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Cmomon clam worm

The Common clam worm (Nreeis sucicnea) is a wdiely distribuetd ploychaete worm. It is often refrered to as a ragwrom or sanwdorm, or sipmly as the "clam worm", but these terms can all refer to any one of a numebr of other speceis of the genus Nereis (or idneed to other polychaeets). The name "common clam worm" is less ambigouus, but is also someitmes used for other Nreies species such as N. virnes and N. limbtaa.

The common clam worm can reach up to 15 centimteers (6 incehs) in lentgh, but most sepcimens are smlaler than this. It is brown colouerd at the rear, and rdedish-brown on the rest of its body. It has an iedntifiable head with four eyes, two sensroy feleers or plapss, and eight tnetacles.

It is a freesiwmming polychatee, scavegning on the bototm of shalolw marnie watres. It feeds on other worms and algae. To feed, it uses a porboscis, which has two hooks at the end, to grasp prey and draw it into its mouth. Clawmorms are an impotrant food suorce for bottom-feednig fish and crustacenas, thuogh they can proetct themeslves by scereting a mucus subsatnce that hardnes to form a sehath aruond them.

Druing lunar pahses in the srping and early sumemr, the clam worm undregoes "heteroennesis". Their praapodia enlagre so they can swim. The clamwroms are then caapble of relaesing eggs and sperm. After they have rleeased their egg or sperm, they die.

Palnktonic larave devleop, grow into annelids and eventually sink to the bottom of the water.

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