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Serpulavermicularis bar
Serpulavermicularis

Basic Information


A tube worm Serpula vermicularis.
Image: Paul Naylor

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At only a few sites in the UK, the tubes of Serpula worms form reefs that are home to a rich community of seaweeds and animals. They feed by extending a bright red fan of tentacles that are quickly withdrawn when danger approaches.
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Click here to view the MarLIN pages for this species.		 If you have seen this species, please send in your records by clicking here.
Phylum Annelida Segmented worms e.g. ragworms, tubeworms & fanworms
Class Polychaeta
Recorded distribution in Britain and Ireland Distributed mainly around the north-west coast of Scotland. Also present on the north-east coast of England and the north-west coast of Ireland with scattered records around much of the coast of Britain and Ireland.
Habitat information The calcareous tubes of Serpula vermicularis can be found attached to hard substrata such as rocks, stones, bivalve shells and ship hull's from low water to the sublittoral in depths up to 250 m. In some very sheltered areas the tubes aggregate together to form small reefs.
Description Serpula vermicularis is a slender, tube-dwelling polychaete between 5 and 7 cm in length with about 200 segments. The tubes are cylindrical with occasional rings and irregular lengthwise ridges cut into blunt teeth. The operculum is calcareous and funnel shaped with radial grooves and a serrated circumference. The colour of the body of the worm varies from pale yellow to brick red. The tube is pinkish-white and the operculum is patterned with red and white rays.