Intertidal Invertebrates of the Monterey Bay Area, California

Compiled & photographed by Gary McDonald, Long Marine Laboratory, University of California, Santa Cruz
Phragmatopoma californica (Fewkes, 1889)               
Honeycomb Tube Worm
Annelida: Polychaeta: Palpata: Canalipalpata: Sabellida: Sabellariidae
Geographic Range: Central California to Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico. Synonyms:
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Scott Creek, Santa Cruz Co., CA; 17 Mar 2008.

Description: The worms live in tubes made of sand grains cemented together, each tube about 3-4mm in diameter. The purple or lavender tentacles are all that is likely to be seen at low tide, if the colony is submerged. When the colony is exposed to the air, only the honeycomb-like mass of tubes is visible.
Size: The individual worms may reach about 50mm in length. The colony may form masses 2m or more across.
Phragmatopoma_californica_0008.jpg
Scott Creek, Santa Cruz Co., CA; 17 Mar 2008.		 Phragmatopoma_californica_0006.jpg
Scott Creek, Santa Cruz Co., CA; 17 Mar 2008. Close-up of tubes.

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