JEBoothjr Posted July 20, 2003 Share Posted July 20, 2003 I'm pretty sure it's not a bristleworm, because I have one of those, but I'm nont sure what it is. I got this live rock a week or two ago and it's been hanging on the side of the rock in the same place the whole time, but this morning, it was on the rock below it and continues to move a little. It's not smooth and has a definite scaly/bumpy texture to it. Link to comment
JEBoothjr Posted July 20, 2003 Author Share Posted July 20, 2003 It's probably about 1" or so. It was squirming by the edge of a rock and I think fell off, so I'm not sure where he is now. Maybe a hermit made mincemeat of it, I'm not sure. But I'd still like to know what it is. Link to comment
Acoustic Posted July 21, 2003 Share Posted July 21, 2003 Ribbon worms are rarely, but occasionally, found in marine reef aquaria. They probably enter as hitchhikers on live rock. These are often long worms, the largest are well over 100 feet long, and they lack segments or any side appendages, characteristics that will distinguish them from the "bristle worms" or polychaete annelids. Different species are colored differently and they are often brilliantly colored. They catch their prey with a long extensible proboscis that is often tipped with a venomous barb. They may eat crustaceans or various other worms. They move by a combination of gliding and "peristalsis" (or the passing of waves of muscle contractions and elongations down the body). Unlike the flatworms that they superficially resemble, they have a complete gut with mouth and anus, and a circulatory system Link to comment
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