General Description

In members of this genus the cephalic veil and the dorsal part of the opercular rim are both cirrate. This species can be distinguished by the anteroventral lobe of chaetiger 2, which is ornamented with 12-19 papillae, which are absent in the other two Australian Pectinaria species. Body up to about 6 cm long.

Biology

Pectinariidae live vertically, head-down in sandy sediments, with the narrow tip of the conical tube at about the sediment surface. They feed on buried organic matter within the sediments. A number of species in the same family occur in Australian waters, but Pectinaria anitpoda is one of the most common and widespread.

Habitat

Inshore waters and shallow embayments, continental shelf, to depth of about 90 m.

Soft substrates

Seagrass meadows

Distribution guide

Southern Australia.

Species Group

Worms › Trumpet worms

Depth

Shore (0-1 m)
Shallow (1-30 m)
Deep ( > 30 m)

Water Column

On or near sea floor

Max Size

6 cm

Diet

Organic matter

Commercial Species

No

Global Dispersal

Native to Australia

Species Code

MoV 3440

Identify

• Worms

Conservation Status

• DSE Advisory List : Not listed
• EPBC Act 1999 : Not listed
• IUCN Red List : Not listed