[Annelida] Mystery worm rock Sabellariidae?

[H.A. ten Hove]

Dear colleagues,

The low resolution photograph, and Blair's original comment "The 
tubes appear calcareous, with no constituent sand grains visible 
through a loupe." show no sandgrains, but smooth calcareous walls. 
Sabellariid tubes are made of sand grains, cemented together. 
Nevertheless, the grains are individually recognizable, as opposed to 
the above.

A magnification of the photograph by Blair Witherington, which he 
sent me a couple of days ago, confirmed my suspicion that he rather 
was dealing with a clump of Dodecaceria [Cirratulidae] tubes, compare 
Figure 1 in : 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.  with Blair's photograph.

Apologies for not having shared this info with Annelida.net, but the 
magnification made me remark directly to Blair:  Very reminiscent 
indeed of what I have seen of Dodecaceria, Recent and Fossil. In the 
U.S.A., Oregon, Lincoln County clumps of Dodecaceria fistulicola (Nye 
Mudstone Formation, Miocene?) are often cast ashore. These are 
whitish/greyish in my recollection, [sent to me by Guy DiTorrice, 
2002], and the specific attribution to a Recent [fistulicola] name 
may be questionable.

I have seen material of Dodecaceria coralii [another calcareous tubed 
cirratulid] from Georgia, Sapelo Sound, N of Blackbeard Island, which 
is not too far from North Carolina.


If you cannot find mentioned publication, in which the photographs 
are reasonably well printed, I can send you a pdf upon request, 
however, with not too good photographs.

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

>Yes, these are almost certainly the sabellariid polychaete 
>Sabellaria floridensis which I have found in South Carolina.
>
>Best, John Zardus
>
>John D. Zardus, Ph.D.
>Associate Professor
>Department of Biology
>The Citadel
>171 Moultrie St.
>Charleston, SC 29407
>USA
>
>
>From: annelida-bounces from oat.bio.indiana.edu 
>[mailto:annelida-bounces from oat.bio.indiana.edu] On Behalf Of Barrie Jamieson
>Sent: Friday, January 01, 2010 4:57 PM
>To: Spinnaker; annelida from magpie.bio.indiana.edu
>Subject: RE: [Annelida] Mystery worm rock Sabellariidae?
>
>
>They very much resemble tubes formed by Sabellaridae (Polychaeta). I 
>understand that Phragmatopoma forms considerable reefs in American waters.
>Regards,
>Barrie Jamieson
>
>Barrie Jamieson B.Sc., Ph.D., D.Sc.
>Emeritus Professor
>Department of Zology and Entomology
>School of Integrative Biology
>University of Queeensland
>Brisbane
>Queensland 4072
>Australia
>
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: annelida-bounces from oat.bio.indiana.edu on behalf of Spinnaker
>Sent: Tue 12/29/2009 1:42 AM
>To: annelida from magpie.bio.indiana.edu
>Subject: [Annelida] Mystery worm rock
>
>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