KathiWeidinger
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Longibrachium arariensis Nishi & Kato, 2009
Longibrachium arariensis is a bristle worm from the family Onuphidae (Annelida: Polychaeta), which has been scientifically described from the Izu Peninsula, central Japan. There this worm was found on shallow sandy soils on the west side of the Izu Peninsula.
Longibrachium arariensis most closely resembles the Australian worm Longibrachium longipes Paxton, 1986, and the European Longibrachium falcigerum Paxton and Gillet, 2004, which have a combination of large and small hooks in their elongated parapodia. Longibrachium arariensis differs from both in having shorter antennae and recurved hooks with differently arranged spines.
Most of the specimens of Longibrachium arariensis examined had 4 pairs of elongated parapodia, but the smallest specimens had only 3 pairs. It was therefore assumed that juveniles probably have 2 or 3 pairs of elongated parapodia and adult worms up to 4 pairs.
These worms probably have chemosensors on their antennae and cirri and detect small invertebrates in the water current. As they slowly move their elongated parapodia upwards and vertically downwards, they probably search for the scent of prey, which is detected when it appears. Worms of the genus Longibrachium live in tubes and catch their prey with hooks and "lines".
The onuphid worm is considered a carnivore, omnivore and scavenger and is said to be quite strong.
The photos posted are from Bali. They look most similar to Longibrachium arariensis, so we have included them in the article here as Longibrachium arariensis. It is usually not possible to determine the species from photos with absolute certainty.
We would like to thank the bristle worm expert Leslie Harris, LA, who helped us with the identification of the genus and with scientific information on these very special worms!
Longibrachium arariensis is a bristle worm from the family Onuphidae (Annelida: Polychaeta), which has been scientifically described from the Izu Peninsula, central Japan. There this worm was found on shallow sandy soils on the west side of the Izu Peninsula.
Longibrachium arariensis most closely resembles the Australian worm Longibrachium longipes Paxton, 1986, and the European Longibrachium falcigerum Paxton and Gillet, 2004, which have a combination of large and small hooks in their elongated parapodia. Longibrachium arariensis differs from both in having shorter antennae and recurved hooks with differently arranged spines.
Most of the specimens of Longibrachium arariensis examined had 4 pairs of elongated parapodia, but the smallest specimens had only 3 pairs. It was therefore assumed that juveniles probably have 2 or 3 pairs of elongated parapodia and adult worms up to 4 pairs.
These worms probably have chemosensors on their antennae and cirri and detect small invertebrates in the water current. As they slowly move their elongated parapodia upwards and vertically downwards, they probably search for the scent of prey, which is detected when it appears. Worms of the genus Longibrachium live in tubes and catch their prey with hooks and "lines".
The onuphid worm is considered a carnivore, omnivore and scavenger and is said to be quite strong.
The photos posted are from Bali. They look most similar to Longibrachium arariensis, so we have included them in the article here as Longibrachium arariensis. It is usually not possible to determine the species from photos with absolute certainty.
We would like to thank the bristle worm expert Leslie Harris, LA, who helped us with the identification of the genus and with scientific information on these very special worms!
