Here's a phylum that was new to me

[Frank O]

While doing a series of dives Sunday at a place on frontside Catalina that the capt. called Red Bluffs (midway between Seal Point and Little Gibraltar), I came across some interesting little coral-colored inverts that looked kind of like tube worms, except that their tufts were unusually diaphonous/gauzy looking:

http://www.inkbox.net/catalina/phoronid.jpg

I know that it looks like I got carried away with Photoshop's blur tool, but the tufts are in focus and unretouched -- they look that gauzy in the water.

When I got home and consulted Gotshall, it seems that these aren't polychaete worms but rather a phylum unto themselves -- phoronids -- and this species looks to be Phoronopsis californica.

Does anyone else run across these regularly? I gather they're not particularly rare.

 

[OCdiving Deb]

When I got home and consulted Gotshall, it seems that these aren't polychaete worms but rather a phylum unto themselves -- phoronids -- and this species looks to be Phoronopsis californica.
Does anyone else run across these regularly? I gather they're not particularly rare.

I ran across them for the first time last summer when I trained for CCD. I had never noticed them prior to that ID dive and now I see them more often. Its funny how awareness opens up our eyes to so many new critters!

They're really little. That's a good photo, Frank!

 

[ChrisM]

Yes, I see these fairly regularly

 

[drbill]

Quite common on sandy bottoms even in the Dive Park. I did a column on them a while back which is archived on my web site at this URL:

http://www.starthrower.org/products/DDDB/DDDB_050-099/DDDB_092 phoronids.htm

Dr. Bill

 

[headhunter]

I haven't noticed one of these before, but now I'll be looking. Kind of cool looking!

Christian

 

[archman]

Wow, I would never have tagged that as a phoronid. I've seen plenty, but they're all pickled and look much different. I love it when I learn new marine biology stuff! Anybody else got pictures of these things? Let's have a phoronid party.

DANCE WORM, DANCE!!

 

[drbill]

Yep, Archman... I'm reminded of the stories originating from the Ed Ricketts-John Steinbeck collaboration about old Jinglebollicks (or was it bollix?) who couldn't recognize a live specimen of the group he was an authority on since all he had seen was pickled specimens. At least I'm pretty sure it was Jinglebollicks (real identity not revealed here).

Dr. Bill

 

[archman]

Yes, unfortunately the world of the taxonomist is usually a world lacking colour.

A couple years ago I was on a abyssal plain expedition in mexican waters, and we pulled up a couple of starfish I'd never seen before alive, nor had I ever seen photos or read descriptions of fresh specimens. I recognized the species immediately by it's anatomy, but the pickled specimens were bleached white, and these were amazingly striped with chocolate streaks, just like a cookie. It was my highlight of the cruise.

Last year I went on a trip to find this weird alcyonarian only known from old, pickled specimens. Resembled twisted-up wire. We found the things sure enough in a few hundred feet of water, bright orange and stunning. The world's expert had never seen it like that before, not had anyone else in recent history. That was SWEET.

Imagine if we had to identify reef fish only from pickled specimens? What a stinking nightmare... counting fin rays and such.

The phoronids (some Phoronopsis species) in my teaching lab suck. They look like little grey sticks, with a bit of brownish soft tissue sticking out one end. Nothing like what FrankO photographed.

 

[drbill]

Heh, heh. Sure know what you mean, Archman, from my days where all my observed specimens were pickled ones at the Museum of Comparative Zoology.

Our phoronids in the dive park are nice to look at as you dive with a light... the orange pops out from the dull sand, and they can be quite numerous.

Dr. Bill

 

[HBDiveGirl]

Quite common on sandy bottoms even in the Dive Park. I did a column on them a while back which is archived on my web site at this URL:

http://www.starthrower.org/products/DDDB/DDDB_050-099/DDDB_092%20phoronids.htm

Dr. Bill

Thanks FrankO for the initial excellent photo and thread-start, thanks Archman for pointing out the wonderful dichotomy between preserved and living specimens, and thanks Dr. Bill for the great Phoronid education missive. When I awoke today, I didn't how much I was about to learn !