Hi Edwin,
Your finding is very interesting. Tunicates are among the less reported invertebrates as hosts for polychaetes, and all those I have has either to be confirmed: Haplosyllis sp. associated to a didemnid in Fiore & Jutte (2010) or Myrianida pinnigera associated to Phallusia mammilata and Ascidiella aspersa in Spooner et al. (1957), the latter being also possibly an specialized predator instead of a parasite. All these are syllids, but this does not mean that your worm could be a syllid too.
Spooner, G.M., Wilson, D.P., Trebble, N., 1957. Phylum Annelida, Plymouth Marine Fauna. Marine Biological Association U.K., Plymouth, pp. 109-149.
Fiore, C.L., Jutte, P.C., 2010. Characterization of macrofaunal assemblages associated with sponges and tunicates collected off the southeastern United States. Invertebrate Biology 129, 105-120.
I have not been able to find other records of polychaetes in connection with tunicates but, of course, this does not meant that they do not exist. Syllids excavate galleries in some of their host sponges and cnidarians, but galleries on hosts are also reported for eunicids or polynoids, and also for polydorids, among others. If yo do not find the worm, it is difficult to provide an assessment.
Hope to have been useful.
Greetings from Vietnam,
Dani.
——
Dr. Daniel Martin
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> El 26 mar 2016, a les 8:31, Edwin Cruz-Rivera <edwin.cruzrivera from uvi.edu> va escriure:
>>> Dear Colleagues,
>> Monniot's 1990 review on the diseases of ascidians only mentions polychaetes as coincidental in the branchial basket of these animals. While collecting Phallusia nigra in the Red Sea, we found an individual in which a polychaete had tunneled through its tunic and was living in the excavated galleries. I have not been able to come up with any literature mentioning this, let alone a way of identifying the animal. Has anyone observed something similar from any other part of the world or host?
>> Any clues are appreciated,
>>> Edwin
>> =================
> Dr. Edwin Cruz-Rivera
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