10736155Edited by MartynC.100014691layer_information_pageund1475483285151991309700151991309755<p>Large clumps of the calcareous tubes of the worm <em>Serpula vermicularis </em>rise from the sea bed to in excess of 1m high and 2m diameter in some of the oldest aggregations. They provide a hard substrate on an otherwise sedimentary sea bed and support a highly diverse epifauna of sponges, sea squirts, brittlestars and sea urchins etc.. Serpulid aggregations are nationally rare, only known from two places in Scotland, Loch Creran and Loch Teacuis, and from only two other places in the world. The reefs in Loch Creran are considered the best example of this habitat in the world.</p> filtered_html<p>Large clumps of the calcareous tubes of the worm <em>Serpula vermicularis </em>rise from the sea bed to in excess of 1m high and 2m diameter in some of the oldest aggregations. They provide a hard substrate on an otherwise sedimentary sea bed and support a highly diverse epifauna of sponges, sea squirts, brittlestars and sea urchins etc.. Serpulid aggregations are nationally rare, only known from two places in Scotland, Loch Creran and Loch Teacuis, and from only two other places in the world. The reefs in Loch Creran are considered the best example of this habitat in the world.</p> 2850055Serpulid aggregations.jpgpublic://Serpulid aggregations.jpgimage/jpeg8085111475483908imageSerpulid aggregationsSerpulid aggregationsSerpulid aggregations © SNHSerpulid aggregations © SNH<_drafty_revision_requested>FIELD_LOAD_CURRENTSerpulid aggregations513800513800810<p>The organ-pipe worm <em>Serpula vermicularis</em> is a beautiful marine tubeworm with a showy crown of feathery tentacles, bright red, pink and orange, contrasting with its hard white tubes. Individual organ-pipe worms have an almost worldwide distribution, except for polar seas, but in a few special places, hundreds of them grow together forming bush like structures or 'reefs'.</p> <p>By far the best developed and largest area of serpulid reefs in the world occur in Loch Creran, west Scotland just north of Oban. There were previously reefs in Linne Mhuirich, Loch Sween, but these died out in the 1990s for reasons that are still not understood, and now only the dead worm tubes remain. Small aggregations of organ-pipe worms were found in Loch Teacuis, Morvern in 2006 - now part of the Loch Sunart MPA. Here, the worms form small aggregations, not yet reefs, but may grow larger and proliferate to cover a greater area of sea bed.</p> filtered_html<p>The organ-pipe worm <em>Serpula vermicularis</em> is a beautiful marine tubeworm with a showy crown of feathery tentacles, bright red, pink and orange, contrasting with its hard white tubes. Individual organ-pipe worms have an almost worldwide distribution, except for polar seas, but in a few special places, hundreds of them grow together forming bush like structures or 'reefs'.</p> <p>By far the best developed and largest area of serpulid reefs in the world occur in Loch Creran, west Scotland just north of Oban. There were previously reefs in Linne Mhuirich, Loch Sween, but these died out in the 1990s for reasons that are still not understood, and now only the dead worm tubes remain. Small aggregations of organ-pipe worms were found in Loch Teacuis, Morvern in 2006 - now part of the Loch Sunart MPA. Here, the worms form small aggregations, not yet reefs, but may grow larger and proliferate to cover a greater area of sea bed.</p> 14560515514647146938758771647874920sioc:Itemfoaf:Documentdc:datedc:createdxsd:dateTimedate_iso8601dc:modifiedxsd:dateTimedate_iso8601content:encodedsioc:has_creatorrelfoaf:namesioc:num_repliesxsd:integersioc:last_activity_datexsd:dateTimedate_iso8601https://marine.gov.scot/?q=information/serpulid-aggregationsMartynC0a:6:{s:7:"overlay";i:1;s:16:"ckeditor_default";s:1:"t";s:20:"ckeditor_show_toggle";s:1:"t";s:14:"ckeditor_width";s:4:"100%";s:13:"ckeditor_lang";s:2:"en";s:18:"ckeditor_auto_lang";s:1:"t";}9481710736114691publishedpublished5515199130971115199130979481710736114691publishedpublished5515199130971115199130979481710736114691publishedpublished551519913097111519913097