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Spirorbis tube worms

Spirorbis tube worms ©Nigel Phillips

Spirorbis tube worm

Ever noticed lots of little white spirals on seaweed fronds on rocky shores? These are tiny tube worms!

Scientific name

Spirorbis Spp

When to see

January to December

Species information

Statistics

Width: 3-4mm
Common

About

The Spirorbis tube worm is a regular feature on our rocky shores, with large numbers spotted on individual seaweeds. They particularly like the fronds of Serrated wrack and Bladder wrack and are also found on the underside of stones in rockpools. The worm lives permanently inside these white, smooth spiral tubes and is only a few millimetres long and bright orange in colour. They are filter feeders, using a crown of tentacles to catch small particles from the water column when the tide is in.

How to identify

A small white spiral shell found on the fronds of seaweeds or under stones in the rocky shore. They are often found in high densities.

Distribution

Found on rocky shores all around UK coasts.

Did you know?

The Spirorbis tube worm builds its own calcareous tube using special glands in its upper body segment.