Family Terebellidae "fanworms"
Distribution: Sungei Buloh, Pulau Tekong, Pulau Ayer Chawan, Sungei Punggol, Kallang Basin, Pulau Semakau, Singapore River
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The terebellids commonly known as "fanworms" are highly adapted deposit feeders. They have brightly coloured feathery plumules. They are actually short and plump worms with sedentary habits. They have no proboscis as their food are collected by specialized feeding devices which evolved as part of the head. Only suitable sized particles are ingested while others are rejected at the mouth. They can extend their grooved buccal tentacles over substratum for a distance equal to the length of the body. Mucus secreted by the tentacles are used them to prey upon living, planktonic organisms. They live in quiet places like the lagoons, rock pools or crevices where organic particles settle and are picked up by the sticky tentacles. Being tubicolous, the adult build fragile tubes out of sand, mud, shell fragments and sponge spicules with mucus heavily incorporated into them. Majority of the tubicolous species are in contact with solid surfaces provided by shell hash, gravel, seagrasses, algae and sponges. Their tubes are found under large rocks or in cracks and crevices.
Species found in Singapore include:
- Loimia medusa
- Nicolea gracilibranchis
- Thelepus gracilis
- Thelepus setosus
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