This page links to species in the family Vermetidae, commonly called worm shells, from Kwajalein. Shells are irregularly coiled and usually cemented to the substrate, and are often mistaken for the calcareous tubes of worms. Being sessile, many feed by spreading nets of mucus out from the aperture of the shell, periodicallly pulling in the mucus to consume whatever sticks to it. Living cemented to the reef, shells are not easily detached and tend to not be popular with collectors. Additionally, species are often difficult to identify, and there are few photographs in references to aid in field identification. Consequently, most of the species we have are not identified, and indeed some of them may be different growth forms of others we have figured. The names for species for which we have risked a guess must mostly be regarded as tentative. We welcome suggestions or corrections at uwkwaj@yahoo.com. (Click on a thumbnail for pages with larger images.)
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