Spaghetti worm
Eupolymnia crassicornis
(Schmarda, 1861)
Description:
The only part of the worm that shows is the set of long, translucent tentacles that extend on the sea floor. When the animal lives in a larger stretch of sandy bottom, the tentacles may form a star shape on the sand with a diameter of up to 60 cm. When the tube of the animal is hidden under a coral head or rock, the tentacles look more like a bunch of threads. The tube is made of sand and mucus and is usually hidden in the sand or under rocks or reefs.
Size: tentacles can reach up to 30 cm.
Habitat:
This worm lives in reef areas and the adjacent areas of sand and rubble.
Depth: ranges from 3 m down to 40 m.
Distribution:
Common all over the Caribbean.