Size

Colony height: reaching 50cm (20"). Tube Diameter: 4cm (1.5")

Recognition Characters

Two rings of distinct tentacles. Outer whorl consists of 100-125 equal-sized tentacles. Inner whorl consists of shorter, incurved tentacles around mouth. Tube wrinkled, tough, slippery, and often covered with mud or sediment.

Color

Tentacles vary. Can be brown to tan, or grayish blue to purple or maroon. Tube is gray.

Habitat & Depth

Attach to mix of sandy shelly bottoms. Shallow intertidal to 20m.

Distribution at GRNMS

Occasional. More common in shallow water. Found on periphery of ledges on mixed sandy-shelly substrate.

Geographic Range

North Carolina south to Florida, Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean, and West Indies

Behavior & Notes

Synonyms

References

Kaplan 1988, Ruppert and Fox 1988