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Eudistylia vancouveri (Northern feather duster worm)
Copyright ©
2005 Mary Jo Adams
When
the tide goes out, Eudistylia vancouveri looks like an
aggregation of pencil sized tubes having a leathery or parchment-like
texture. When covered by water, feathery maroon and green-banded
tentacle plumes up to 2 inches in diameter emerge to collect food
and oxygen from the water. The tentacle plume is light sensitive
so if a shadow falls across it, the plume will snap instantly back
into the tube. Like other tubeworms, Eudistylia vancouveri
is a segmented marine worm belonging to the polychaete phylum.
Look for it in mid to low intertidal zones on rocky beaches or on
floats and pilings. It lives subtidally to a depth of 65
feet or more. In addition to living in aggregations, it is
sometimes seen as solitary individuals.
Other common names for this species are
plume worm and parchment tubeworm.
This page was created by Mary Jo Adams on 11/5/05.
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