Is This A Bristleworm?

[Shadowrider]

First I've seen in my tank. There were two on the glass and my clown got one of them. It looked like a bristleworm but was only about a quarter inch long so I used a small baster and sucked it off the glass. I haven't seen any others.

[dshnarw]

yep

[Shadowrider]

yep

 

I guess I can thank my clown for eating one of them. I hope these two were the only ones in the tank.

[dshnarw]

I guess I can thank my clown for eating one of them. I hope these two were the only ones in the tank.

 

eh, you have lots of them...get up about 4 in the morning and you'll see them. They're actually an essential part of your CUC, and only a few species (of hundreds to thousands) are ever problematic.

[seahorsedreams]

Nope it's not a bristleworm. It's a Dorvilleidae. Harmless and doesn't get much bigger than what you see on the glass. It's interesting if you get up and watch their movement. You'll see their mouth (the black parts) rasping on the glass. I mean yes, they have bristles so they could be grouped with the bristleworms, I guess. But if you saw one in person you would know how different they are from the average "bristleworm". Well, that and their size difference. They are not prolific like your average bristleworms are either.

 

Here's a pic of one from my tank.

 

[dshnarw]

Nope it's not a bristleworm. It's a Dorvilleidae. Harmless and doesn't get much bigger than what you see on the glass. It's interesting if you get up and watch their movement. You'll see their mouth (the black parts) rasping on the glass.

 

Here's a pic of one from my tank.

 

 

 

Still a bristleworm (Class Polychaeta), you've just IDed it further into a Family. Although, based on the pic provided, I'm not sure how you can be certain its that and not one of the other 10,000 species. just sayin...

 

EDIT: I should mention, though, that I appreciate the intro to a new family of bristleworms that I hadn't read about before.

[seahorsedreams]

I believe I said it could still be considered a bristleworm... but when you just say bristleworm to someone and if they did a search on just that term.... it will describe characteristics of the average BW that is nothing like these... nothing. They love grazing on the glass, they are out in the daytime, there can literally only be a handful in your tank and never any more, their population tends to burn out rather easily, they move in a different manner. Once you see them, their appearance is unquestionable... even in a not-so-good picture.

 

And no... I couldn't ID it down that far but Leslie Harris (dubbed Worm Wrangler) can and has.

Just in case someone didn't know who Leslie was Worm Wrangler

[dshnarw]

I believe I said it could still be considered a bristleworm... but when you just say bristleworm to someone and if they did a search on just that term.... it will describe characteristics of the average BW that is nothign like these... nothing.

 

And no... I couldn't ID it down that far but Leslie Harris (dubbed Worm Wrangler) can and has.

Just in case someone didn't know who Leslie was Worm Wrangler

 

sorry - i'm too quick on the trigger - got to it before your edit. I agree that lumping the bristleworms is of issue - it includes the typical bristleworms, Eunice worms, fan/tube worms, and scale worms to name only a few. But generally the term works because probably 99% of all Polychaetes are harmless.

 

My point on the pic was just that I can't tell from the pic Shadowrider posted most of what I'd imagine are the distinguishing features (mouth parts), which is how I wonder if your ID of it is accurate. I have no doubts that your pics are as you say - it's a great pic.

 

EDIT: I DID IT AGAIN!!

[seahorsedreams]

There is one other one is could be (forgot the name).... and is difficult to tell apart even with a good pic. But one is commonly found in the hobby and the other one is not. Process of elimination I guess.

[dshnarw]

There is one other one is could be (forgot the name).... and is difficult to tell apart even with a good pic. But one is commonly found in the hobby and the other one is not. Process of elimination I guess.

 

thats cool. you've won me over now

 

off to research the new worms

[seahorsedreams]

Lemme see if I can find the links Leslie gave to me... can't seem to google any good ones.

[seahorsedreams]

K, in case you really were interested. He sad this about IDing the critter....

 

"Dorvilleidae, possibly genus Dorvillea. The two most common pigment patterns in this genus are 1) solid pink or red or orange body or 2) translucent white body with red transverse stripes either solid or broken. I've also seen the combination of red stripes & white dots. 1 inch would be a good size for Dorvillea species.

[c est ma]

Good discussion, both of you, and it is always helpful to point out how vague the term "bristle worm" really is. (Like Daniel, to me it implies "any polychaete," but to many, I think, it applies only to a certain few...)

 

Renee's ID's are always based on experience and research, IME. And they're as accurate as anything else we customarily ID here on the basis of a picture only...I only point this out to remind everybody, me included, that visual ID's are not exactly science, and probably fairly often inaccurate. Read anything about coral taxonomy and try to be confident ever again! LOL! Same goes for algae, sponges, etc.

 

But since few of us are going to be looking at sclerites or spicules (or worm mouthparts, for that matter), we are stuck with doing the best we can. Surprisingly often that's enough...sometimes a generally accepted ID gives one a "working knowledge" of how to husband a given specimen, whether or not it's a scientifically accurate ID...

 

(I used to work in an electrophoresis lab that routinely turned up "sibling species" thru determination of allelic frequencies...and these were for macro land animals, for the most part!)

 

Back to the topic at hand--I vote for calling all polychaetes BWs and for trying to learn the more accurate divisions of this class, which generally does mean family level distinctions. We already do it for Spirorbids, Serpulids, Sabellids, Eunicids, Amphinomids, etc. I have certainly run across Dorvilleids before as well.

 

Digressively,

 

--Diane

[Shadowrider]

Thanks everyone. Appreciate the research and info. I happened to wake up at 0330 this morning so I came out and checked my tank. I have a small LED flashlight that has a red bulb so I used the red light to inspect the tank. It's a BC29 and the moonlights were on and I couldn't see anything but a couple of snails moving around and my clown bobbing around in the current at the back of the tank. In the evening I can usually see a lot of pods moving around in the tank but early in the morning everything seems quiet. Thanks again for the replies.