Owenia fusiformis, Tubeworm

Owenia fusiformis   delle Chiaje, 1841

Tubeworm

Native range | All suitable habitat | Point map | Year 2050
This map was computer-generated and has not yet been reviewed.
Owenia fusiformis  AquaMaps  Data sources: GBIF OBIS
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Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | CoL | ITIS | WoRMS

Polychaeta | Canalipalpata | Oweniidae

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Benthic; brackish; depth range 3 - 237 m (Ref. 112705).  Tropical

Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Introductions

Indo-West Pacific, Atlantic Ocean, Arctic and the Mediterranean.

Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm Max length : 10.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 7882)

Biology     Glossary (e.g. epibenthic)

Species' maximum length from the Belgian part of the North Sea (Ref. 7882). Length based from occurrence record; to be replaced with better reference. Maximum depth from Ref. 117328. Inhabits sandbanks and muddy bottoms of estuaries and inshore areas (Ref. 96352) and along the near-coastal zone. A tube-dwelling bristle worm, preferring fine to coarse sediment with 10 to 40% mud content. Its flexible tube, longer than the worm itself and made up of cemented sand grains and shell fragments, allows it to withdraw inward and the tube to subsequently bend down (Ref. 7882). A filter- and suspension feeder (Ref. 75621). Capable of surface deposit feeding (Ref. 87179). Feeds on organic detritus (Ref. 96352) and small invertebrates (Ref. 87179).

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae

Members of the class Polychaeta are mostly gonochoric (sexual). Mating: Females produce a pheromone attracting and signalling the males to shed sperm which in turn stimulates females to shed eggs, this behavior is known as swarming. Gametes are spawned through the metanephridia or body wall rupturing (termed as "epitoky", wherein a pelagic, reproductive individual, "epitoke", is formed from a benthic, nonreproductive individual, "atoke"). After fertilization, most eggs become planktonic; although some are retained in the worm tubes or burrowed in jelly masses attached to the tubes (egg brooders). Life Cycle: Eggs develop into trocophore larva, which later metamorph into juvenile stage (body lengthened), and later develop into adults.

Main reference References | Coordinator | Collaborators

López-Jamar, E., G. González and J. Mejuto. 1986. (Ref. 2778)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-2)

  Not Evaluated 

CITES status (Ref. 108899)

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

Human uses


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Predators
Ecology
Ecology
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Max. ages / sizes
Length-weight rel.
Length-length rel.
Length-frequencies
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Abundance
Life cycle
Reproduction
Maturity
Fecundity
Spawning
Eggs
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Larvae
Distribution
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Introductions
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References

Internet sources

BHL | BOLD Systems | CISTI | DiscoverLife | FAO(Publication : search) | Fishipedia | GenBank (genome, nucleotide) | GloBI | Gomexsi | Google Books | Google Scholar | Google | PubMed | Tree of Life | Wikipedia (Go, Search) | Zoological Record

Estimates based on models

Preferred temperature (Ref. 115969): 1.9 - 17.3, mean 7.3 (based on 218 cells).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 71543): Low vulnerability (10 of 100).
Price category (Ref. 80766): Unknown.

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