Polychaete Pictures - Below are a few pictures of polychaetes and polychaete pieces (eww!). Clicking on a small image will launch a new window with the larger image. Feel free to use these images for non-commercial educational purposes (ie no money, goods, or services change hands). Email me for permission if you want to use or distribute them in any other way. I hope you enjoy them. Cheers!

Many polychaetes collect all sorts of things from their environment to build into their tubes. Other animals frequently live on worm tubes like the little bivalve in this picture.		This parapodium is from a New Zealand nereid, note the heavy black aciculae...stout chaete inside the parapodium that function like a bone; providing a place for muscles to attach.
Here's a scanning electron micrograph of Neanthes arenaceodenta head. This specimen was from O'ahu.		These are the chaete and parapodium of a Hawaiian nereid, cf Neanthes arenaceodentata.
A New Zealand nereid stained with Rose Bengal (a dye commonly used to make the animals show up bright pink so that they are easier to see among sand grains).		Jaws of a Nereid (Rullierinereis, I think) as seen on a polarising light microscope.
Sabellids, such as this one from N.Z., are often thought of as filter feeders but several species may also use their crowns to sweep food from the seabed.		Sabellids lock themselves into their soft tubes with specilised hook-like chaete called uncini.
These long-handled uncini are excellent anchors that sabellid polychaetes use to move within their tubes. Several other families also have uncini.		A phyllodocid from shallow (c. 15m) New Zealand waters.
A different type of uncini is seen here, short handled abdominal ones.		The classic hooks and granular sabre chatae of a spionid polychaete.
Some chaetae really mean business!		Imagine this little barb burying itself into the sensitive mouth of a would-be worm-eater!
Polychaetes are highly cephalised (well-developed heads) and while most can regenerate a damaged posterior (if they have enough food reserves) a damaged head is typically fatal. These oweniids are demonstrating an exception! They're growing brand new heads atop very large, older bodies. Makes me think of Jeebs from MIB.		Many families have distinctive chaetae and parapodial shapes. This one is from Labioleanira (I think).
That little curly bit between the dorsal lobe (notopodium) and the ventral lobe (neuropodium) is an interramal gill, letting you know that this parapodium is from a nephtyid (catworm).
The fairly distinctive compound (articulated) chatae of a lumbrinereid.		This N.Z. lumbrinereid is showing us some of its jaws!
And here are those jaws when nicely folded away inside the lumbrinereid.		These 'christmas tree worms' were living among stones on the shores of Catalina island. A very different habitat from the corals I'm used to seeing them burrow into in Hawaiian waters.
Another serious set of jaws! This glycerid has thrown out its pharynx (feeding part of the throat) and is showing us its four piercing jaws at the tip.		Very closely related to the glycerid is this goniadid (from N.Z.) showing the hallmark chevrons that decorate its pharynx. Handy traction for eating?
A nice fireworm from Hawaiian waters		I know I'm biased toward dorvilleids, but this is one of my favourite worms in its natural colouration. It came from a shallow seagrass bed in New Zealand.
Another head shot of the star.		When I think of colourful worms I typically think of syllids, serpulids, and such, but this dorvilleid is a beaut!
Snack anyone? A swarming palolo worm diving with us off the Big Island of Hawai'i.		Stopping to check my gauges meant the worm swarm caught up with me. I could hear them pinging on my mask. Mike got all squirmy when they crawled in his ears.
Sperm from a Hawaiian orbiniid. This worm released sperm bombs (rosettes) into the water that then burst.		Check out those rocket pods! The round structures around the base of this sperm contains the mitochondria...the energy organelles that drive that flagellum.
Wow! Here's that orbiniid spermatozoan as seen in another SEM image showing just how long those tails are.		Speaking of reproduction, this is Ophryotrocha adherens squeezing some eggs out through tiny pores in its body wall.
Looking at this broken worm tooth (inferior denticle of Ophryotrocha adherens) you can see how a marvelously good design has evolved. Like a wing section or a squeegee, the leading edge is strong, while the trailing edge is flexible. O. adherens scrapes food off sand grains with these teeth.		Here's the head of Ophryotrocha adherens. The entire worm is about 2 mm long and was collected from Hawaiian sediments.
One of our first Ophryotrocha adherens larvae raised in captivity. I named him Jeff.		Here's a light micrograph (oil immersion 100x objective) of the jaws of Ophryotrocha adherens. From what I could see all the maxillae (scrapy bits) were used for food and those huge mandibles were only used for reproduction and egg defense.
One half of the buccal mass of Ophryotrocha adherens broken open to show the arrangement.		Tell me honestly...if these worms were the size of a small poodle wouldn't you run for your life?!
A closer peek at an Ophryotrocha adherens parapodium.		Another close peek at Ophryotrocha adherens parapodia.
A comparison of a living Ophryotrocha adherens and a stained longitudinal section.		Hey Bud! This N.Z. syllid has all of its offspring still firmly attached. As they develop (they're attached each by the head) they'll drop off and wander away on their own.