Species Profiles: Life Histories and Environmental Requirements of Coastal Fishes and Invertebrates (North Atlantic), Sandworm and Bloodworm

• Main Authors: Wilson, Jr., W. H., Ruff, R. E.
• Other Authors: MANOMET BIRD OBSERVATORY MA
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 1988
• Subjects: Biological Oceanography; Environmental Health and Safety; *ENVIRONMENTS; *LIFE SPAN(BIOLOGY); *ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT; OXYGEN; PROFILES; DOCUMENTS; HISTORY; MARINE BIOLOGY; LABORATORIES; MALES; LIFE CYCLES; LIFE(BIOLOGY); POLYCHAETA; HEMOGLOBIN; INVERTEBRATES; FEEDING; NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN; LARVAE; FEMALES; FISHES; WORMS; HABITS; TOXICOLOGY; FINE GRAINED MATERIALS; PLANKTON; CRUSTACEA; GULLS; DIES; WATER; COASTAL REGIONS; FISHERIES; Burrows; North Atlantic
• Online Access: http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA197785; http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA197785

Species profiles are literature summaries of the taxonomy, morphology, range, life history, and environmental requirements of coastal aquatic species. They are prepared to assist in environmental impact assessment. The sandworm (Nereis virens) is a commercially valuable baitworm, reaching lengths of 30 cm. Most worms lives 4 or 5 years. Males swarm in the water column before spawning in the females' burrows. Both males and females die after spawning. A planktonic larval phase is either brief or lacking. Sandworms are omnivorous. They can significantly reduce the abundance of smaller infaunal organisms. Predators on sandworms include bloodworms and gulls. Physiological tolerances are broad although most worms are found in fine sand with water of high salinity. Sandworms have been the subject of much toxicological research and readily adapt to laboratory conditions. The bloodworm (Glycera dibranchiata) , attaining lengths of 40 cm, is also an important baitworm. Its maximum life span is 5 years. Spawning occurs in the water column with both males and females dying after spawning. Bloodworms are primarily predators, preying on certain species of polychaetes and crustaceans, although they are capable of digesting detritus. Bloodworms appear to have few predators. Bloodworms possess at least two types of hemoglobin, permitting them to tolerate a wide range of oxygen tensions. Keywords: Fisheries; Salinity; Feeding habits; Annelids; Life cycles; Marine biology.