Tubeworms

Sabellidae

Feather duster worms and Christmas tree worms add bursts of colour to reef walls and coral heads. Their delicate spiral crowns retract instantly if you get too close — approach gently and they'll stay open for a perfect macro shot.

Last updated April 2026

Species

Mediterranean fanworm

Sabella spallanzanii(10 photos)

Up to 30 cm1–30mRocky reefSand

A large fan worm that unfurls a striking spiral crown of feeding tentacles, often banded in orange, purple and white, from a tough leathery tube. It is common on Mediterranean rocky reefs, harbour walls and sediment bottoms, where it can grow in dense aggregations.

Observed at

Piedra del Hombre(La Herradura)Punta de la Mona(La Herradura)Bajo Piles I(Cabo de Palos)Las Planetas(Sant Feliu de Guíxols)

Twin fan worm

Bispira volutacornis(10 photos)

Up to 15 cm1–50mRocky reefCave

A fan worm that extends two separate spiralled crowns of finely banded tentacles from a soft tube of mud and mucus wedged into rock crevices. It favours shaded reef walls and overhangs in the Mediterranean and the northeast Atlantic.

Observed at

Bajo de Dentro(Cabo de Palos)El negre(Barcelona)El Plaer del Vell(Costa del Maresme)Mar Menuda(Tossa de Mar)Illa de Tossa(Tossa de Mar)

Tubeworm

(2 photos)

Up to 15 cm1–40mRocky reefCoral reef

A filter-feeding worm that extends a crown of feathery tentacles from a hard tube cemented to rock or coral. Colors range from white to orange, red, and brown.

Retracts its fan instantly when it detects a shadow or water movement — approach slowly to photograph the fully extended crown before it pulls back.

Observed at

Roca Muladera(Tossa de Mar)Bajo Piles I(Cabo de Palos)

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