Polychaeta
Tubeworms
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There are several species of large tubeworms on our coast, the largest and/or most conspicuous being found in two Families: Sabellidae and Serpulidae,   Other tubeworms exist in large colonies (F. Cirratulidae) or build delicate sand or shell tubes in mud (F. Spionidae).

NOTE  contemporary classification of polychaetes seems less attentive to categorising families into larger taxonomic groups but, rather, to grouping them into functional groups of feeding, habitat type, and so on, and this is the approach used here.  Thus, mainly burrowing forms can be found in the LUGWORM part, mainly tube-dwelling species are here in the TUBEWORM part, and mainly free-living forms are in the SANDWORM part of the ODYSSEY.  Because this separation is not finely tuned there will some arbitrary decisions made as to which Family goes where and one or two families appear in more than one section of the ODYSSEY (e.g., Spionidae)

   

ANIMATION of the snail's odyssey © Thomas Carefoot 2026
map used by the snail in A SNAIL'S ODYSSEY

To navigate through the ODYSSEY:

  • Select a TOPIC from the menu at the top of the screen
  • OR: play the animation to the left
  • OR: follow the snail's ODYSSEY by CLICKING on any X-marked invertebrate on the map above

Phylum Annelida (lit. “rings” L.) referring to the segmented nature of the body

Class Polychaeta (lit. “many bristles” G.) marine segmented worms.  Grouped below are mainly forms that inhabit parchment, calcareous, or sand/mud tubes that filter-feed or deposit-feed

Family Sabellidae (lit. “sand” L.), including  tube-dwelling polychaetes commonly called “fan worms” or “feather-duster worms”, inhabiting tubes of mucus/sediment.  Of about 300 world species of sabellids, 45 are known from the west coast of North America, including Eudistylia spp. and Schizobranchia insignis

Family Serpulidae (lit. “a little snake” L.), including several tube-dwelling polychaetes inhabiting tubes of primarily calcium carbonate, of which the largest representative on the west coast is Serpula columbiana; also including the spirorbids (lit. “coil” L.), a collection of small species inhabiting coiled calcareous tubes attached to hard substrata, such as Spirorbis spp. and Paradexiospira vitrea

Family Terebellidae (lit. “round or smooth” L.), including an number of tube-dwelling or burrowing forms noted for their long, prehensile tentacles that spread out widely over the sediment while they feed.  A common species is Thelepus crispus

Family Cirratulidae (lit. “a curl of hair” L.), including tube-dwelling polychaetes, some existing in sprawling calcium-encased colonies such as Dodecaceria fewkesi

Family Spionidae (lit. “sea nymph” L.) is a large and commonly seen group of small tube-dwelling or free-burrowing forms (90 species in California alone) that deposit-feed using palps, including Streblospio benedicti and Polydora (ligni) cornuta

Family Oweniidae, including small deposit-feeding forms inhabiting mucous tubes constructed of sand or shell fragments, sometimes forming dense tube mats, such as Owenia collaris

Family Sabellariidae (lit. “sand” L.), including tube-dwelling forms such as Phragmatopoma californica and Sabellaria cementarium that construct often dense, reef-like colonies on rocks along the shore

Family Pectinariidae (lit. "comb"L.), including “ice-cream cone” worms Pectinaria californiensis that live buried in sediment within tapered, sandy tubes that are open at both ends. The worm's head bears a row of flattened bristles, presumably for defense

Family Chaetopteridae, including parchment worms Chaetopterus sp. that live in tubes in sandy/mud habitats

NOTE  formerly Serpula vermicularis.  The species S. vermicularis has existed since its official naming by Linnaeus in the 1767.  Since then it has been used to designate similar-appearing tubeworms the world over, now referred to as the “Serpula-vermicularis species complex”.  However, recent studies at Friday Harbor Laboratories, Washington have separated the northern world distribution of the worm into three species, of which S. columbiana is now the representative from the west coast of North America.  Serpula vermicularis is now designated as the species from the Norwegian Sea and Europe.

NOTE  Phragmatopoma californica is found on the west coast from southern California to Mexico.  While it has been reported to interbreed with the the Atlantic-coast P. caudata, recent genetics studies show that they are, indeed, separate species.

Kupriyanova   1999   Ophelia 50: 21
Drake et al.   2007   Mar Biol 150: 345

Research Study 1

Fig. 1.  Tube-like formations in Mars rocks
Fig. 2.  Odd-shaped structures from the Mars rover 'Curiosity' that resemble mineralised tubeworm tubes found on Earth OR are they a result of simple crystalline growth...?  The yellow markings are simply for analyses of lengths.  S8, for example, is 0.26cm in length
Courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

TUBEWORMS ON MARS?  A good example of how quickly things change is shown in the field of Astrobiology, where several scientific groups1 have reported evidence showing that tubelike formations in sediments of Mars, gathered by various rover machines, bear features in common with tubeworms on Earth (Figs. 1 - 2).  Their general worm-tube appearance combined with associated hematite2 crystals in soils of Mars suggests that they may have originated in hydrothermal vents like the ones hosting populations of large tubeworms on Earth.  First observed in 2018, these tubeworm-like3 fossils along with similar evidence of what appears to be fossilised fungi, lichens, and algae have generated considerable research interest by scientists and, of course, provide support to theories that life did exist on Mars.  Evidence shows that tubeworm fossils on Mars bear similarity to tubeworm fossils on Earth.  The authors further posit that certain craters on Mars contained water heated by hydrothermal vents that may have supported tubeworm life.  

NOTE1  perusal of the authors' References list in this current publication reveals that about 10 research groups around the world to date refer to geological structures on Mars that closely resemble extant tubeworm species on Earth

NOTE2  hematite is an oxide of iron (Fe2O3), non-magnetic, slightly softer than quartz, and is common in soils.  Its hardness led to evolutionary incorporation in the cusps of limpets.  It is a metamorphic rock and is commonly associated with deep marine thermal vents on Earth.

NOTE3  if this is true, wouldn't it be an experience of a lifetime to see the arrangement of soft parts of a Martian tubeworm to compare with those of a tubeworm on Earth?  Any convergent evolution, do you think

 

EDITOR'S NOTE  from a dyed-in-the-wool invertebratologist's point of view, this would be the stuff of snake-oil-salesmen were it not for the fact that it comes from reputable scientists.  What exactly do we have here?...a few crusty tubelike things that could be just elongated gas bubbles or crystalline formations.  It's too bad that instead of too-quick designation of them as "tubeworms", thus skipping a billion-or so years in evolution without a shred of evidence, why didn't the originators (not the present authors) just call them elongated "worm-shaped tubes".  Do the scientists really think that some future expedition will dig really deep into Martian soils and find evidence of a progenitor worm, possibly segmented, in an ancient hydrothermal vent?!  Well, it could happen, and if it does it would be stupendous lift for NASA.  For now, though, perhaps these scientists should be cautioned against wild hypothesising, get their collective heads out of the stars, and sponsor a return of Matt Damon to Mars with a team of biologists, not just the usual engineers, astrophysicists, and cosmologists...

NOTE  the Journal of Astrobiology in which the present paper is published, is a reputable, peer-reviewed journal, in business since 2002

Suamanarathna et al.   2021   J Astrobiol 10: 38