PORT PHILLIP BAY


Trumpet Worm 

Pectinaria antipoda Schmarda, 1861

View scientific description and taxonomy

Scientific Details

Family level description.
Pectinariidae are easily recognised from their unique tubes which are conical, slightly curved, with smooth surface and made up of and closely fitted sand grains and shell fragments. The worm itself is equally distinctive and closely fits the tube; the anterior end is widest and the tentaculate mouth is guarded by a row of flattened golden chaetae called palae.

Species level technical description.
Rim of cephalic veil with numerous long cirri. Cephalic veil completely free from operculum, forming a dorsal semi-circular lobe covering the bases of numerous peristomial palps. Raised opercular margin smooth. Chaetigers 1 to 3 with notopodia and notochaetae only, chaetigers 4 to 16 with notopodia, neuropodia, notochaetae and neurochaetae, chaetiger 17 with notopodia and notochaetae only (17/13). Two types of notochaetae, smooth and serrated (or plumose). Neurochaetal uncini with major teeth arranged in two rows. Posterior 5 segments fused to form a flattened plate or scaphe and distinctly separated from the abdomen.

Taxonomy

Phylum:
Annelida
Class:
Polychaeta
Order:
Terebellida
Family:
Pectinariidae
Genus:
Pectinaria
Species:
antipoda

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

Conservation Status

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

Author

article author Wilson, R.

Robin Wilson is a Senior Curator of marine invertebrates at Museum Victoria.

citation

Cite this page as:
Wilson, R., 2011, Trumpet Worm, Pectinaria antipoda, in Taxonomic Toolkit for marine life of Port Phillip Bay, Museum Victoria, accessed 27 Jun 2025, http://136.154.202.208:8098/species/7566

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