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Spirobranchus giganteus, Christmas tree worm

Common name (e.g. turtle)

Genus + Species (e.g. Caretta caretta)

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Spirobranchus giganteus   (Pallas, 1766)

Christmas tree worm

Native range | All suitable habitat | Point map | Year 2050
This map was computer-generated and has not yet been reviewed.
Spirobranchus giganteus  AquaMaps  Data sources: GBIF OBIS
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Image of Spirobranchus giganteus (Christmas tree worm)
Spirobranchus giganteus

Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | CoL | ITIS | WoRMS

Polychaeta | Sabellida | Serpulidae

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Reef-associated.  Tropical

Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Introductions

Circumtropical.

Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm Max length : 20.0 cm DL male/unsexed; (Ref. 81049)

Biology     Glossary (e.g. epibenthic)

Calcareous tube can reach up to 20 cm in length and is usually deeply embedded in the coral skeleton. Planktonic larval phase lasts for 9 to 12 days and the average life span is over 30 years. A dioecious filter feeder that is often mistaken to be a boring species. Larvae actually settles on exposed corals skeleton and extend their tubes toward the living tissue, which subsequently obscures the tube. Simultaneous spawning of male and female species and its host corals (Orbicella annularis, O. faveolata, O. franksi, Montastraea cavernosa, Pseudodiploria strigosa), occurred in the evening during slack neap tides with nominal wind and wave action. Such conditions minimize gamete distribution by water turbulence and wave action, increasing the chances of fertilization (Ref. 81049). Part of fouling communities attached to raft frames in mariculture zones (Ref. 127121).

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae

Planktotrophic larval phase lasts for 9-12 days. Within the first 24 hrs the first larval ocelli (compound eyes) develop facilitating positive phototaxis to visible light of wavelengths shorter than 590nm.

Main reference References | Coordinator | Collaborators

Bisby, F.A., M.A. Ruggiero, K.L. Wilson, M. Cachuela-Palacio, S.W. Kimani, Y.R. Roskov, A. Soulier-Perkins and J. van Hertum. 2005. (Ref. 19)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-2)

  Not Evaluated 

CITES status (Ref. 108899)

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

Human uses


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Internet sources

BHL | BOLD Systems | CISTI | DiscoverLife | FAO(Publication : search) | Fishipedia | GenBank (genome, nucleotide) | GloBI | Gomexsi | Google Books | Google Scholar | Google | PubMed | Tree of Life | Wikipedia (Go, Search) | Zoological Record

Estimates based on models

Preferred temperature (Ref. 115969): 23.5 - 28.8, mean 27.2 (based on 1428 cells).
Vulnerability (Ref. 71543): Low vulnerability (10 of 100).
Price category (Ref. 80766): Unknown.

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