All articles tagged with #polychaete worms
A Danish study finds jellyfish from two species feeding on polychaete worms, a burrowing bottom-dweller, marking the first documented instance. Across a year, 45 of 166 Aurelia aurita and 3 of 71 Mnemiopsis leidyi were found with worms in their guts, typically when worms rise to spawn at night. This seasonal feeding burst adds a new layer to fjord energy flow and could affect ecosystems if the invasive M. leidyi expands.
A species of marine worm, Haplosyllis anthogorgicola, unseen for nearly 70 years, has been rediscovered in coral colonies from Japan to Australia, thanks to images of tiny seahorses taken by scuba divers. These bristle worms, which live in gorgonian corals, were identified in hundreds of photos on iNaturalist, revealing their widespread presence and interactions with seahorses. The study highlights the potential of crowdsourced data to uncover the habits and distribution of understudied species.
Scientists have discovered that alciopid polychaete worms, which have enormous eyes, possess outstanding vision comparable to that of mice or rats, despite being relatively simple organisms with small brains. These nocturnal marine worms are able to see small or distant objects and track their movement, a capability previously only known in vertebrates, arthropods, and cephalopods. The researchers suspect that the worms may use their sharp UV vision to communicate with each other via bioluminescence or to hunt for UV bioluminescent prey, shedding light on a previously unknown aspect of marine life.