Serpulid Polychaetes Associated with Living and Dead Corals at Okinawa Island, Southwest Japan

Abstract

I investigated coral-reef polychaetes in order to clarify their ecological habits, especially their association with living and dead coral in Okinawa, and provide here brief taxonomic accounts. Altogether, 25 species of 15 genera were found, and 12 serpulid species are found associated with living coral; 2 species, Spirobranchus corniculatus (Grube, 1862) and Floriprotis sabiuraensis Uchida (1978) seems to be obligate inhabitants of living corals. On dead coral skeletons, 24 serpulid species occurred. Four forms of association between serpulids and corals can be distinguished: I) buried in living coral skeletons, II) worm tubes partly covered by living coral skeletons, III) worm tubes running on the surface of living corals, and IV) whole tubes attached to dead coral skeleton.