It goes on to say “They appear to be carnivorous although some species are said to be detritus feeders.” They possess a long, cylindrical, readily eversible pharynx at the end of which are four black teeth.” It says that blood worms (Glycerid) “have long slender bodies and are sharply conical anteriorly. “Natural History of Kangaroo Island” edited by Tyler MJ, Twidale CR & Ling JK (Royal Society of South Australia) 1979 has a section regarding bristle worms in the chapter on Intertidal Invertebrates. The species of Glycera is not specified for 10-15C.” 10-15C on p.246 of Barnes RD (1974) “Invertebrate Zoology” (WB Saunders Coy.).
A more spectacular drawing, showing internal anatomical details of the pharynx, is fig. The pointy front end of the animal and diminutive tentacles and the four teeth can be seen. 1 G, p.157 of “Natural History of Kangaroo Island” (drawn by Lesley Howard) reads “’proboscis’ everted”.) 1 G, and Shepherd SA & Thomas IM (1982) “Marine Invertebrates of Southern Australia Part I” (Government Printer SA) p.254 fig. Gut content would be interesting.Ĭlear drawings of the front end of Glycera americana with the pharynx* everted can be seen in Tyler MJ, Twidale CR & Ling JK (Editors), 1979, “Natural History of Kangaroo Island” (Royal Society of South Australia) p.157 fig. I have not seen the swarming, but hope to look at the anatomy of a worm or two sometime they have an eversible pharynx armed with four jaws with which they can catch prey. The swarming takes place “Each year on the dark phase of the moon in July. Ken Jury’s fishing notes in The Advertiser, 1-8-80 & 7-8-81, and Jon Huie’s of 18-7-86 (The Advertiser) & 6-7-97 (Sunday Mail) discuss the Blood Worm run and its effect on the fishing scene. In our own Port (Adelaide) River estuary, we see the swarming of the segmented worm Glycera Americana. The swarming parts of the worms are considered to be a culinary delight in Samoa. Tofa Iiga Pisa titled “The rising of the Palolo”, (pages 24-26). When teaching science at Martyrs Memorial School, Papua in 1964, I was fortunate to find an article in the July 1962 South Pacific Bulletin by F. There is discussion of the periodicity of swarming in relation to phases of the moon in Andrewartha HG & Birch LC, 1954 “The Distribution & Abundance of Animals” (Uni. “Professor Andrewartha was one of my ecology lecturers. The front section of the worm (the “atoke”) remains below in the substrate. Tens of thousands of epitokes swarm and release gametes simultaneously, attracting predatory fish and humans. Their breeding behaviour is unique. During the breeding season, at the same time of year and a particular phase of the Moon, the worms break in half. The tail section (the “ epitoke”) bearing reproductive cells, swims to the surface, where it releases eggs and sperm. According to Britannica, Palolo worms are segmented marine worms of the families Eunicidae and Nereidae (class Polychaeta, phylum Annelida). Long-term MLSSA member Brian Brock says that he has been interested in Palolo worms since his early student days at the University of Adelaide.