Serpula vermicularis

The Red Tube Worm

Phylum Annelida
Class Polychaeta
Order Sabellida
Family Serpulidae
Genus Serpula
Species vermicularis

Description: Length up to 10.2 cm; color is pink, orange or red with white bands; plume has forty pairs of gills; operculum is usually red, two opercula are common; white calcareous tubes are coiled or rambling.

Habitat: Found on floats, pilings, rocks and shells.

Natural History: To feed, they wave about their cirri, which are arranged in two spiralling rows, to trap particles of organic matter. The cirri are also used to absorb oxygen.