Bispira brunnea (Social Feather Duster) Care Guide
Bispira brunnea is a Caribbean cluster-forming sabellid feather duster that filters plankton through a crown of banded radioles.
Compiled by Aquairi from published sources · Published · Updated
Overview
Bispira brunnea is a tube-dwelling marine polychaete of the family Sabellidae, native to the Caribbean. It forms colonial clusters of soft, non-calcareous tubes, each crowned by a fan of radioles in brown, cream and banded patterns. The species was originally described in 1917 as Metalaonome brunnea and later transferred to the genus Bispira.
Taxonomy
- Family: Sabellidae
- Genus: Bispira
- Scientific name: Bispira brunnea
- Authority: (Treadwell, 1917)
- Synonyms: Metalaonome brunnea Treadwell, 1917; Sabella bahamensis Augener, 1922
Habitat
It occurs throughout the Caribbean, the Bahamas and southeastern North America at depths down to about 35 metres. Individuals settle on rocks, corals and sandy sediment, often under overhangs and in crevices, favouring areas with vigorous water movement and abundant suspended organic matter and plankton.
Tank requirements
- Minimum tank volume: 60 L
- Temperature: 24-26 C (75-79 F)
- pH: 8.1-8.4
- Carbonate hardness (KH): 8-11 dKH
- Specific gravity: 1.024-1.026
- Lifespan: 2-5 years
Diet
The worm is a continuous filter feeder. It traps plankton and fine organic particles on mucus-lubricated pinnules of its radioles and transports them toward the mouth at the centre of the crown. In aquaria it depends on a steady supply of suspended planktonic foods.
Compatibility
Bispira brunnea is peaceful and reef-safe, suitable alongside calm reef fish. The crown is highly sensitive to vibration and retracts rapidly when disturbed. Predatory or inquisitive tankmates such as hawkfish and arrow crabs may pick at the radioles and should be avoided.
Breeding
The species is a broadcast spawner and is likely a protandrous hermaphrodite, with males becoming female as they grow larger. It can regenerate a damaged crown, and retraction behaviour is synchronised across the cluster.
Bispira brunnea Breeding Guide
Overview
Bispira brunnea, the social feather duster, is a Caribbean sabellid polychaete that lives in groups and is common off the Caribbean islands and the Bahamas. Each worm bears a crown of 18 to 28 radioles in two semicircular whorls and feeds on plankton filtered from the water, secreting a soft, non-calcareous tube about 40 mm long with white sand grains cemented to the outside. Aggregations can include both juveniles and adults.
Reproductive Mode
Both sexual and asexual reproduction occur within a population at the same time. In one study, about 92.7% of individuals reproduced sexually while about 52% reproduced by architomy; whole colonies are described as either male, female or hermaphrodite, and the worms are likely protandrous hermaphrodites that begin life as males and become female when larger.
Asexual Reproduction
Asexual reproduction is by architomy: buds are produced inside the parental tube at several regenerative stages. This budding, together with the worm's ability to regenerate a crown nipped off by a predator within a few weeks, drives the dense social aggregations that give the species its name.
Sexual Reproduction
Sexual reproduction follows the sabellid pattern of external fertilisation after gametes are shed into the water, with a planktonic larval phase before settlement; the sex composition of studied populations included males, females and hermaphrodites.
Common Challenges
In aquaria these worms multiply mainly through architomy within the cluster rather than through larval rearing, which is not practical at home. They depend on plankton-rich water, and stress can trigger crown shedding that is usually followed by regeneration.