Protula_bispiralis

<i>Protula bispiralis</i>

Protula bispiralis

Species of annelid worm

Protula bispiralis, commonly known as the red fanworm or as a mopworm, is a species of marine polychaete worm in the family Serpulidae.[1]

Quick Facts Protula bispiralis, Scientific classification ...

Description

Red fanworms have bodies which grow to 65mm in a tube of up to 10mm in diameter. They are lovely fanworms, having a white shell-like tube and two bright orange-red spirals of feathery branches protruding from it.[2]

Distribution

These animals are found off the southern African coast from Cape Point to Durban, subtidally and to at least 25m.[2]

Ecology

These animals grow under boulders or crevices, and are often seen on vertical rock faces. They use their feeding crowns to catch microplankton.[2]

Synonyms

The following species are synonyms of Protula bispiralis:[1]

  • Protula (Philippiprotula) magnifica Straughan, 1967 (subjective synonym)
  • Protula magnifica Straughan, 1967 (subjective synonym)
  • Serpula (Spiramella) bispiralis Savigny, 1822 (objective synonym)
  • Serpula bispiralis Savigny, 1822 (objective synonym)
  • Spiramella bispiralis (Savigny, 1822) (objective synonym)

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Protula bispiralis.
  1. [1]
    "WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Protula bispiralis (Savigny, 1822)". www.marinespecies.org. Retrieved 28 October 2013.
  2. [2]
    Branch, G.M., Branch, M.L, Griffiths, C.L. and Beckley, L.E. 2010. Two Oceans: a guide to the marine life of southern Africa ISBN 978-1-77007-772-0
Share this article:

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Protula_bispiralis, and is written by contributors. Text is available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 International License; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.