featherduster worm or sabellid polychaete Perkinsiana sp., probably Perkinsiana littoralis

Perkinsiana littoralis is found throughout Antarctica and the Antarctic Peninsula, and the South Shetland Islands, from 20 to 800 meters depth [1,2,4,5]. P. littoralis is up to twenty centimeters long, reaching the largest size for the genus [1].



The tentacular crown of Perkinsiana littoralis has 36 to 60 feathery radioles, is completely red to completely white, with some specimens having up to seven red or gray bands [1].

Using its tentacular radioles as a food-gathering net for its suspension feeding, the outspread feathery radioles are covered with hairlike cilia that carry small food particles down to the worm's central mouth.



Probably Perkinsiana littoralis, here's a completely red color morph.

P. littoralis feeds on diatoms, dinoflagellates, formaniferans, tintinnids, radiolarians, ciliates, and harpacticoid copepods [4].



The Ross Sea species of Perkinsiana live within tubes that are translucent, irregularly spiralled, and encrusted [1].

Antarctic polychaetes have a much higher percentage of unique species than polychaete faunas in other parts of the world [3].

Taxonomic Note: Potamilla antarctica specimens were sorted out into several species of Perkinsiana [1].

1: Zoologica Scripta 26(3):267-278, 1997; 2: Bulletin of Marine Science 67(1):299-309, 2000; 3: Adaptations within Antarctic Ecosystems, Proceedings of the Third SCAR Symposium on Antarctic Biology. GA Llano, ed. Washington, DC : Smithsonian Institution, 1977. pp.1111-1127; 4: Berichte zur Polarforschung 301: 83-94, 1999; 5: Polar Biology 15:295-302, 1995

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