[Annelida] Mystery worm rock

[H.A. ten Hove]

Please send me some high resolution images, and preferably one or two 
low magnification pictures as well. I am thinking of cirratulid 
colonies, Dodecaceria spec., which are not my specialism 
(Serpulidae), but of which I studied some examples 15 years ago 
(Hove, H.A. ten, & P. van den Hurk, 1993.- A review of Recent and 
fossil serpulid "reefs"; actuopaleontology and the 'Upper Malm' 
serpulid limestones in NW Germany. Geol. Mijnbouw 72: 23-67, 12 figs, 
5 tabs.). I have seen material of Dodecaceria coralii from Georgia, 
Sapelo Sound, N of Blackbeard Island.

wormly,


dr. Harry A. ten Hove
Zoological Museum
University of Amsterdam
Mauritskade 57
P.O.B. 94766, 1090 GT Amsterdam
the Netherlands
H.A.tenHove from uva.nl


At 16:42 28-12-2009, you wrote:
>Hello,
>
>I'm hoping for some help with a mystery rock found on a southern 
>North Carolina (USA) beach fronting the Atlantic Ocean (image attached).
>
>A preliminary guess is that they are Serpulid colonies, but the form 
>seems a little strange for that.
>
>The rocks are occasionally found washed ashore on the sandy beach. 
>They have been surf-worn, and are in rounded, flattened masses 5-30 
>cm in greatest diameter. Their varied colors (black, gray, 
>orange-brown, light tan suggest that they have been buried in 
>differing sediments.
>
>Close examination reveals that the rocks are highly porous and 
>composed of a mass of tubes. The tubes appear calcareous, with no 
>constituent sand grains visible through a loupe. The tubes are 
>eroded open on the rock's exterior, and are circular, oval, or 
>indented-oval in cross section, 1-3 mm in diameter.
>
>I have numerous higher resolution images if needed.
>
>Many thanks for any help with this puzzle.
>
>Cheers,
>
>Blair Witherington
>
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