EPOW - Ecology Picture of the Week

Each week a different image of our fascinating environment is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional ecologist.

27 June - 3 July 2011

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Sand Worm of New Zealand

Sand Worm (Perinereis amblyodonta), Family Nereididae
South Island, New Zealand

Credit & Copyright: Dr. Bruce G. Marcot

Explanation:  Run for cover!  It's a monster!  It's the ... Sandworm!  

Sorry, I mistook this common and shy invertebrate of the sandy beaches of New Zealand for the fictional beast of Dune fame.  

This sandworm is a polychaet, the class of bristleworms and other common organisms of the marine environment.  More specifically, it is a predator of tubeworms and other benthic organisms.  


Information:
     Cole, V. J.  2009.  Densities of polychaetes in habitat fragments depend on the surrounding matrix but not on the complexity of the remaining fragment.  Austral Ecology 34(4):469-477.

 

      

Next week's picture:  The Greatest Bird in the Grandest Canyon

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