please id vermiform free-swimmer in so-cal

[scottfiji]

frank O took this picture last night of a worm-like creature in redondo canyon in southern califorina, free-swimming in 15ft of water....its 2-3 inches long...it appears to be an Annelid, but I'm not sure, and I'd like to narrow it down more than that. It was wriggling around.

thanks a lot!
Scott


http://www.inkbox.net/redondo/worm.jpg

 

[Diver0001]

frank O took this picture last night of a worm-like creature in redondo canyon in southern califorina, free-swimming in 15ft of water....its 2-3 inches long...it appears to be an Annelid, but I'm not sure, and I'd like to narrow it down more than that. It was wriggling around.

thanks a lot!
Scott


http://www.inkbox.net/redondo/worm.jpg

I'm pretty sure it's a "Nereis diversicolor" or at least something from the same Genus. I'm not 100% sure what they're called in English but in Dutch it's called a "zager". Maybe a ragworm or something like that.

Seems to me that some of them are bioluminescent too. They come out of the mud here in the spring and swim around freely, I assume to procreate. Maybe you're a climate zone ahead of us. I wish the winter was ending here too.....

R..

 

[Diver0001]

....hmm.... don't know how that happend....

 

[archman]

Diver0001's got a good lead. Nereid worms tend to get pretty big, have prominent parapodia, and lead active lifestyles.

'Course, there are DOZENS of marine worm families. You don't want to know how many genera... trust me.

At the very least, you can absolutely posit said worm as "Errantiate Polychaeta".