Global InformationSpirobranchus cariniferus information
| Blue tubeworm | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Annelida |
| Clade: | Pleistoannelida |
| Clade: | Sedentaria |
| Order: | Sabellida |
| Family: | Serpulidae |
| Genus: | Spirobranchus |
| Species: | S. cariniferus
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| Binomial name | |
| Spirobranchus cariniferus Gray, 1843
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Spirobranchus cariniferus, commonly known as the blue tubeworm or spiny tubeworm, or by its Māori name toke pā, is a species of tube-building polychaete worm endemic to New Zealand.[1][2][3]
This species forms patchy, belt-like colonies of hard, white, triangular tubes, each containing a bright blue worm. These are cemented to the shaded side of rocks in the lower to mid-tidal zone. It may also inhabit hard objects such as dead shells and small stones. When submerged, it puts out a fan of dark-blue tentacles to feed, which it retracts during low tide.[1][2][4]
Individuals living in Dunedin's Otago Harbour are the only polychaetes known to host gregarine parasites. Little is known about their impact on the worms, but it is likely to be a negative one.[5]
- ^ a b Carson, Sally; Morris, Rod (2017). Collins Field Guide to the New Zealand Seashore. Auckland: HarperCollins Publishers New Zealand. ISBN 978-1775540106.
- ^ a b "Spirobranchus cariniferus (Gray, 1843)". www.annelida.net. Retrieved 2019-06-08.
- ^ "WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Spirobranchus cariniferus (Gray, 1843)". www.marinespecies.org. Retrieved 2019-06-08.
- ^ Smith, AM; Henderson, ZE; Kennedy, M; King, TM; Spencer, HG (2012-06-26). "Reef formation versus solitariness in two New Zealand serpulids does not involve cryptic species". Aquatic Biology. 16 (1): 97–103. doi:10.3354/ab00444. ISSN 1864-7782.
- ^ Poulin, R.; Randhawa, H. S.; Peoples, R. C. (2012). "Parasites of polychaetes and their impact on host survival in Otago Harbour, New Zealand". Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. 92 (3): 449–455. doi:10.1017/S0025315411000774. ISSN 1469-7769.