particles the worm excretes calcium carbonate to form a tube in the coral. Christmas tree worms are named for their spindly fir tree like appearance.
You won t find spirobranchus giganteus also known as the christmas tree worm eating your fir tree this year. The christmas tree worm feeds by trapping plankton and other small particles on their plumes. Learn about the life and times of the christmas tree worm classification.
The rest of the worm is typically twice as long and bores into live coral. Their body is usually hidden inside its tube until the spiral christmas tree shaped crown projects from the burrow to feed. The christmas tree is only a portion of the worm.