Sand Castle Worm
(Phragmatopoma californica)
Common Name: Sand Castle Worm; Honeycomb Worm[1]
Scientific Name: Phragmatopoma californica[1]
Size: length to 3 inches[1]
Range Found: California Coast from Sonoma County south to northern Baja[3]
Intertidal Zone: Middle to Low[1]
Food source: Detritus and plankton[4]
Predators: ?
During low tide, it's common to find the sand castles that are built by the Sand Castle Worm. These castles tend to be found on vertical rocky surfaces but the worm itself is almost never seen since it closes the castle openings during low tide. At high tide, the worm extends its tentacles to collect food and sand.[1] The castles are made of the collected sand which is cemented together using glue that the worm secretes from its adhesive ducts. Medical researchers are currently looking into how the worm is able to apply this glue while under water. This adhesive would be very useful for mending bones, especially in cases where the bone fragments are too small to easily use pins and plates.[2]
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| Sand Castle found during low tide at Abalone Cove |
[1] Hinton, Sam (1987). Seashore Life of Southern California. University of California Press. p 131
[2] Marshall, Jessica (18 August 2009). “Marine Worms Glue May Aid Bone Repair”. Discovery News
[3] Sandcastle Worm. Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandcastle_worm. retrieved on 18 December 2011
[4] Tidepool Ecology. Laguna Ocean Foundation. http://www.lagunaoceanfoundation.org/tidepool_ecology.html. retrieved 18 December 2011
